Months ago, thousands were out of luck as Cape Coral’s Oktoberfest was canceled due to the damage from Hurricane Ian. The German-American Social Club is now getting back in action with Biergartenfest. Recover for the German-American Social Club had been a long, expensive, and frustrating grind. Club members needed nearly three months to get everything back to the point they could reopen. Now that they have put in the work, they are ready to start this year on a high note. From the outside looking in, the German-American Social Club in Cape Coral looks like it usually does, but look close enough, and you’ll see the building still has blue tarps. It is a reminder of how, in the days, weeks, and months after Hurricane Ian, the location was not safe even to go inside. “We had some pretty good roof damage at the edge of our big hall. Had quite a bit of leakage coming in on the west side. And then we had some structural damage to our entry portico,” said German-American Social Club President Stephen Bauer. It’s safe to say the storm didn’t make things easy for club members, especially since they had to cancel Oktoberfest. “Everyone was crushed that we had to shut down our Oktoberfest. Even those who had suffered through the hurricane were hoping for a relief, which we, unfortunately, could not provide,” said Susie Zimmer, publicity & advertising chair for the German-American Social Club. Canceling Oktoberfest proved to be a devasting blow to the club’s fundraising efforts. Bauer said they lost nearly $100,000. “It was a hard decision to make emotionally, but it was an easy decision to make. Logically, we were still without utilities,” said Bauer. Bauer said the club needed nearly three months to fix all the problems. Now, the utilities are back, the roof is patched, and the garden debris is gone. It was all done just in time for the club to launch its Biergartenfest this weekend. “We were here [Thursday], all day, cleaning up out here, getting things ready. And finally, I think we’re prepared for the crowds to come,” said Ed Freund, Oktoberfest chairman for the German-American Social Club. If you want to attend this weekend’s festivities, it will cost you $5. The party starts at noon on Saturday. You can learn more by clicking here.