SEBASTIAN — While preparing for its inaugural Capt Hiram’s Beerfest on Saturday, a quick question came up. What took so long?
“It’s an excuse to come on in and drink a beer,’’ said Debra Janssen, the marketing director for Capt Hiram’s. “We’ve never done one before and we want to keep fresh with new ideas. The staff is enthusiastic about it and, when the staff is excited about something, you know they’ll have fun and share that with the customers.’’
Warsteiner and Grimbergen will be the official, authentic Oktoberfest beers.
The food also is bound to create a thirst. Look for the culinary delights of Germany and Europe in general to be more than filling.
“The chef is excited about putting together an Oktoberfest menu,’’ Janssen said. “He told us he will try to turn the sandbar into a beer garden.’’
Kilt the Messenger, a five-piece bagpipe playing Celtic rock band, will perform at Capt Hiram’s for the first time.
Staring Blind also will be featured.
A beer pong tourney, a bat spins race, hula hoops, quarters, kayak races and a Das Boot competition also will be held.
“The entertainment will begin at 2 p.m., and we’ll have specials from opening to close,’’ Janssen said. “Last call should be around 12:30 a.m. Warsteiner and Grimberger will be on tap and we’ll also have Heineken and our regular beers. It’s just one day but, if it catches on, we may increase it to a couple of events.’’
If Oktoberfest becomes a fixture with a couple of appearances each fall, it will only add to an already ambitious schedule.
From Nov. 1 to 4, the inaugural Pirate Fest will take place at Capt Hiram’s.
On Thursday, for those wearing pirate costumes, there will be discounts on grub and grog.
During the Pirate Fest, an authentic 40-foot pirate ship with its pirates on board will engage in battles with black powder cannons, pistols and swords.
A Captain Jack look-a-like contest is scheduled as well as a talk-like-a-pirate competition.
“I’ve been told the pirate re-enactment is pretty spectacular,’’ Janssen said. “Cannons are shot off live.’’
The Sebastian Clambake Lagoon Festival will be held at Riverview Park that same weekend.
“The two events will bring different people to the area,’’ Janssen said. “People that are coming to Capt Hiram’s are pirate people. I think some of the people from the Clambake Festival will come over to see the pirates.’’
Also this season, Capt Hiram’s will begin conducting ecological tours on its own 40-foot boat for the first time. In the past, Capt Hiram’s and its owner, Tom Collins, contracted these services out to others.
Now, locals and tourists alike will be able to jump on the boat at Capt Hiram’s to see manatee and dolphins on a trek up into the Sebastian River and across the Indian River Lagoon to Sebastian Inlet.
Another option would be to go to Pelican Island on the boat to see all the birds at the first designated wildlife refuge.
Or, a trip through the south fork of Sebastian River to see turtles, alligators, manatee and bottle nose dolphin could be a choice. The boat is expected to arrive by early November and to hit the waters sometime between late December and early February.
“We’re excited – this will be our boat,’’ Janssen said. “Eco tours have become huge. Visitors want someone with knowledge of the river to show them the wildlife they wouldn’t see on their own.’’
Dockmaster Michael Barkley said he can’t wait to take a ride on the new boat.
“I’m sure most of the employees will be on it when it gets here – so we can talk it up,’’ he said.
As guests wait for the eco tours to launch, Barkley said he’s seen the popularity of stand-up paddleboards and parasailing escalate. They join jetskis, boat rentals and kayaks as ways to enjoy the river and sea turtles, stingrays and dolphins up close.
“It gives you more exercise than you can imagine,’’ he said of the paddleboards. “A lot of girls like that. They can go styling around in a bathing suit and get some sun.’’
With all these activities attracting visitors, Janssen said Capt Hiram’s has reeled in more than 13,000 Facebook fans.
“I see posts from Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. A lot of them would rather be here,” she said. “New stuff brings in new people. We’ve built another meeting room off the hotel, we’ve got more dock space and we’ve added another 20 hotel rooms.”
The Capt. Hiram’s property, which encompasses the restaurant and the Key West Inn, pays one of the top property tax bills in the City of Sebastian, plus sales tax and bed tax.
According to City Manager Al Minner, Collins is planning to expand the hotel, adding units west of Indian River Drive on the north end of the parcel. Janssen said the management is cognizant of the place’s importance as an economic engine to the hard-hit North Indian River County area.