By MINDY KEPFIELD

Staff writer

It was a tough call to make, but Lincolnville’s city council decided to cancel this year’s Octoberfest celebrations after only four agreed to volunteer.

“I am sure people are upset,” council member Cristina Brooks Peterson said. “I have had people come up to me and say, ‘Are you kidding me? Well, you know, it is what it is.”

Peterson will miss it but admits she cannot take it on by herself.

Neither can Barb and Lester Kaiser nor Peterson’s daughter, Sabrina Powell, who are among a handful of faithful volunteers.

A surge in COVID-19 cases in the county was a concern.

“As a city council, we just kind of took a stand to wait until next year to bring it back,” she said. “There is just so much uncertainty right now.”

Peterson is aware that many other cities are having events.

That’s why she took the matter before the city council.

“We decided as a council, as a city to make that decision,” she said, adding that the biggest factor was lack of volunteers.

Most people don’t realize how much work it is to organize, she said.

In 2019, she had a team of nearly eight to help plan, contact vendors, make calls for donations and track down people to run a parade and kids’ games.

Peterson has organized Lincolvnilles Octoberfest for nearly six years, but this year, everyone seemed to be busy, she said.

The Lincolnville council considered scaling down the celebration, but Peterson knew people would be disappointed.

She is running a write-in campaign to be re-elected to the council. Both of her two terms have been won after write-in campaigns.

She hopes she will be able to help plan Octoberfest next year.

Even though preparations are stressful, it is still her favorite event to put on.