Oktoberfest promises fun Sept. 15

During the 2011 St. Joseph School Oktoberfest, participants Michelle & Dave McGregor celebrated with friends and family. This year's Oktoberfest takes place Sept. 15, starting at 9 a.m. at St. Joseph School, 1740 Lake Ave. in Wilmette.During the 2011 St. Joseph School Oktoberfest, participants Michelle & Dave McGregor celebrated with friends and family. This year's Oktoberfest takes place Sept. 15, starting at 9 a.m. at St. Joseph School, 1740 Lake Ave. in Wilmette.During the 2011 St. Joseph School Oktoberfest, participants Michelle & Dave McGregor celebrated with friends and family. This year's Oktoberfest takes place Sept. 15, starting at 9 a.m. at St. Joseph School, 1740 Lake Ave. in Wilmette.

WILMETTE — Whether you want to browse for antique treasures, have fun with the family, or celebrate into the night with German food and music, organizers say the ninth annual St. Joseph Oktoberfest is where you will want to be Sept. 15.

Oktoberfest takes place Saturday at St. Joseph School, 1740 Lake Ave. in Wilmette, starting at 9 a.m. The family fest, which runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., offers games, contests, snacks and a Halloween costume sale.

“That allows you to drop off your youngsters where they can have fun while you might want to visit the market,” said Oktoberfest chairperson Rachelle Leech.

The antiques market regular attracts vendors from across the Midwest, and this year at least 48 will be operating stalls, Leech said.

As always, the festival will have a special “German Biergarten” tent offering entertainment, food and drinks for the grown-ups from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The food will be catered by Ala Carte, Leech said.

Volunteers also have decorated inside the school to extend the Oktoberfest theme, she added, while families and youngsters can enjoy cider and traditional snacks at the Snack Shack kiosk. Leech also touted the Wilmette Historical Society’s 45-minute St. Joseph’s Cemetery walking tour. The tour chronicles the area’s rich German heritage and costs $5.

Events for adult attendees begin after a special 5 p.m. Oktoberfest mass at St. Joseph Church. The festival’s catered German dinner begins at 6 p.m. with music by Die Donau-Schwaben Blaskapelle band. An outdoor dance party runs from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m., with the live band Sugar High playing at 9:30 p.m.

Evening tickets cover dinner and entertainment. Advance tickets are $30, or $20 for seniors, and $35 at the door. For $100, fest-goers can join the Oktoberfest Stein Club and get a beer stein or wine glass with unlimited pours. Club alumni can pay $75 and bring their glass from previous Oktoberfests.

Leech, whose family joined St. Joseph in 2009, said her first festival “was a game changer for me. It’s a very eclectic community, with many races and cultures, and I could see that there were school parents, people beyond the school, young and old, people from other towns and from just down the road. I love it.”

For more information on Oktoberfest, including prices for the evening dinner and entertainment, visit www2.stjosephwilmette.com/oktoberfest.htm.

Show / Hide Comments