Brad Horn/Nevada Appeal Emma Young, 2, of Carson City, attempts to cut her hot dog during the Carson City Library Foundation's Oktoberfest 2006 celebration at the Pony Express Pavilion at Mills Park on Saturday.
Sally Edwards spent 30 years working for the Carson City Library before retiring a little more than a week ago. So what did she do with one of her first weekends as a retiree?
She spent her Saturday pouring beer at an Oktoberfest event to benefit the library.
"I want to stay active with the foundation and the Friends of the Library, and will still be involved," Edwards said.
The annual festival is put on at the Pony Express Pavilion in Mills Park by the Carson City Library Foundation, with proceeds going to enhance operations at the library.
The fundraiser included live polka music, a silent auction, an assortment of merchants offering craft items and a book sale by Friends of the Carson City Library.
"Our library is extraordinary," said Jan Neubert, president of the Friends. "They have moved into the technological age as well as anyone, and the research department is great at finding whatever you need,"
The group raises money to help make up for shortfalls in the library's budget by selling books donated from the public.
"Nothing we sell comes off the shelves of the library," Neubert said. "In fact, after a donation is made, the library gets first pick if they need it for their collection."
While hundreds of people perused the boxes of books, Matigan, 6, and Emma King, 4, were more interested another booth at the celebration.
"I like the face-painting, it was fun. I got a witch," said Matigan.
While approximately 500 people meandered through the booths, the Reno Sauerkrauts helped perfect the atmosphere with their German polkas.
"We enjoy playing German music, because some of us have German heritage, but mostly because it's just fun," said trombone and vocal player Curt Freemont. "But most people don't want an entire program of German music, so we do play other types of music, too."
Yet the biggest draw of the event was by far the bratwurst, hot dogs and sauerkraut.
Over the course of the afternoon, volunteers cooked 720 bratwursts, 560 hot dogs and watched them get covered with 44 pounds of sauerkraut. The German feast could be accompanied by some of the 12 kegs of five varieties of beer.
That's where Edwards spent her afternoon.
"We started slow this morning because it was cold, but it's been brisk ever since," Edwards said. "The Sam Adams Oktoberfest is the popular choice, I think because it's the darkest one we have."
• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.