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2010 - Article Archives

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 2011 - Article Archives

• JAN 2011 - article archive 
• FEB 2011 - article archive 
• MAR 2011 - article archive 
• APR 2011 - article archive 
• MAY 2011 - article archive 
• JUN 2011 - article archive 
• JUL 2011 - article archive 
• AUG 2011 - article archive 
• SEP 2011 - article archive 
• OCT 2011 - article archive 
• NOV 2011 - article archive 
• DEC 2011 - article archive 

 MAY 2010

• The Passion Play - Bavarian-style, is a magnet for tourists. 
• A visiting Berliner goes on a mission to find and sample German culture in Milwaukee, WI that back in the 1860’s was once considered the biggest German settlement in the USA. 
• Latest report says that Beer consumption in Germany fell for the third year in a row. 
• It’s the German engineered BMW that overtakes Toyota as most valuable car brand. 
• The Passion Play in Oberammergau 2010 - A promise. Living history. An experience. 
• A German scholar rankles Swiss with questions over literature classic “Heidi's” origins. 
• German native and F1 formula driver Michael Schumacher returns to race at the season opener and witnessed TV audiences in Germany soar by 50% in most regions. 
• Here is a great short article and video from Zum Schneider Beer Garden in New York. 
• A  traditional Maibaum festival in Putzbrunn (Southern Bavaria) near Munich, Germany will be celebrating great Bavarian culture and tradition for Maifest. 
• Old World German Restaurant Charm – Dachshunds, Dining, Drinking, Dancing. 
• German-American Club of Hermann, MO. plans Aug. 9-12 Bus Trip To New Ulm, MN 
• A very traditional event in Bavaria is the famous Maibaumaufstellung (raising the Maypole) that puts you in a great spring spirit real quick. 
• The Best of German Dry White Wines and Winemakers of Dry White Wines – directly from the Falstaff 2010 Ranking results. 
• An old German Maifest celebration comes to life in Cullman, Alabama serving as nature’s bright reawakening after a winter's cold darkness period. 
• All About German Beer and its Historical past from a flavor perspective. 

• Harry Wolf, a local Waterloo tuba player and German music legend wins a major award from the government of Germany with the Federal Cross of Merit. 
• Germany’s Most Attractive Car is the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG according to nearly 100,000 readers of Auto Bild magazine. 
• In the late 19th century, San Antonio got their water from the local river but because of the germ-killing alcohol, beer might in some ways have been superior to untreated water as epidemics of water-borne illnesses such as cholera were regular occurrences. 
• Get ready to yodel at Fort Wayne’s Germanfest in Indiana. Cheer on the weiner dog race, show off your lederhosen or just quaff a few beers at city's annual celebration. 
• There is passion and faith in Oberammergau, Germany as devotion rings true at the world famous Bavarian village's Passion of the Christ event, a once-a-decade tradition. 
• The German National Soccer team has departed for South Africa as the country gears up for a tilt at claiming the World Cup for a fourth time. 
• German car exports increased by nearly half in May compared to a year earlier but sales continued to slide at home in Germany. 
• Add the Wurstfest of New Braunfels, Texas to your fall travelschedule for a great time and everything else that is “Gemütlichkeit”.   
• Woman records German recipes with her book, “Taste of Old Germany: Recipes from My Colorado Restaurant and My Childhood from the popular Dolores restaurant. 
• German-American history… and beauty combine as Stephanie Russell-Kraft is crowned "Miss German-America" of the annual New York Steuben Parade on Sept 25th, 2010. 
• It is now official… Old World German Restaurant of Huntington Beach, California has a new “Old World’ Blogging Station ready for action. 
• A German-American historical blog perspective on Kurt Vonnegut's Indianapolis, Indiana. 
• The Frankenmuth Brewery won a Silver and two Bronze Medals in the World Expo of Beer held recently in Frankenmuth, Michigan. 
• Constellation Wines USA announces the launch of blüfeld German wine, a medium dry Riesling from the Mosel Valley within Germany's most prestigious wine region. 

