There was a huge turnout for the Dachshund Derby and Oktoberfest celebrations at Mountain Monk Brewers in Mt Beauty last Saturday.

There were so many entries for the race it needed six heats before the final.

The crowd was thoroughly entertained as these little dogs came out of the stalls at an ambling pace, and one even turned around and went back into the stall.

The winner was ‘Darcy‘ and he and owners Lauretta and Stewart Strong was awarded the cup by celebrity Dachshund survivor ‘Valerie’ and her owner Georgia Gardner.

The German theme for the Oktoberfest saw many in traditional costume adding to the fun.

Speaking of fun, comedian Darryl Peebles will be touring in the Alpine Shire to entertain, particularly our older residents as part of the Seniors' Festival running this month.

Darryl is dedicated to making people laugh, especially older folk.

He is generously giving his time free of charge, apart from covering his travelling costs being met by the Alpine Shire as part of their support for the Seniors' Festival.

Darryl's performances start with a free lunch at the Mt Beauty Neighbourhood Centre on Monday, 20 October (bookings are necessary); on Tuesday afternoon he will be performing at Kiewa Valley House in Mt Beauty; Wednesday he will be in Bright appearing at Hawthorn Village; and on Thursday he will be at the Savoy Club in Myrtleford.

On the evening of Wednesday, 22 October he will be at Porepunkah Pub to help lift the spirits of the locals who have been affected both financially and emotionally by the recent incident involving the deaths of two police officers.

The other performance will be on Saturday, 25 October at the Mt Beauty Community Hall - the cost being $25 per ticket.

This fee will support the Upper Kiewa Valley Arts Committee in bringing more entertainment to the area.

There were so many activities last Saturday in Mt Beauty with the Resilience Picnic and the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Mt Beauty/Tawonga Playgroup.

Topping it off were more than 100 guests gathered around a huge bonfire to help local celebrity Mandy Van Gastel celebrate her 40th birthday - the 80s themed party saw some interesting outfits.