Hundreds enjoy Biketoberfest in Fairfax

The sun shone and the beer flowed Saturday during Marin County Bicycle Coalition's Biketoberfest in downtown Fairfax.

Large crowds visited the Marin County Bicycle Coalition's (MCBC) annual fundraiser to taste a variety of beers from 20 microbreweries, check out some bicycle products and hear live music from four bands.

The event isn't only about beer but about bicycling. Going by the going large crowds and couple hundred bicycles that were in the valet bicycle parking that MCBC offered, the event was a success.

Trevor Jones of San Anselmo commutes to work in Terra Linda by bike. He said he comes to Biketoberfest each year. “I love the enthusiasm and the camaraderie and the whole atmosphere is terrific,” he said.

The Bicycle Works in San Anselmo had a booth at Biketoberfest. They are a community resource and education center where people can not only learn bicycle repair but make repairs to their bicycles with tools at the center.

Some visitors who attended came from outside of Marin. Beth Keyser and Julee Henderson from Pleasant Hill were told about the event by a friend who invited them to stay over in Marin.

Both women lived in Germany for a couple of years and enjoy wearing the dirndl, a traditional German dress. “There is good energy here and any opportunity to drink beer and wear my dirndl I'm in,” Henderson said.

Another woman wearing a dirndl was Allison Snopak. She was drinking beer with friends Reed Mayfield from San Francisco and Paul Sievert of Corte Madera, both of whom were wearing lederhosen.

The most unique pedal powered creation at the event was made by Baron Von Jabba from Mill Valley. He made a quad wheel human powered vehicle that has a large rabbit in the front named Miss Tickle. The rabbit is kinetic and is controlled by a series of levers that move the head, eyes and mouth.

There was a booth promoting the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum that will be moving from Colorado to Marin in the coming years. Marin County is the perfect place for the museum since mountain biking started in Marin with Otis Guy and Gary Fisher among others.