Third Annual PNW Sprinter 4×4 Owners Oktoberfest Rally – All Sprinter-Based Vans (4 and 2wd) Welcome!
Join us for our celebration of all things Sprinter at the PNW Sprinter Owners Oktoberfest Rally, October 11-13. Get ready to rev up your engines and have a blast with fellow Sprinter enthusiasts. This in-person event will take place at the picturesque Leavenworth / Pine Village KOA Holiday Resort. All adventure vans built on the Sprinter are welcome. So if you’re a Storyteller, Revel, Momentum Van, Outside Van, DYI or other brand/build on the Sprinter platform, you really should attend! This is not exclusive to 4x4s; 2-wheel drive vans are encouraged to enjoy the festivities!
Explore the Alpine-style village of Leavenworth, Washington for a taste of Old-World Bavaria which has wonderful shopping, excellent restaurants, and thirst-quenching beer! Oktoberfest in Leavenworth is quite the treat with German music, dancing, local artists and activities abound. Our location is within walking distance to all of the activities, but if you’ve celebrated a bit too much, there is a complimentary shuttle. 🙂 So, grab your keys, check your DEF, bring your friends, and let’s make some unforgettable memories together!
Along with our usual preferred partners, we’re excited to announce that Mercedes-Benz of Lynnwood – Van Sales and Service has agreed to be our main sponsor! They’ve invited us for a couple of rounds at a local beer garden, including some great merch for our raffle! Be sure to pick up your Official Oktoberfest Rally T-Shirt. For the raffle, they have provided us with four, $500 gift certificates for any service at their Lynwood Sprinter Service Center! Will you be one of the lucky winners? Representatives from their Van Sales group, along with their “best-in class” Sprinter Service Center will be will be on-site to answer your questions about servicing your rig, along with the new AWD Sprinter and plans for the future.
Logistics and Schedule of Events – We have a limited number of campsites, so register before it’s too late!
We’ve reserved individual campsites/section exclusively for our group. The campground is not your typical KOA. This kid and dog-approved property is nestled along the Wenatchee River and has beatuful grounds with spacious sites and amenities, including a store, clean showers and bathrooms, volleyball and lawn games, deluxe cabins, 2 dog parks, snack/coffee bar, propane, RV dump and Wi-Fi.
Camping reservations should be made directly with the campground. Camp fees are $139.76/night. (I know, it’s a bit pricey, but that’s typical during Oktoberfest.) When contacting them, please mention that you are a member of the PNW Sprinter Group so they can assign you to our designated group area. Please note that our assigned campsites are dry, (no however, an RV dump/water station is available for our use.
Reserved spots are limited, so right after registering via the link below, please contact the campground ASAP to reserve your site at 509.548.7709. MAKE SURE YOU TELL THEM YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE PNW SPRINTER OWNERS GROUP. The campground is almost to capacity, so if you plan on attending just one night, please seek alternative sites/campgrounds so our folks who are camping both Friday and Saturday can enjoy our special group section. Please note that the telephone number is unique to group reservations. Kindly refrain from calling the 800 number on their website, as you’ll likely get sent over to a national KOA call center. If you get voicemail, please leave a message and a representative will return your call promptly.
AGENDA
Friday, October 11 – ARRIVALS AND CHECK-IN (main office): 1 pm – 6 pm
Leavenworth is just about 2.25 hours from Seattle. Please try to plan your arrival at the campground anytime between 1 and 6 pm. You will check in at the main office towards the rear of the campground. A campground escort will then take you to your site. Once you have set up camp, please stop by the group campfire to check in for the rally, get your wristband, grab a raffle ticket, some “merch” and your event t-shirt! Note: You must have either your printed ticket or or phone wallet ticket in order to receive a shirt as I will only be bringing the necessary number of shirts. IMPORTANT: All participants must have a wristband and be wearing it at all times. If you are not wearing an official wristband, you will be asked to leave. A wristband is also required for raffle participation. If you have a winning number and do not have your wristband, we will choose the next number in the raffle. (Sorry to sound harsh, but we’ve had some rally crashers in the past.)
After checking in, enjoy some free time your own. Check out the main Oktoberfest Website to learn more about this fun celebration. Along with the festivities, shopping, eateries and beer halls/pubs in town, there are an abundance of hikes, mountain bike trails, fishing spots and other outdoor activities throughout the area.
We’ll try to reconvene back at camp (optional)around 7:30 pm for conversation and fun with fellow members around the group campfire. If you’ve had enough of the festivities in town, feel free to cook your favorite camp meal and hang out by the campfire! Note that there is a burn ban is in effect currently, however propane firepits and stoves are allowed.
