Celebrate Oktoberfest This Saturday at Santa Anita

L.A.'s month of Oktoberfest celebrations continues this Saturday at the Santa Anita Park. Among the offerings: 28 German and craft beer breweries including Golden Road, New Belgium, Stone, Epic, Bootleggers, Speakeasy and Angel City among others.

Dog Haus will also be there, serving its "Best of the Würst": Beer Brat Dogs, sausages and tater tots. Music on site includes Bavarian Wunderband, The Spazmatics and Boogie Knights. A kid-friendly zone includes a visit with SeaBiscuit, pony rides, face painting, a bounce house and photo booth.

General admission to the infield is $5, but attendees dressed in German attire will have the general admission fee waived. Special packages are also available, including beer tastings, pretzels and food: Go here for ticket info.

Santa Anita's Oktoberfest takes place this Saturday from noon to 7 p.m.

A Day at The Races: Visiting the Renovated Santa Anita Racetrack

As the horses returned to Santa Anita this weekend, folks visiting the track noticed something else: A major $15 million renovation, giving the venue a facelift and bringing in more gourmet food and beverage options, among other things. We were invited to visit the track this weekend by America's Best Racing, the marketing arm of the Jockey Club, which is looking to promote horse racing to a younger generation across the country. The Jockey Club has sent a group of brand ambassadors around the country to call some attention to the nation's top racetracks and bring in people who might not otherwise visit.

And indeed, other than a visit years ago to Hollywood Park, the only exposure I've had to horse racing in recent years was the sad events that led HBO to cancel "Luck" (which was shot at Santa Anita). Our recent stops at Santa Anita were for CalPhil concerts and the 626 Market.



But there's something unique about visiting Santa Anita in the morning, early, as the crowds are light, the weather is beautiful and the San Gabriel Mountains shine in front of you. ESPN visited the renovated Santa Anita recently for this report:

They are trying to create a facility that will make the fan experience so special that people, whether new to the sport or regular horseplayers, will keep coming back.

"The experience of racing begins at the track," said Tom Ludt, Senior VP of Racing and Gaming for the Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita. "No one gets hooked on racing by going to an OTB or watching a simulcast. The sport has been struggling when it comes to attendance and we believe one of the reasons for that is the experience people have at the racetrack. The initiative we have taken here is all about the on-track experience, about the food, the seats, cleanliness, the experience a fan has. It's just like what stadiums and other venues in other sports have done, realizing they had to change."

Several areas of the track have been modernized and improved. A special room reserved for high rollers has been built. Santa Anita has also invested big dollars in how its races are shown in some areas of the building. Certain areas will feature giant "tile technology" TV screens with surround sound audio.

"We have audio visual technology that is off the charts," Ludt said. "When the horses break out of gate and those speakers get booming, you'll feel like you're in a theater atmosphere."

The irony is that Santa Anita, pre-renovation, was already one of the world's most beautiful racetracks. But the management team there realized that if they were going to get people to come back to the racetrack they had to make the place even better.

Even with the renovations, Santa Anita, like so many tracks, will still struggle with the problem of being way too big for its own good. Tracks like Santa Anita and Belmont were built in an era when the buildings needed to accommodate huge crowds. With those days long gone, there can be an emptiness to these tracks that can ruin a fan's experience all by itself. There's just something very depressing about a huge building with no one in it.

More pics from our day at Santa Anita:

In Search of Tasty Street Food at the 626 Night Market

The 626 Night Market attempts to re-create the street food experience of the Far East right here in the San Gabriel Valley, attracting huge crowds (and long lines) to patronize around 150 food booths, food trucks and other vendors. Newly located at Santa Anita Park, the 626 Night Market is free (although parking at Santa Anita is $7 after 10 p.m.). We found street parking nearby.

Inside, lines were long at some of the more popular food vendors, but we managed to get some tasty musubi (although strangely, no spam) at the Mama's Musubi booth after waiting for about 15 minutes. We also hit another booth for Japanese-style chicken skewers, and two different spots for boba. The food was all very reasonably priced too.

Santa Anita is a fine place for the event -- plenty of room, plus a playground for the kids. But... every once in a while, you'd catch a whiff of horse manure. Not pleasant at any time, but especially not pleasant while looking for food. (Don't worry, it wasn't overpowering or frequent.)


What is "Gangnam Style" food? Not clear. But points to this booth for blatantly trying to cash in on the Gangnam craze. I imagine last year it was the "Lady Gaga Food" booth.


Yes, "Gangnam Style" is everywhere.


Blogger Toddler 2.0 enjoys a Boba Milk Tea. More crowd and food booth shots:













Some background on the market:

The 626, aka the San Gabriel Valley, is home to a slew of wonderful Asian restaurants, businesses, and communities. Many 626 inhabitants grew up frequenting night markets in Asia and often reminisce about the sights, sounds, and tastes found at night markets. The only thing missing from the 626 is an Asian night market.

 The goal of the 626 Night Market is to recreate the Asian night market experience in Los Angeles while providing a platform for local, small businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive through exposure and participation in an event created for the surrounding communities.

Keep an eye peeled for the next 626 Night Market!

Saturday Night at Santa Anita with the Cal Phil

The California Philharmonic made its big move this year from the Los Angeles County Arboretum to the Santa Anita Race Track right across the street -- and it hasn't missed a beat. The Franklin Avenue family was invited on Saturday night to attend the final night of its summertime Festival on the Green series, and it was a perfect one to bring the kids to: Among the highlights of "Beethoven and John Williams" night were the familiar sounds of the "Star Wars," "Superman" and "Raiders of the Lost Arc" themes. And Beethoven's "Ode To Joy from Symphony No. 9" is very familiar to young ears as well. The Cal Phil is meant to be a populist, approachable music organization and focuses on crowd favorites. Maestro Victor Vener, who founded the organization more than 15 years ago, takes joy in stopping between numbers to give his own spin on the works.

As for the change in venue -- one that was against Cal Phil's will -- it appears that things turned out just fine for the orchestra. Santa Anita built a nice green area for tables and chairs; a playground kept kids pre-occupied before the show; and the unobstructed views of the San Gabriel Mountains gave the concert setting a majestic feel. Also in attendance: The horse that played "Seabiscuit" in the movie.

We brought a picnic lunch and enjoyed the cool summer evening air -- it was a nice night, and the kids (particularly Blogger Toddler 2.0) got into the music.

That's it for the "Festival on the Green," but check their website for future events.

Some pics from Saturday night: