'Schunkeling' on the Riverwalk: Fox Valley Oktoberfest moves to Batavia

What does it take to put on a good Oktoberfest party?

According to Willi Gohs, president of DANK Fox Valley, it isn't just about the imported German beer or the chilled German Riesling. It's about having a fun party that the whole family can enjoy.

"We always have a carnival for the kids and plenty of music that both kids and adults will enjoy," said Gohs.

DANK, or German American National Congress, is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to preserve German cultural traditions, and is the sponsor of the Fox Valley Oktoberfest that takes place today through Sunday at the Batavia Riverwalk.

Proceeds from the event will go to GATES (German American Team of Educational Sponsors,) a 501c3 organization that provides scholarships for students who study German in college or study the German culture.

This is the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest in Germany and the folks here in the Fox Valley want to make this one special, especially since there are visitors from Germany expected to attend this event.

In addition to the brats, hot dogs and kickers (spicy brats) from the Wurst Kitchen in Aurora, volunteers will be working to make 1,200 servings of pork schnitzel, 800 pounds of German potato salad, 900 pounds of sauerkraut and plenty of apple and cherry strudels to round out the night. Volunteers will also be making pretzels throughout the festival as well as waffles.

For quite a few years the Oktoberfest took place in South Elgin. Bob Martin of Batavia's Sign-A-Rama was involved in that event.

"It was a very busy event for a sign maker," said Martin. "Even up to the last minute, I was making signs to direct people to the different things that were going on."

Martin was more than willing to do his part since he is also a member DANK Fox Valley.

Willi Gohs told me that more Americans have German descent than any other nationality.

"It is estimated that 52 percent of the American population has some sort of German background," he said.

However, you don't need to be German to have fun at an Oktoberfest. It's impossible not to have fun when there is an "oom-pah-pah" band, setting the stage for a fun celebration.

Of course, any successful event is dependent on the people involved. Willi Gohs is especially happy with the reception he has received from Batavia.

"Everyone has been so supportive, the city council, the police department, Britta McKenna (director of Batavia MainStreet)," he added. "They have all been great to work with."

Gohs will be an official brewmeister at the festival. He's experienced at pouring the German brew. He's even taken courses to be certified. His main concern is making sure that the party is controlled.

"The police department had all of our brewmeisters take a course on maintaining proper control so that there isn't any underage drinking and no one is over served," said Gohs. "We have two security people in our bar area at all times. We have a reputation of putting on a fun family event that celebrates the German culture and we want to keep that going. In all the years that we have been doing this, we have never had a problem."

With authentic German food and German bands, everyone is sure to have a good time.

"We'll sing, dance and schunkel," Gohs told us during a previous interview.

"Schunkel?" we asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Schunkeling is when people link elbows and sway to the music," said Gohs. "We have some really great German bands. There will be a lot of schunkeling."

Plan to come to Batavia's downtown Riverwalk this weekend for the Fox Valley Oktoberfest. You might be surprised how much fun schunkeling can be.

For details, visit germanfun.org.

If you goWhat: Fox Valley Oktoberfest, hosted by D.A.N.K. German American National CongressWhen: 5 to 11 p.m. today, 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1-3Where: Downtown Batavia, North Island Avenue and HoustonHow much? Admission is freeDetails: germanfun.org; (630) 622-3696True10802000Beer will not be in short supply at Fox Valley Oktoberfest, set for today through Sunday in downtown Batavia.Mark Black | Staff PhotographerTrue