• It’s coming… GermanFest – Milwaukee’s Original Haus Party. celebrating their 30^th Anniversary Festival starting July 22^nd 
• A German Dairy Farmer in Wisconsin - with its luscious meadows reminds Germans of Bavaria and 150 years ago, many German farmers thought so too and settled down in this part of America. 
• Baseball, Beer & Bratwurst: regarded as the Yankees of Germany, the Untouchables  have more German Championships than anyone. 
• German cops take a crocodile into custody that had escaped from a small circus. 
• While the Merkey farm in Bethel Township will be lost to development, its 1870s Pennsylvania German barn will be preserved for generations to come. 
• Pennsylvania is home not only to coal miners and steel workers but also the maker of America's best-known Heinz ketchup was invented by Herr Heinz. 
• But what flag should I put up this morning ask the German born doll maker who’s family flies both the American and German flag in front of their house to represent their different nationalities. 
• After years of conflict about a smoking ban, Bavarians will finally make up their minds about the issue in a referendum tomorrow, in Berlin. 
• World Cup sponsor Adidas has pulled a comeback against rival Nike as the top brand online for consumers who are tuning in to the world's biggest soccer tournament. 
• The  Pabst Theater was constructed in 1895 and was one of the first all-electric theaters, the Pabst also included such innovations as air conditioning and fire-proof construction. 
• Scheurebe "Scheu's grape" was created as a cross between Riesling and an unknown variety in 1916, is classified among the most "aromatic grapes" in German wine lore. 
• Follow the Kraft Family in Germany on their adventurous trek of "Live Like a German" tour on Facebook. 
• The KutztownFolkFestival is an annual event that celebrates German and Pennsylvania German Heritage now in it’s 61^st year. The 2010 Kutztown Folk Festival runs from July 3-11 at the Kutztown Fairgrounds. 
• Amazon has begun selling food, including fresh products, to consumers in Germany. The US company hopes to succeed where numerous German food retailers have failed. 

• The allure of a simple garden plot is huge in Germany with an estimated four million gardeners that enables them to get away from the hustle of their daily lives and work. 
• It’s Official. No Smoking starts at this years Oktoberfest celebration in Munich, Germany although Oktoberfest organizers actually do not have to comply until 2011. 
• Just in time for Oktoberfest, Barbie – the most American of all dolls will add a Dirndl to her vast collection of outfits. 
• Aldi co-founder and billionaire Theo Albrecht has died at age 88 and is fondly remembered for reinventing retail with the German based international supermarket chain giant Aldi. 
• It’s a Wine Time to visit Germany with more than a thousand wine festivals taking place every year in Germany’s wine growing regions, from the largest wine event in the world, to local festivals in charming villages along the rivers Rhine, Mosel, Elbe, and Main. 
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Christian Wulff will attend the memorial service for the victims of the deadly tragedy at the Loveparade in Duisburg. 
• Summertime Ale? The wheat in a Hefeweizen, according to German law, must make up at least 50% of the beer’s total grain, with certain strains
  of German ale yeast, creating a host of specific, classic flavors including banana, clove notes, and bubble gum taste. 
• You can’t beat Munich in the summer as a beer lover’s dream as the city is transformed into one huge pub where locals and tourists alike bask in the sun chugging down humongous glasses of beer at the open-air beer gardens found everywhere. 
• Officials for Oktoberfest in La Crosse, Wisconsin have announced that Bret Michaels, current Poison vocalist, will perform at Oktoberfest on Tue September 28th 2010. 
• So what exactly is German food like in Germany? A very interesting perspective from an American blogger that also happens to be a devout vegetarian too! 
• The  first ice wine was reportedly produced in Germany in 1794. Today, ice wines are highly prized wines that are made not only in Germany, but also in Austria and Canada as well as other countries, including the United States. 
• The U.S. Olympic Committee signed a six-year, $24 million deal with BMW, making the German automaker the replacement for General Motors as the federation's automobile sponsor 

·          One of the various things the German people are famous for is beer. With more than thirteen-hundred various breweries spread across the country, beer is a crucial piece of their culture and ancestry. 

·          Officials for Oktoberfest in La Crosse, Wisconsin have announced that Bret Michaels, current Poison vocalist, will perform at Oktoberfest on Tue September 28^th. 

·          The German Winemakers, “Korbel Brothers” from Bohemia (old Germany) were the founders of the Korbel Champagne Cellars in California in the late 1800’s. 

·        The Germanwise, “Midwest Deutsche Oktoberfest” of Hays Kansas will begin to exude lederhosen and dirndls as much as polka & alpine hats.

