The Downtown Bend Business Association is pleased to announce Bend Premier Real Estate as the presenting sponsor of the annual Bend Oktoberfest, to be held on Sept 21st and 22nd.

Bend Premier Real Estate’s Lynnea Miller states, “We are extremely pleased and excited to be part of such a worthwhile event. Not only is it worthwhile, it’s a blast! The fact that Bend Oktoberfest fundraising provides so much for our Downtown makes it a really unique Bend event.”

This annual Bend Oktoberfest is a traditional German harvest celebration of food, fun, and brews. The event spans two days with a Family Fun Zone, Live Music, Weiner Dog Races, Tricycle Races, outrageous games, face painting, contests, giveaways & more. 100% of the proceeds go to the Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA)- a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the vitality of Downtown Bend. Oktoberfest is the DBBA’s largest fundraiser of the year and it is produced by the DBBA to directly raise funds to help beautify Downtown Bend & stimulate its economy.   To learn more about this event, visit www.bendoktoberfest.org

About Bend Premier Real Estate
Bend Premier Real Estate is the only company in Bend to have been selected to join Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate, the most elite and largest luxury real estate network in the world. Brokerages with this distinction provide the highest level of customer service and demonstrated marketing excellence in luxury real estate. Through this alliance, our Luxury Properties are now featured on LuxuryRealEstate.com’s award-winning website, which attracts over 200 million potential buyers and more than 4 million page views in more than 190 countries each month with more than 12 billion dollars in active luxury real estate listings across the globe. Additionally, BPRE is now associated with the largest network of luxury real estate professionals with nearly 3900 offices and over 130,000 agents.
To learn more about the Bend Premier Real Estate, visit: https://www.bendpremierrealestate.com/

​About the DBBA
The Downtown Bend Business Association is a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation. It is governed by a volunteer board of directors, composed of business and building owners in Downtown Bend.. Its board meets monthly and lends its expertise to the operations of the DBBA and the organization’s impact on the City of Bend. The DBBA’s mission is to increase the vitality of Downtown Bend. You can learn more about the DBBA at www.downtownbend.org.

On Sept 21st and 22nd, The 14th Annual Bend Oktoberfest will take over Irving and Oregon Avenue in Downtown Bend for a good cause.  Whether you are a visitor or a local, Downtown Bend grabs a special place in your heart.  With its rich history, unique stores, award-winning restaurants, and dynamic events – Downtown Bend is the heart of Central Oregon.  If you are visiting in the summer, you can relish in the delight of quaint storefronts, overflowing flower baskets, and incredible outdoor dining experiences – in the winter you can sit in one of our cozy cafes, find distinctive gifts, and bask in the magic of our holiday lights & decorations.  This is all possible because of the Downtown Bend Business Association.

The Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA) is a local nonprofit that is dedicated to increasing the vitality of Downtown Bend.  The DBBA provides the cleaning, decorations, flowers, events, banners, marketing, advocacy and growth planning for the Downtown Bend Economic Improvement District (EID).

Our Bend Community loves Downtown with such wholeheartedness, that every year they put on Bend Oktoberfest to raise funds for Downtown Bend.  With donations from all the local breweries, sponsorship from businesses citywide and almost 300 volunteers, Bend Oktoberfest not only raises necessary funds for Downtown Bend – it offers the community a fun way to celebrate together with silly games (like the chicken dance or bratwurst toss), feats of strength (like the hammerschlagen), and (of course) the much anticipated Weiner Dog Race.
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The great news is that you can join the Bend Community in making Bend Oktoberfest a success & raising funds for Downtown Bend.  Here is how: First and foremost, you can attend the event on Sept 21st & 22nd, with the knowledge that every beer you drink or chicken hat that you buy is raising funds for Downtown Bend.  Second, the DBBA is still in need of volunteers for this year’s Bend Oktoberfest.  Each volunteer receives a free Oktoberfest stein, a free beer token, a free bratwurst, and huge thanks from the staff and board at the DBBA.  To learn more about the event, or to sign up to volunteer, visit www.bendoktoberfest.com.

Beginning on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, the City of Bend joins numerous community partners in celebrating “Welcoming Week,” a series of community-organized events that highlight the principles of inclusion and create communities that prosper because everyone feels welcome.

Welcoming Week takes place Sept. 14 to 23. Festivities begin with a Launch Celebration at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, at St. Charles Health System. Elected officials and community members will address attendees with thoughts about the importance of Welcoming Week. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. The public is invited to attend.

Community events, including the “Borderless Stories” photography exhibit, a book reading, workshops and educational presentations, Latino Fest, a food truck event and a soccer tournament will provide residents ample opportunity to participate in Welcoming Week.  View the Welcoming Week online calendar for more information on Welcoming Week events. 

In addition to attending Welcoming Week events, Bend area residents are encouraged to participate in a social media photo contest from Sept. 14 to 23. To enter the contest, participants must upload a photo with an “I’m a Welcomer” sign to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Tag the City of Bend page and use the hashtags #IWelcome and #WelcomingWeek to complete the entry. One photo will be randomly selected each day to win a prize pack of Welcoming Week and City of Bend goodies.

For more information about Bend Welcoming Week, including event and social media contest information, visit www.bendoregon.gov/welcomingweek.
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Welcoming Week is a series of events in the community that raise awareness about Bend’s status as a Welcoming City and the benefits of welcoming everyone, including immigrants and refugees. On June 21, 2017, the Bend City Council unanimously supported a resolution for the City of Bend to be recognized as a Welcoming City. Participation in Welcoming Week is one of the requirements for recognition as a Welcoming City.