Families a focus of this year's Oktoberfest in Naperville

Organizers of Naperville's Oktoberfest say they wanted to get more families involved in this year's event.

If Saturday morning was any indication, mission accomplished.

Parents and kids flocked to the Naper Settlement site to play with bubbles, get their faces painted or try to spin Hula-Hoops. The children's activities were a new addition to Oktoberfest this year.

"We wanted to reach out to other parts of the community," said Briana Hansen, chairwoman of the Oktoberfest committee and a member of the Naperville Heritage Society board of directors. "It's great to see all the kids here today."

Oktoberfest began Friday evening and continued all day Saturday. In addition to the children's activities, the event featured German food and drinks and a variety of live music, including the traditional German stylings of Ron Keller and a Johnny Cash tribute show from Jerry Hutson. Volunteers from the German Language School of Naperville were on hand to help with the children's games and generally spread the cultural vibe.

"It's nice to be able to show German culture like this," said Angela Jostlein, director of the school.

Naperville resident Chris Pivetta brought his 3-year-old son, Michael, to the fest.

"I've always enjoyed coming to Oktoberfest events," he said. "I like this time of year. And my kid loves these kinds of games, especially the bubbles."

This is the second year the Naper Settlement has hosted Oktoberfest. Before that, the event was sponsored by the Naperville Rotary Club.