Beau’s Brewery’s Vankleek Hill Oktoberfest

The $10,000 donation received from Beau’s Oktoberfest will go towards the purchase of a new CT-Scan machine at the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital. “The current CT-Scan machine was installed in 2007 and has been used more than 45,000 times. That means that many members of our community did not have to travel to Ottawa or Montreal to receive their scan; they got it close to home,” says Pierre-Luc Byham, Executive Director of the HGH Foundation. When the redevelopment project at HGH is completed in 2018, it will be time to replace the current CT-Scan.

Beau's Oktoberfest 8 — Photo by Ben Welland

The Ottawa United Way charity bike ride from Ottawa to Vankleek Hill raised a total of $32,663 in support of their “All that Kids Can Be” Program. 200 riders participated in the event, whose top fundraisers, Oliver Anderson and Roddy McFall, each raised more than $2,000. The bike ride was made possible with help from Kunstadt Sports, United Way Ottawa and GenNext volunteers.

Other charities and organizations that will benefit from this year’s funds are United Way’s “All that Kids Can Be,” 100 percent Actifs, For Pivot’s Sake, Hidden Harvest, Ottawa Riverkeeper, Ottawa Skateboard Community Association, and Sacha’s Park.

Beau's Oktoberfest 10 — Photo by Colleen Johnson.

In addition to Friday headliners Yukon Blonde, entertainment at Oktoberfest featured award-winning and renowned independent artists Alvvays, Walter Ostanek, The Dears, The Pack A.D., Fucked Up, The Beaches, and The Elwins, as well as the comedy of Ottawa native Tom Green. Bavarian and seasonally inspired creations were also available from 28 local restaurants, while activities like the keg toss and stein-holding struggle tested attendees’ endurance and strength.