FRI 10/1
Perhaps nothing belies the separation of booze and state more than the municipal endorsement of ethanol commonly known as Oktoberfest. Hollywood's version starts Friday when the honorary burgermeister (Mayor Mara Giulianti) taps the first keg of Beck's at 5 p.m. The games continue with a sausage-laced Oktoberfest platter contest, music, a Miss Oktoberfest contest, yodeling competitions, and the biergarten.
As in previous years, DJ Jim Moore will drive a golf cart up and down the Broadwalk, instigating random acts of chicken dancing. You know the drill: Hands become chicken beaks, arms devolve into chicken wings, wiggle your hips and clap. The chicken dance (also known as the Vogel Tanz and El Baile de los Pajaritos) seems most closely tied to four disparate points in the space/time continuum: American wedding receptions, University of Wisconsin football games, Basque gambling parlors, and Oktoberfests. Like a genetically engineered virus from a biowarfare lab in some dark corner of the former Soviet Union (or a Washington, D.C., suburb), the song has spread logarithmically far and wide. Oktoberfest goes down at the Hollywood Broadwalk (east of A1A at Johnson Street, Hollywood) on Friday, October 1, from 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. Call 954-924-2980. -- Dave Amber
Appeals on Wheels
Swaying the swing vote
THU 9/30
From noon to 5 p.m. today, the Rock the Vote Voter Registration Bus sets up camp at Florida Atlantic University (777 Glades Rd., Boca Raton) as part of its 50-city tour to stimulate political involvement among the 18-to-30 crowd. The fact that only 20 college campuses across the nation were selected is a coup for Florida (still blushing from the 2000 election and now posing in desperation as comeback kid '04.) "All eyes are on us," says Mike D'Eugenio, FAU's director of community affairs. "We want to get people to vote and also demonstrate where we stand." Yes, America, we can count ballots. Sponsors like MTV's "Choose or Lose" have booths in the "voter village," and Declare Yourself Poets perform on the outdoor stage, along with musicians Wylde Bunch, Dan Dyer, and Ben Jelen. The event is free. Call 561-297-3000, or visit www.rockthevote.com. -- Michele D. Omenson
Hog Heaven
Riders wanted
SAT 10/2
We know, you're totally wasted in that cubicle. You were born to be wild, right? With a couple of tats and the wind in your hair, plus several hundred horsepower of awesomely detailed metal between your thighs, you might just tip your potential. Take your fantasies for a spin this weekend at the Las Olas Art Center (600 SE Second Ct., Fort Lauderdale), where artist Eddie Trotta is displaying his custom-designed and whimsically painted choppers. These are toys to look at, not to hold, but 25 bucks will buy you a stool at the cash bar and a little inspiration. The show opens at 8 p.m. and benefits the American Lung Association. Call 954-463-8833. -- Gail Shepherd
Kickin' the Habit
WED 10/6
Soda may have caffeine, but soca's got rhythm, and that's more addictive than a hundred bottles of Jolt. So if soca's your fix, stop by Wednesday night for the Second Annual "Addiction" party at Meridien (115 S. 20th Ave., Hollywood). Hosts Dawg E Slaughter, Alison Hinds, and Maximus Dan join DJs Eternal Vibes, Natural Freaks, and Back to Basics to give you what you need. Call 954-558-4804. -- Jason Budjinski
