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Lunch With Ernest

Under him, a festival roars to life

By ERNEST HOOPER
Published November 10, 2006

When the midway attractions spring up every November on the grounds of Nativity Catholic Church and School, Ernie Garateix apologizes to the teachers and administrators.

As chairman of Nativity's annual Novemberfest, Garateix recognizes that holding the attention of grade-school children becomes a little more difficult when they can look out the window and see a Ferris wheel. It's the children's joy, however, that has motivated Garateix to run the event for a fifth consecutive year.

Novemberfest, which annually draws more than 100,000 people, started Wednesday and runs through Sunday at the church on the corner of Bryan Road and State Road 60 in Brandon. To learn more about the preparation for this 37th annual event, I recently caught up with Garateix at the Brunchery.

Pull up a chair and join us.

ERNEST: You've been putting in hundreds of hours for the last five years as the chair of Novemberfest. Did you hit your head?

GARATEIX: (Laughs) I tell people one of the things I live by is you work hard, but you also have fun at it and then the work doesn't seem that hard anymore. There's a good group of folks who put in a lot of hours, not just myself, and we make fun with it. We make it fun and after the event is over, you remember those things and you come back and do it over and over again. At the end of the day, it doesn't seem that bad.

What makes Novemberfest special? What has helped sustain it for 37 years?

It's become a Brandon tradition and it's grown with Brandon. Every year, people look forward to November and the fact they can count on an event where they can bring their families, see old friends, make new friends and that's become a tradition. Although Brandon has grown, it has a homey feel to it. People come and they see the same people. It hasn't gotten to the point where it's nobody that they know. We pride ourselves on being a family tradition.

My kids always think about the midway and all the rides, but it's really the big tent that is the core of the event, right?

The tent has become a focal point. When the tent goes up, that's when we start getting phone calls and people start coming around. That's because in the tent there are a couple of key things. It's always free entertainment and that free entertainment is known. There are local dance studios, musicians and karate exhibitions. The folks are coming out and seeing their friends and their families and the whole thing, food and everything, is run by volunteers. Some people say, "I don't like the rides, but I like to come out and sit down and watch the entertainment."

Is there anything new for this year's Novemberfest?

Well, we've done it in the past, but what we're really pushing this year is the armband sales. You can get an armband (for $22) and ride all day. Even for $22, you can come and ride all day and we're open from noon to 11 p.m. We've had some of our parents say, "It's a great value, but you're keeping me out there all day with my kids." We say that you have to work that out at home.

What are some of the different foods you serve?

That's another thing we pride ourselves on. We try to get a variety, especially from the parish and the community. The Brandon community has expanded and we have a Latin booth because the Latin community has been growing here in the Brandon area. We have 8,000 sausages and we have barbecue. We have the staples - hamburgers and hot dogs - but we also have a Mexican booth. We have Dippin' Dots ice cream. We have the shrimp boil, wings, potato ribbons, pizza. Every year we take a look at our food booths and ask, 'What do we have and what can we improve?' The Italian sausage has been doing great, so this year he said he wanted to try a chicken Parmesan sandwich. We did a little taste testing and said, 'Go for it.' Those are some of the fringe benefits.

DESSERT: A postscript from Ernest

Garateix balances his Novemberfest commitment with a job overseeing information technology operations for an insurance company in Sarasota. I didn't realize until after the interview started that Ernie's sister, Marilyn, is an editor for the Times. From 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, I will serve as an emcee under the big tent. While I'm on stage, my kids will be out riding rides and spending money. Wish me luck, and wish my wallet luck, too.

[Last modified November 9, 2006, 11:25:37]