Oktoberfest at Harpoons on the Bay is exceptional, don’t miss it. Our editorial staff stands by that. Check it out, October 3 – 4

NORTH CAPE MAY – Oktoberfest is in its tenth year at Harpoons on the Bay, and by year two, the dancing was so crazy that owners Jeff and Brady knew that they would have to close off the streets to make it a real party.

Harpoons is nestled in a quiet residential neighborhood. We’d say it’s a ‘if you know, you know’ spot, but the whole town seems to be in the know. The restaurant was packed during our early afternoon interview with its owners.

Oktoberfest takes place across two days at Harpoons and requires a whole lot of prep. Brady, whose family is German, drives to the Poconos to pick up hundreds of Bratwurst and Weißwurst each year. His journey takes him to Alpine Meat and Deli, a German smokehouse and butcher shop. On the way home, he grabs hundreds of kielbasa from Piast Meat and Provisions.

“We seek out food suppliers that nobody else uses down here,” Brady said. “Piast is in a Polish neighborhood, everybody speaks Polish! When I walk in, they immediately speak Polish at me. I’m like: I’m from Cape May! It’s the same in the German butcher shop; everybody is speaking German.”

A lot of that German strangeness makes it onto the special two-day menu. Brady and Jeff want to leave an impression on guests; nobody should leave thinking they ate just another bite of shore grub.

Enter their famous Oktoberfest Meatloaf, a recipe from Brady’s German grandmother, Oma. At first glance, it looks like the classic American comfort dish, but slice in and you’ll find a row of hard-boiled eggs tucked neatly through the center. The whole thing is draped in gingersnap gravy.

Oma grew up in Garmisch, Bavaria; her family fled Germany between World War I and World War II. The German economy was ravaged by inflation, and her family managed to leave before Hitler came into full power. Oma brought many of her German traditions with her. Though the accent wasn’t passed down through the family, her recipes were. Some of the dishes at Harpoons’ Oktoberfest use the same ingredients and cooking style as Oma: the roast pork, the cucumber salad, the perfectly brown sauerkraut, and the meatloaf.

Sit-down dining is available on a first-come, first-served basis, but folks don’t have to sit. After all, that’s not very conducive to dancing. Sausages are served on pretzel buns, grab-and-go style.

The bands, too, are German and Polish. Now is your chance to dance along to polka music courtesy of The Beat, a polka band playing one of their last-ever shows before they disband. Come dance along in 2/4 time.

During our interview with Jeff and Brady, we asked them about the stress that comes with planning an event like this. But they both laughed and said that it’s a party for them, too. They said that ten of their 42 beer taps are converted to Oktoberfest beers. Some are brewed in Munich, like Spaten Oktoberfest, and others are made right here on the cape, like Slack Tide’s Slacktoberfest.

A lot of Oktoberfest events on the shore ring hollow for us here at Do the Shore. Some events bill themselves as “Oktoberfest” but don’t bring the free-wheeling energy required for a true “Volksfest,” a festival of the people. When Oktoberfest first came to life in Munich, folks were getting drunk with their loved ones, dancing in the fields, in the streets. Harpoons is one of just a few Oktoberfests in the county that capture the joy of a true German festival. Folks come to Harpoons’ Oktoberfest weekend just to dance on the street by the bay.

Contact the author, Collin Hall, at 609-886-8600 ext. 156 or by email at chall@cmcherald.com – Collin is the editor of Do the Shore.