Saturday, October 12 – General Session and Kickoff: 9:00 – 10:00 am
Grab your coffee and join fellow Sprinter owners at “Rally HQ” to discuss the day’s events and meet your representatives from Mercedes Benz! This will be another opportunity to pick up your rally t-shirt, compliments of Mercedes Benz. Additionally, our super-cool new group hoodies and tees for 2024 will be available for purchase. Hoodies are $60, and long-sleeve tees are $40. (See purchase options in the ticketing window.)
Parade through Leavenworth and Caravan to Lake Wenatchee State Park and trail ride to “secret” campground: 10:30 am – 3:00 pm.
Here we will line up our beautiful rigs, parade through town, watch all of folks drool and wave, and head towards beautiful Lake Wentatchee State Park for a “bring your own food” (BYOF) lunch along the shores of the lake.
Enjoy free time to explore the beach and abundance of trails, wildlife and sights the State Park has to offer. This will also be a great time to meet with fellow owners and marvel over each other’s vans. Don’t forget your cameras as the area is very scenic.
Make sure to enter our “Best Van Hack” Contest to win a free PNW Sprinter Group hoodie! (Winner to be announced at the Sunday morning raffle.)
Around 1:00 pm, we’ll line up the caravan and take a scenic trail ride to a “secret” campground where you can mark coordinates for future visits and take in the view of the glacier off Glacier Peak in the distance.
At 1:45 pm, we’ll line up the vans at the park entrance and head on over to the Squirrel Tree In for the Mercedes Benz of Lynnwood Van Sales and Service Beer Garden! Our sponsor is buying the first couple rounds for all of us at the Squirrel Tree Inn, and then you’re welcome to continue hanging out in the biergarten, make new friends, and talk about van life in the PNW! During the festivities, will raffle off a $500 gift certificate for service at the exclusive Mercedes Benz Sprinter Service Center in Lynnwood, WA.
Around 3:30 pm, we’ll take the scenic 40-minute drive back to our camp in Leavenworth. Feel free to stop in town for a stroll and shopping in this charming Bavarian village. Note that parking is usually a challenge during Oktoberfest and many folks take advantage of the complimentary shuttle to town, especially if you’re planning to enjoy the delicious local and German beer. As always, we remind participants to not drive under the influence.
If you haven’t filled your bellies at the Squirrel Tree, dinner is on your own on Saturday. Just a reminder that if you plan on eating in town, making reservations is highly recommended. Feel free to head back to camp for dinner and bring your plate and chair over to the group campfire.
Need a recommendation for dinner? Check out the Oktoberfest Website for a list of local eateries. One of my favorites is Andreas’ Keller for authentic German food, including delicious Schnitzels, sausages and a wide variety of other German dishes. I always go with the Classic Schnitzel with red cabbage and spätzle, and I always have to order a Bratwurst, Weiner and Weisswurst as an appetizer to share. Of course, they have a wide variety of German and regional micro beers. Andreas’ Keller only takes “day of” reservations. I will, however try to secure a section just for our group in advance, and will let you know.
For those of you heading back to camp after the Biergarten, feel free to hang out with other participants at our group campfire. Bring your chairs, and s’more sticks (s’more fixings will be provided) along with your favorite beverages and “craziest van story” to share with the group! Who knows, you might just win a free hoodie for the most unique story!
Sunday, October 13 – Wrap-Up and Raffle – 9:00-10:30 am
Bring a cup of coffee and chair to “Rally HQ” and make sure sure you get a ticket for the final raffle! Our key sponsor, Mercedes Benz of Lynnwood will conduct a brief presentation on the present and future vision for these incredible vans. They will also have service professionals on site (pending confirmation) to answer questions related to maintenance and servicing of your Sprinter.
Once we’ve wrapped up the presentations, we’ll facilitate our final raffle offering another $500 service gift certificate from MB, along with equipment, wearables and gift cards from our premier partners including Agile Offroad, Owl Vans, Inhabit Design Works, Vanmade Gear, RUX and more!
After the presentations and raffle, you’re free to go! (approx.10 am) Check out time for the campground is 11:00 am.
For those of you heading west towards Seattle via Highway 2, we’ll line up at 11:15 am for an optional parade through town and caravan towards the pass with an optional stop for lunch at the 59-er Diner, who’s menu offers a wide variety of burgers, shakes, salads and wraps.
Tickets
Tickets are required for all vans, which covers the van and driver. Van and Driver Tickets are $55. Each additional passenger, 12 and over, are $35.
*The event will be held, rain or shine. Tickets are non-refundable unless there is severe weather forecasted throughout the entire weekend, or fire danger and smoke levels are too high.
