A larger venue helped to make this year’s Oktoberfest the biggest to date for the Effingham Chamber of Commerce.

With its new home at the city of Rincon’s 20-acre Freedom Park, the fourth annual Oktoberfest drew twice as many vendors and its largest crowd to date. Chamber Executive Director Rick Lott estimated the weekend crowd at 5,500, “the largest we’ve ever had,” he said.

“This year’s event had nearly double the vendors from last year,” Lott added.

Lott also pointed out that the event drew people from beyond Effingham’s borders. A survey of license plates in the parking lot showed vehicles from Bryan, Bibb, Liberty, Muscogee and Screven counties, and from South Carolina, Florida and other states.

“This event is Effingham tourism at work,” he said.

Lott also expressed his thanks for the many Chamber volunteers who helped stage the event.

“We could not have done this without them,” he said.

For more pictures, see the Photo Gallery section of effinghamherald.net.