RUMFORD – Whether you wanted a great meal, a classic book or some information on the local snowmobile club, Rumford’s 10th annual Oktoberfest was the place to be on Sunday.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club, the one-day event at the ARC building charged no admission fee and had 32 booths managed by both non-profit and for-profit groups.

“We’ve got some great groups here this year,” said Jane Bubar, Rotary Club president as she looked around the room. “Every one of them has something interesting to offer.”

Among the newcomers to this year’s Oktoberfest was Interact, a youth organization that raised money by serving food to hungry visitors. Along with at least one local community project, each of the 8,600 Interact clubs around the world takes on an international project.

“I think our kids are the cream of the crop,” said Diane Perry, a Rotary member helping the local Interact Club through its first year. “In addition to the three projects they have already taken on in this area, they have pledged to help the Hospice for Children with Aids in South Africa. The kids are so busy and the club was just chartered in May.”

Not far from where Interact was serving food, the Hospital Auxiliary was selling spots for the November raffle.

“We are raising money for hospital equipment and nursing scholarships while giving away a lot of great prizes,” said Auxiliary member Paula Smith. She added, “anyone who buys one has a really good chance of winning.”

The Hospital Auxiliary is a veteran of October festivals in Rumford. Years before the Rotary started its Oktoberfest, the Auxiliary held its annual October bazaar in the ARC building. When the bazaar was moved to the springtime, it was just a matter of time before another event took its place.

“People really wanted something going on here in the fall,” said Rotary member Dick Burns as he managed the used-book sale.

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