24th Annual Free Berghoff Oktoberfest, Sep 16 – 18

The 24th annual free Berghoff Oktoberfest, offering the best of fall beer, food and free entertainment, kicks off Chicago’s fall season Wednesday, September 16 through Friday, September 18, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Held on Federal Plaza at Adams and Dearborn Streets, this open-air celebration boasts the best free Bavarian-style revelry Chicago has to offer with classic German food, Berghoff’s private-label beer and root beer, and Bavarian polka performances by the beloved Johnny Wagner Band. Admission to the Berghoff Oktoberfest is complimentary. The Berghoff Oktoberfest has been a staple in Chicago’s Loop district since 1985 serving German-style Märzen Berghoff Oktoberfest beer – which took top honors at the 2002 World Beer Championships – and gemutlichkeit to Chicagoans of all ethnic backgrounds. This year’s festivities include live entertainment:

• Johnny Wagner Band: 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, September 16 through Friday, September 18
• Maggie Speaks: 5 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 16
• Sixteen Candles: 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17
• Modern Day Romeos: 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18

Also taking place during Oktoberfest: the launch of The Berghoff Café Cookbook: Berghoff Family Recipes for Simple, Satisfying Food (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $24.99, September 2009) by Carlyn Berghoff, fourth generation restaurateur and Berghoff Catering & Restaurant Group CEO, who will be signing copies during Oktoberfest.  Hot on the heels of her highly successful first cookbook, The Berghoff Family Cookbook: From Our Table to Yours, Celebrating a Century of Entertaining (Andrews McMeel, 2007), The Berghoff Café Cookbook focuses on simple satisfying food that has been served at the Café, which was founded by her great-grandfather more than 110 years ago.

Oktoberfest will also host two raffles to benefit the Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, whose residential, aftercare, and mentoring programs provide safety and opportunity for more than 400 young people every year: ·         A three-day/two-night luxury weekend for two to The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, Calif. with roundtrip airfare provided by American Airlines. Tickets are $20 each. The raffle will be held at Oktoberfest on Friday, September 18, 2009. ·         A three-year lease for a 2010 Jaguar XF with the drawing held on Saturday, October 24, 2009. Tickets are $50 each and may be purchased at Oktoberfest all three days.  Mercy Home for Boys & Girls has been a solution for kids in crisis since 1887. Providing children in need a safe place to live and realize their full potential, Mercy Home for Boys and Girls is 99.7 percent privately funded. Please visit www.mercyhome.org to learn more.

Live music lineup:

Wednesday
11:45 a.m- 2 p.m..: The Johnny Wagner Band
5 p.m.- 9 p.m.: Maggie Speaks

Thursday
11:45 a.m.- 2 p.m.: The Johnny Wagner Band
5 p.m.- 9 p.m.: Sixteen Candles

Friday
11:45 a.m.- 2 p.m.: The Johnny Wagner Band
5 p.m.- 9 p.m.: Modern Day Romeos

When:

September 16 : 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
September 17 : 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
September 18 : 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Price:

Free

Event Phone Number:

312-427-3170

Federal Plaza Square

Neighborhood: Loop

219 S. Dearborn St.

Chicago, IL 60604