Naperville ready to celebrate Oktoberfest
Traditional German oompah music and classic rock, along with German-style beer and cuisine under a large heated tent, will all be part of Naper Settlement's Oktoberfest.
The celebration of Naperville's German heritage will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at the settlement at 523 S. Webster St., Naperville. Family-friendly activities will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.
"Oktoberfest provides attendees the opportunity to enjoy traditions celebrating Naperville's German heritage," said Adison Glick, special events coordinator. "Cultural expressions such as music and culinary classics take center stage at the event."
On Friday night, Paloma takes to the stage at 6 p.m. Dressed in traditional lederhosen, Paloma has been entertaining crowds in the Midwest for almost 40 years and performs a variety of classic and hit German songs. The band is known for pulling unsuspecting audience members on stage to join in on the fun.
"We call it the Cow Bell School when we grab two people out of the audience and give them a crash course on how to play the cow bell. We play a song that everybody knows, like Edelweiss, and we encourage everyone to sing," said Paloma's accordion player, Erich Freiberger.
Cow bell participants receive Paloma T-shirts that say "Cow Bell Graduate" on the back.
On Saturday, guests will be dancing all day and night with The Happy Wanderers, Jimmy's Bavarians, Die Musikmeisters and Freeze Dried, who mixes traditional polka with a variety of modern music styles.
Oktoberfest would not be complete without an assortment of beer and wine. Rodney Strong Wine Estates will offer four varieties of wine, and Schamberger Bros. will provide beer varieties.
Spaten is the world's first Oktoberfest beer and is always the first one tapped at the Munich Oktoberfest.
"Everything Naper Settlement offers during this weekend celebration makes this the best Oktoberfest," said John Schamberger, vice president of marketing at Schamberger Bros.
"German-style beers, along with a great music lineup under a giant decorated tent, … I give this (Oktoberfest) an A-plus rating!"
Food vendors for the weekend will be My Chef Catering, Joey's Red Hots, 'Ol Tyme Kettle Korn and Nothing Bundt Cakes. My Chef Catering will be serving some German favorites including bratwurst with sauerkraut, spaetzle with gravy and apple strudel.
The Infiniti of Naperville children's area will feature activities on Saturday that will include Pinot's Palette, where kids can create their own masterpiece, and PRO Martial Arts for children to try out karate moves. There will also be lawn games for children to play.
Advance tickets, purchased by noon Thursday, Sept. 29, are $12 for adults and $8 for children ages 4-12; at the gate tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children. Members and children ages 3 and younger are free.
Tickets are available at www.napersettlement.org/oktoberfest.