• The last major Oktoberfest of the Cincinnati Oktoberfest season is the family friendly, “Donauschwaben Oktoberfest.” This festival on the first weekend of October coincides with the end of the big Munich Oktoberfest in Germany. 

   JAN 2011 

 FEB 2011 

• Strong German heritage emerges once again as this famed hedgehog wannabe, Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow - predicting six more weeks of winter. Get in the spirit and discover  what to eat on Groundhogs Day. 
• Heidi is not quite as famous as the German-American icon Phil from Punxsutawney; however Germany has fallen in love and can’t get enough of this cross-eyed Opossum. 
• The place to be mid February is Mt Angel Oregon for Wurstfest 2011 – A Celebration of German Sausage that runs three days straight with non stop music and lots of good fun. 
• It’s Valentines Day in Germany and it can be quite a romantic adventure. Every year German couples wait for this festival of love to have fun in each others company. 
• A sixth-grade teacher from Wisconsin stumbles upon a 340-year-old German Bible in an old safe in a small Lutheran church school where she works. 
• The city of Philadelphia , known by many as the best beer-drinking city in America, has already accepted the Brauhaus Schmitz German Restaurant into its strong beer culture. 
• Old German Bakery touts a different experience. With an array of breads, strudels and cakes, the new bakery and café gives Hoboken NJ residents a true European flavor. 
• It’s been exactly 125 years that Carl Benz registered his “vehicle with gas-engine drive” under patent in 1886 as Daimler AG has celebrates the anniversary of the automobile. 
• Cody Christman – the 2009 Beer Drinker of the Year talks about two very famous and traditional breweries letting their hair down a bitcollaborating together to produce the great tasting Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen Weisse brew. 
• They call it Fasching, Fastnacht, Fastnet, Karneval and Carneval - but in the USA, it’s also known as Mardi Gras –German style. No matter what it’s called, German heritage comes alive with a most colorful and very traditional religious based celebration for all to enjoy heading out of winter. 

 MAR 2011 

·          Bocks and Märzenbier - March signals the end -- and the beginning of the traditional brewing year.

·          How do German-Americanscelebrate St Patrick’s Day in Mt. Angel, Oregon? With greenbeer of course.  

·          A 3-Day festival on Bach. Music owes as much to Bach as religion does to its founder as others contend Bach's genius. 

·          German and English are cousin languages; they both are Germanic. Many similarities exist among these two languages although certain words which are untranslatable. 

·          Martin Luther is acknowledged as the father of modern German, through his translation of the Bible in a language that people could relate to in the sixteenth century. 

·          Every year, on the last Weekend in March, festival-goers in Tomball, Texas break out their Lederhosen and Dirndls "Go German" for the area's largest festival celebrating the heritage of the original German families that settled this area in about 1840. 

·          Volkswagen AG is resurrecting its iconic VW microbus, which debuted in 1950 and became a favorite of hippies for its unique styling and copious space for travelers. 

·          The Mosel River Valley in Germany is host to hundreds of picturesque vineyards that are forever clinging to steep hillsides teeming with medieval castles that still guard the comings and goings of all who pass whether by boat, car, train, bike or hike. 

·         The first garden gnomes that were mass-produced also came from Germany in the 1870s. The two big names in gnome manufacturing were Philipp Griebel and August Heissner, with Heissner becoming known around the world for his gnomes. 

·         Goetta, a regional German-American dish is often compared to breakfast sausageor scrapple. It is pork or a blend of beef and pork, whole grains, mostly steelcut (pinhead oats) and sometimes barley and seasonings. 

·          The 33^rd annual Wurstfest in Hermann, Missouri held each year in March has become one of the best loved and prestigious events for sausage makers from across the state. 

