advertisement

Oktoberfest at Naper Settlement puts oomph in oompah

Naper Settlement event celebrates all things German

With the exception of the oompah band, no one else nailed the dress code at Naper Settlement's Oktoberfest better than Lukas and Sarah Mueller.

While some revelers tried to look the part in German soccer jerseys and costume Alpine hats, the polyester kind you find for about $12 on Amazon, the husband and wife arrived to the festivities Saturday in Bavarian lederhosen and a dirndl, a traditional, embroidered bodice dress.

The Elmhurst couple lived in Munich for the first few years of their marriage and celebrated Lukas Mueller's Bavarian heritage at Germany's Oktoberfest.

So how does the Naperville version stack up?

"It's pretty legit. Between American rock music and German music, they go back and forth," Sarah Mueller said of the main stage lineup. "Real Oktoberfest is the same. It's mostly kind of American rock music and then a little bit of oompah music thrown in."

But there's something even more crucial to an Oktoberfest party.

"Just the beer," Lukas Mueller said. "It's the most important thing."

And in that regard, Naper Settlement hit the mark. The beer was flowing at serving stations both inside and outside of a vast tent on the grounds of the historic museum campus.

The beverage selection featured hard apple ciders and Oktoberfest beers from German brands (Hofbräu, Spaten, and Schöfferhofer); suburban breweries (Alter Brewing, Tighthead Brewing and Church Street Brewing); and Bell's Brewery in Michigan.

Pat Seng came with a big appetite, feasting on the $3 German potato salad, $3 red cabbage and $5 bratwurst with sauerkraut, all served by a Naperville catering company.

Tracing her family's roots to Funda, Germany, the Bolingbrook woman donned a Tyrolean hat while her two daughters and grandson enjoyed the shade of a covered picnic table.

Nearby, Die Musikmeisters alternated between toe-tapping oompah sets and ballads like "Edelweiss."

"It's a great atmosphere," Seng's daughter Carolyn said. "The music has been wonderful. The food is delicious, and you get to sit outside and just enjoy the neighborhood."

The lawn games and vendors, however, were decidedly more suburban. Topgolf representatives manned one of the booths set up beside the Oktoberfest tent. By contrast, Christkindlmarket, a holiday market that won't return to Naper Settlement this year, offered more authentic German souvenirs.

Visitors could come to appreciate the skills of an Oktoberfest waiter by taking part in a stein holding competition.

But Lukas Mueller was leery.

"I haven't really practiced for that," he said. "If you get some waitress at Oktoberfest, they carry like 20, 30 beers at a time, so can't really compete with that."

Die Musikmeisters entertain crowds in a giant tent at Naper Settlement's Oktoberfest Saturday. Katlyn Smith/ksmith@dailherald.com
The beverage menu at Naper Settlement's Oktoberfest featured about a half-dozen Oktoberfest beers. Katlyn Smith/ksmith@dailherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.