Tastemakers: Dinner in The Hills/ Oktoberfest

Sept. 20, 2009

Tastemakers
Rick Coates 9/21/09
Dinner in
the Hills

Mt. Holiday Ski & Recreation Area was on its death bed 10 years ago, until a group of families and ski enthusiasts came together and kept the long time ski operation from heading into extinction. Now operated by a non-profit association, Mt. Holiday is a year – round recreation and entertainment facility offering skiing, disc golf, mountain biking, wedding receptions, private parties and banquets. Last year they brought in veteran ski hill operations manager Rick Van Tongeren (Cannonsburg near Grand Rapids) to serve as their new General Manager and a new banquet manager, Michelle Konstanzer. Now Mt. Holiday is enjoying a 12-month operation. Being non-profit they are dependent on fundraising and on Saturday, September 26, they will host their 4th annual dinner.
“We are calling it ’Dinner in the Hills’ as this is the first time the dinner will be here at Mt. Holiday” said Van Tongeren. “We have a lot going on all night including great food, beer, wine, music and silent auction. We expect to draw 160 people.” The evening will feature 10 area chefs preparing a variety of wild game and other speicliaty entrées and appetizers. The gourmet offerings will be paired with wines from seven wineries from the region and four are microbreweries.
“Our mission is to provide educational and outdoor recreational activities in a safe, clean and inviting environment for people of all ages,” said Van Tongeren. ”Proceeds from this dinner will go to purchasing a new conveyor surface lift.”
For additional information check out mt-holiday.com or call 231-938-2500.
--Rick Coats


OKTOBERFEST


The official Oktoberfest kicked off in Munich, Germany this past weekend and will continue through October 4. The two-week celebration is the largest festival in the world. By its end, nearly seven million people from all over the world will have attended. They will consume 15 million pints of beer, 30,000 bottles of wine and another 25,000 bottles of sparkling wine. There is some serious drinking going on over in Germany right now, but more importantly, some serious money dumped into their local economy.
Oktoberfest began in 1810 when Crown Prince Ludwig (later he became King Ludwig I) married Princess Therese and the citizens of Munich were invited to partake in the festivities. The residents had so much fun they kept it going annually as a celebration to boost Bavarian agriculture. The economic impact of the festival today is estimated at over a billion dollars and requires 12,000 employees to make everything happen.
Several restaurants and communities throughout Northern Michigan will be celebrating Oktoberfest in the coming weeks. While music (oompah bands), great food, and German fashions are the roots of these festivals beer is the heart of any great Oktoberfest celebration. If you want to try these Oktoberfest selections: Beck’s, Sam Adams and Leinenkugel’s all produce a basic Oktoberfest (Märzen style: full-bodied, typically dark copper in color with a medium to high alcohol content). If you are looking for something with a little more “German” to it, try Hacker-Pschorr or Ayinger. both produce flavorful Oktoberfest brews.
For local color visit Shorts Brewery for their Smoked Apple Ale (not an Oktoberfest but he uses local apples and the brew is quite tasty). Regardless of how you celebrate fall get out and support your local communities throughout Northern Michigan by participating in a harvest festival, visiting a local eatery, downtown shopping district or farm market. --Rick Coates