Midsommarfest 2011 | Fest report + photo gallery

What a lovely Oktoberfest, a friend of mine quipped. Yes, the modest (50s to 60s) temperatures and brisk lake wind made this past weekend’s Midsommarfest in Andersonville feel much more like an autumnal street gathering than the usual sticky-skin summer fete—especially on gray, misty Saturday. The sun rose on Andersonville on Sunday, but the temps, not so much. Which meant one thing was noticeably absent this year: All the male flesh that had been shaped and toned all winter, ready for its summer debut. It’ll have to wait till Pride weekend. On the plus side, the cheap beer stayed cold, and the chill in the air put a damper on end-of-day sloppy hour. The crowd’s diversity reflected the hood’s: gays, lesbians, straights, babies, gaybies—and, alas, pooches. Why do people insist on bringing their clearly tormented dogs to these street fests? People step on them, spill beer on them; the animals cower from the loud music. Speaking of the music: Despite Saturday’s Bay Area climate, A-villers thronged to hear the jubilant, abs-rockin’ Molly Callinan in cover band Rock Candy. And on Sunday, ubiquitous cover band Sixteen Candles blasted ’80s tunes. We’ve heard them sing these songs more times than any of us did in the Reagan era. But we were still there, singing and nodding and jumping along.