West Dundee restaurant's Oktoberfest to feature German food, music

German food, music and even some friendly competition will be featured at this weekend's Oktoberfest hosted by a West Dundee restaurant.

The Chubby Bullfrog Bar and Grill, at 1959 Huntley Road, is holding the event from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, in the Tartans Crossing strip mall parking lot.

Though this is the second annual festival, it's the first year the Chubby Bullfrog is hosting it alone, said restaurant owner Mike Morrison. Last year, neighboring businesses in Tartans Crossing wanted to put together a fall festival to bring more attention to the businesses in the shopping center, he said.

"It was also strangely apparent that there were no apparent Oktoberfests happening in the area," Morrison said. "We thought this was a good opportunity to get something going."

Other businesses in Tartans Crossing are continuing to contribute to the event this year, he added, including Edwin Aquino, an agent at Allstate Insurance, who is largely sponsoring the event.

Proceeds from Saturday's event, including a $5 entry fee and money made from raffles for Blackhawks jerseys and gift certificates, will benefit local charities, including the FISH Food Pantry in Carpentersville, Morrison said.

Though entirely separate competitions, a car show and a barbecue challenge, which begin at noon, will work in tandem, Morrison said. The participants in the car show will judge the barbecue challenge and choose the best smoked or grilled meat, while barbecue challenge participants will pick their favorite cars.

Starting at 3 p.m., an authentic German Oompah band will perform, followed by Mr. Myers, a Caribbean reggae band, and In The Flesh, a Pink Floyd tribute band with a laser show.

Oktoberfest beers from Sam Adams, Leinenkugel and other breweries will be available for purchase throughout the day, along with bratwurst, hot dogs and hamburgers.

Though Morrison said he's looking forward to bringing the community together for a fall festival, he's also excited to bring exposure to the Chubby Bullfrog.

"Our reputation has been growing strong, and we feel like we've done really well to build our business," Morrison said. "Anything we can do to keep growing is good for us. The more people that hear about us and the more guests we bring in, the bigger we'll grow."

Visit www.thechubbybullfrog.com for details.