For the first time ever, La Grange will stage an Oktoberfest celebration in late September.
The La Grange Business Association and many area establishments will sponsor the event, which is set for the weekend of Sept. 25-27 on Calendar Avenue between La Grange Road and Ashland Avenue.
“There was always kind of an interest in having the event,” LGBA Executive Director Dan Mulka said, stressing that he was interested in bringing Oktoberfest to the village even before he signed on with LGBA. “We started talking to our restaurant committee and decided to run with it.”
The weekend event will feature live music, German-themed food and drinks and family activities. It will be built around local businesses including FourteenSixteen Restaurant, Milk Money Brewing, GP Italiano, and the Wooden Paddle Restaurant.
“Everybody’s going to try and come up with something German,” Mulka said. “The Wooden Paddle is working on a bratwurst, sauerkraut pizza, FourteenSixteen is going to work on sausages, GP Italiano is going to have schnitzel and some pretzels … we wanted to feature local restaurants but we also wanted to give it that German flair.”
Oktoberfest celebrations had their beginnings in the early 19th Century, when members of the Bavarian military put on a festival celebrating the marriage of Prince Ludwig Regent of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
The wedding took place Oct. 12, 1810, and the ensuing festival lasted five days, ending with a horse race outside the city of Munich.
While there are no horse races scheduled for La Grange’s inaugural Oktoberfest, Calendar Avenue will be packed with activities, including a “Stein Hoist,” a beer-drinking competition where contestants vie to see how long they can hold a full beer stein — usually a one-liter mug weighing roughly three pounds.
The rules of Stein Hoist are typically that the arm stays fully extended, the contestant cannot switch hands, and any spillage is grounds for immediate disqualification. The person who holds it the longest wins.
Those not interested in working hard for their beer can also participate in a cornhole competition.
And those just interested in being entertained will have plenty of music to enjoy throughout the weekend.
Friday night opens with the Ed Wagner Brass Band, an authentic German-style brass band.
Saturday brings the Euro Express Band, euroexpressband.com, advertised as being Chicago’s newest European-American band, drawing on musical inspiration from Germany, Switzerland, Poland and Hungary. Also on Saturday will be Prost!, laying claim to be Chicagoland’s premier Oktoberfest party band.
The Happy Wanderers close out the weekend Sunday with their take on German music, playing some traditional and “not-so-traditional beer hall” songs as advertised on its website thehappywanderersmusic.com
Jonathan and Brianna Cowan, founders of the Wooden Paddle, 23 Calendar Ave., are heavily involved in La Grange’s first Oktoberfest.
“I’m excited we’re bringing another event to La Grange,” Jonathan said. “I know village President Mark Kuchler has really been wanting to have this for a long time.
“We need more events like this to bring the community together. What better than a nice little celebration for Oktoberfest?”
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More information is at the LGBA website, lgba.com.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.