Rotary Club of Palatine hosts annual Oktoberfest

The Rotary Club of Palatine will be hosting their 18th Annual Oktoberfest which is open to the public on Friday, September 18th through Sunday, September 20th on the corner of Smith and Slade in downtown Palatine south of the Metra train station with proceeds from the event benefiting local charities and community projects in the Palatine area.

Event hours are Friday from 5:00 PM to midnight, Saturday from noon to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 6:00 PM. Saturday from Noon until 3:30 PM is designated as Family Day, featuring games, crafts, and entertainment for children.

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Admission is free to this event that features authentic German music, food, beverages and activities for all ages. "We kick off the festival on Friday at 5:00 PM," said Ben Rea, Palatine Rotary President. "The blessing and tapping of the keg will start our Oktoberfest event. Come celebrate in your lederhosen and dirndl!"

Rotary will be collaborating with several organizations to create a low waste event. Composting and recycling stations will be in place to reduce landfill waste. With support from the Palatine Jaycees, we will be adding a water refilling station to the event. "Our club is concerned about the environment and this event provides an opportunity for us to contribute to keeping the community clean in a fun and environmentally friendly manner," said Randy Klingner, Palatine Rotary Environmental Chairman.

"Everyone knows beer is a large component of any Oktoberfest celebration," said Jay Sullivan, Beer Chairman. "There are a number of beers being poured this year. Paulaner Pilsner which is an imported full-flavored German pilsner. Another beer on our menu, Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen is a medium amber lager. We also have Hacker-Pschorr Weissbier which is naturally cloudy, full-flavored and uniquely refreshing as well as Paulaner Grapefruit Radler a fruity-tart, 100% natural, not too sweet beer since it's made with less sugar than common radlers. We will also be offering a variety of German and European wines by the glass as well as White Claw hard seltzer and Sun Cruiser iced tea based beverages."

The event will also feature authentic German food from vendors including Morkes Chocolates, Tap House Grill, Friends of the Rotary, Tre Amici Pizza, Kooker's, Happy's Bavarian Pretzels, Phoenix Flame, Daisy's Ice Cream Shop and Rep's Burgers. Morkes will have a variety of caramel apples, spiced donuts and other sweet treats. Tap House Grill will offer pretzel sticks with cheese, deep fried schnitzel bites, sauerbraten sliders and potato salad. Pop and water will be available for purchase from the Rotary Club of Palatine.

The Friends of the Rotary will be cooking brats and hot dogs. Tre Amici will feature cheese, sausage, German and Reuben pizza. Kooker's will have brats, a Leberkaese sandwich, a German pretzel with cheese, salads and desserts. Phoenix Flame will serve short rib as well as NY steak and skirt steak sandwiches. Happy's Bavarian Pretzels will have large pretzels, iced tea and lemonade, Daisy's will feature ice cream sandwiches, fudge brownie sundaes and ice cream floats. Rep's Burgers will serve their pork schnitzel sandwich, knockwurst and their classic smashburger.

Musical entertainment will kick off on Friday night with Die Musikmeisters followed by Phenix. Saturday's entertainment includes Alpine Thunder, Heimat und Trachten Verein Edelweiss with traditional German dances, Die Kellerknaben and Polkaholics. The musical line up on Sunday features Phenix on stage.

Family Day will be on Saturday from Noon until 3:30 PM with face painting, balloon art as well as a variety of games and activities. At approximately 12:30 PM, the winners of Scarecrows on Parade, a scarecrow decorating contest sponsored by the Village of Palatine, will be announced. This year, Family Day will feature an Oktoberfest Family Bike Ride on Saturday morning at Towne Square on the corner of Smith and Slade Streets. Riders are recommended to sign up at bikepalatine.com and asked to meet at 10:30 AM with the ride starting at 11:00 AM.

New this year is the ability to reserve a table. A limited number of tables have been set aside and include food and beverage tickets. See the Oktoberfest website for more information.

"We will be selling raffle tickets for the chance to win one of our wine, liquor, or merchant baskets as well as other great prizes," said Rea. "We also have wheelbarrows of beer and a grill. Tickets are $5 each or $20 for 5 tickets. This year tickets can be purchased online at the Oktoberfest website. We will hold the drawing on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 PM and winners need not be present."

View a complete schedule of events and learn more about The Rotary Club of Palatine at palatinerotary.org, on Facebook or email oktoberfest@palatinerotary.org. Money raised at Oktoberfest helps support charities and community projects.

The Rotary motto is Service Above Self — in the community, and throughout the world. The Rotary Club of Palatine meets every Tuesday at 7:30 AM at Annie's Restaurant and Pancake House at 154 West Northwest Highway in Palatine. For more information, email info@palatinerotary.org.