There was lager, lederhosen, bratwurst and people aplenty at Marion's first Oktoberfest on Saturday.

Hosted by the Marion Masons at the VFW, the Bavarian celebration had a bigger turnout than anyone expected.

"It's over the top," said Bruce Rocha, Sr. "By two o'clock, we had as many people as we thought we'd have all day."

Rocha was one of the main organizers of the event and got cultural help from German native Elfriede Blackburn and her husband, Arthur.

Contrary to the name, Oktoberfest is often held in September when the weather in Germany is milder.

The Bavarian celebration originally started in 1810 to commemorate the marriage of the Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. It eventually grew into a party lasting several days with music, parades and, of course, plenty of beer.

Marion's version was a little tamer, perhaps, but there was still lots of authentic fun.

The Alpenblumen Dancers of Pawtucket, Rhode Island performed traditional dances, accompanied by the band Alpenblumen Musikanten, while many in the audience sampled traditional fare. Some also tried their hand at dancing to the music.

Not too many people wore German garb, but Paul St. Don did bring something to keep his beer cold.

"It's Oktoberfest. You've got to bring your stein!" he said.

His father, James, said he was impressed with the number of people who came to the event.

"It's great when you see people come to support a community event," he said.

Proceeds from the event will support the Masons' charitable causes.