Oktoberfest in the Mountains
By : J. David Chapman/October 17, 2025
I’m writing this week’s column from Red River, NM, a small ski town tucked high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. With a population of about 500, it sits along the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway. Red River may be tiny, but every fall it becomes the heart of the mountains.
We retreat here each October with the same group of friends for the town’s annual Oktoberfest. There’s something magical about fall in Red River - the golden aspens, the crisp air, the faint smell of pine and piñon wood smoke. The first snow usually dusts the tallest peaks, setting a perfect backdrop for the oompah music and German fare that fill Brandenburg Park. Oktoberfest in the mountains is a sensory experience - beer steins clinking, laughter echoing through the canyon, and a community that feels as warm as the sunshine cutting through the cool mountain air.
We’re fortunate to own a nightly rental property in town large enough to host our entire group. It’s more than a place to stay - it’s a small stake in a place we’ve come to love. Over the years, I’ve realized how second homes and short-term rentals like ours play a major role in the economics of mountain towns. They help sustain local restaurants, outfitters, and shops, bridging the gap between ski season and summer tourism. But they also come with responsibility - to respect the community, maintain the property well, and contribute positively to the town’s fabric.
This year, beyond Oktoberfest, we explored old mining roads and alpine meadows in side-by-side vehicles. We also hiked Mallette Park, where the creek winds through golden aspens. You can’t help but think about land - its beauty, its limits, and its history. Real estate, at its core, is about more than transactions. It’s about place, the kind of place that calls people back year after year.
As we gathered at the Bull-of-the-Woods Saloon to watch college football, I was reminded why people invest in real estate in the first place. Whether it’s a mountain cabin, a lakeside cottage, or a loft downtown, what we’re really buying isn’t just property - it’s connection, belonging, and the promise of shared memories.
This weekend was more than a getaway; it was a reminder that real estate is ultimately about people and places. And for those of us who make our living in it, that’s something worth raising a glass to.
Dr. J. David Chapman is the Chair of Finance and Professor of Real Estate at The University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu)