OKTOBERFEST TACOMA >>>

Beer! Pretzels! Beer! Pumpkin carving! Beer! Pie-eating contest! Beer! Yo-Yo Man! Beer! Tomorrow's Oktoberfest Tacoma has all of these fine things, but, most importantly, it has beer. Lots of beer. For a complete list of beers, check out our earlier blog post on the event.

I dropped by Amocat Café this morning to grab Oktoberfest Tacoma insider's tips from organizer Morgan Alexander. He came up with three tips.

Tip #1: Get your tickets early. It's like getting free beer. Tickets are $12 through Brown Paper Tickets, Amocat Café or 99 Bottles in Federal Way. Tickets are $18 at the event. The ticket includes five generous tastings.

Tip #2: If you like free pie, register for the pie-eating contest. The pies will be either blackberry or blueberry. And first pie finished wins a prize.

Tip #3: Get to the event early - the first 100 receive free collectors buttons for the event, which were designed by James Stowe.

[Opera Alley, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2-10 p.m., $12-$18 includes five tastings, Seventh and Opera Alley, downtown Tacoma, oktoberfesttacoma.com]