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A favorite sign of fall in Champaign County – Oktoberfest – promises a day of fun for the whole family, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Sunday, Oct. 6 on the grounds of the Champaign County Historical Society, 809 East Lawn Ave., Urbana.

At the 52nd Oktoberfest, more than 70 arts and craft vendors will offer a wide selection of quality handcrafted items for personal shopping and gift giving – woodworking, needlework, original clothing, sweets, art, jewelry, home decor, ornaments, decorated pumpkins and other unique finds.

Activities have been planned for the kids, including games and face painting.

A selection of food vendors will be on-site to cater to a wide variety of tastes. These include an Oktoberfest-season favorite, Schmidt’s Sausage Truck from Columbus, which will offer Bahama Mammas, knockwurst, German bologna, German potato salad, sauerkraut, sweet red cabbage, pork or chicken brats, and their famous jumbo cream puffs, including this year’s featured flavor, pumpkin.

Other vendors include The Farmer’s Daughter, The Spotted Cow, Freyhof’s Funnel Cakes, Shannon’s Southern Style Sweet Tea, Orale Tacos y Mas, and New Orleans Grill.

Also, a variety of beers will be available at the beer trailer.

Oktoberfest guests are invited to step inside and explore the Historical Society Museum’s exhibits. In the museum, visitors may look through a collection of extra, unidentified photos from Urbana University, which will be available free of charge.

We are also going to have Urbana University photos from the last 40-50 years of the university available for people to have free of charge. There are extra and unidentified photos. … in the museum.

Oktoberfest admission is $5 a person; free for children under 10 with paid adult. Oktoberfest is the Historical Society’s largest fundraising event of the year, supporting the society’s mission to preserve and display local history.

About the Champaign County Historical Society

The museum collects, preserves, and interprets artifacts, documents, and other resources from Champaign County to educate current and future generations about our history.

The museum has been located at 809 East Lawn Ave., Urbana, since 1972. Originally established in 1934, the museum first housed its collection at the former location of the Champaign County Library on West Market Street, and then moved to the Nutwood Barn, south of Grimes Field on North Main Street.

The Historical Society is open to the public 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Submitted by Champaign County Historical Society