APR 2011

•  If you are searching for very good German wine and food take into account the Franconia region of southeastern Germany. It is named for a Germanic tribe known as the Franks, who also gave their title to France. 
• Tulsa is very proud of Margaret’s German Restaurant: “Where Oktoberfest Lasts All Year” and the food is always great. 
• When Regina Mayer's parents refused to buy her a horse, the 15-year-old German girl trained Luna the cow to be a top-class riding companion. 
• After consuming only beer and water for 23 days for lent, J. Wilson says there are two things he's sick of - morning radio shows and the Illuminator Doppelbock. 
• Whisky lovers have praised German attempts to recreate single malt whisky, but it is set to create a major row with Scottish producers. 
• The Easter bunny first made its appearance in German writings during the 1500’s, it was then transformed into an edible treat during the early 1800’s. 
• Herman, the Giant German Rabbit - Holy Hasenpfeffer! – In Germany, a rabbit breeder raises Grey German Giants and he’s grown so fond of, to keep it and not eat it. 
• Easter in Germany is a colorful combination. The word, Easter, comes from the name of the ancient Germanic fertility goddess, Eostre whose season was spring and symbol was of all things, the bunny rabbit. 
• Schwenker is more then just a grill or meat, it is a tradition and a way to show hospitality. A traditional cooking method from the Saarland region of Germany. 
• Wilkommen (Welcome) to the 36th annual Germanfest, sponsored by the Muenster, Texas Chamber of Commerce. Muenster was founded in 1889 by people of German heritage and Catholic faith. 

MAY 2011

• If lively Maipole dancers perform outside Festhalle Barn in Amana, Iowa during their annual Amana Colonies Maifest celebration. This year's Maifest concludes on May 1^st. 
• For the past 129 years, a very colorful scene has unfolded in Brenham, Texas each May. This festival is known as Maifest. It is a celebration highlighting our proud German heritage as well as showcasing the youth of our community. 
• The Bavarian Village of Leavenworth, Washington presents the annual Maifest on May 13-15th 2011. Celebrate Fruhling (Spring) in traditional Bavarian fashion. Experience the Grand March, including village folk and visitor alike dressed in Trachten and traditional fare. Enjoy flowers, weekend entertainment, and dancing. 
• Kicking off the Greater Cincinnati's festival season, Covington Kentucky’s spring Maifest celebrates the area's Germanic tradition of heralding the arrival of spring wines, beer and brats kicking off on Friday, May 16th and runs til Sunday, May 18^th. 
• Peter Gruenewald, chef and owner of Greenwood’s German and European Restaurantin Fort Worth, Texas offers up authentic German food to visitors that expect it. 
• The Concordia Choir, the “heart” of Spokane’s German-American Society, celebrates 100 years of existence with German food, beer, dancing and singing. 
• If you are you looking for traditional German flare to add to your Maifest celebration, you might want to check out these recipes for Waldermeisterbowle, or May Punch. 
• Interesting travels within and around Germany as Mary reaches her readers hearts through their stomachs with her blogspot on German food, glorious food. 
• Ceramic German Garden Gnomes known as Gartenswerg (garden dwarf) were first made in Thuringia, Germany. Local storytellers said that helpful gnomes would secretly visit yards at night to do some garden digging and weeding. 
• A bratwurst is the best known and most basic of German Sausages. Everyone knows it and Jameson Wittkopp, the owner of Altengartz in Portland, Oregon has built a business behind the Brat. JUN

JUN 2011

·         Greater Cincinnati's “Over the Rhine” German Heritage Festival known as “German Day” celebrates its 116th year and recognized as one of the oldest in the USA.  

·         BMW has unveiled a new campaign to help combat distracted driving as United States Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has commended BMW for its efforts, and says that he hopes other automakers will follow BMW’s lead in the near future. 

·         The Greater Miami German-American Club offers dinner to German native and NBA star Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks but that's as far as they'll go -  still loving their Heat.  

·         There were no beer steins or lederhosen, but the mood was still upbeat Friday as local officials celebrated one of the state's latest German-tinged economic development successes as Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam welcomes Lisega. 

·         Listen closely and you may detect a German accent as General Motors will use it’s promotional hype geared towards its all-new 2011 Buick Regal to U.S. buyers. 

·         Waterlooresident Willis Werling always has a white Christmas at his home as his unique holiday tradition took root initially with the founding German immigrants. 

·         A group of German brewers, politicians and public figures have called for the country's 14th century beer purity law to be included on the UN's list of "intangible" world cultural treasures. 

·         Statistics show that more than 23% of Americans claim to have German roots. German baby names are a hot trend in America, and with the statistics supporting the evidence. 

·         There was a time in Frederick County Maryland when German was such a common language that German speakers had their own newspaper but that was in the 19^th century, more than 100 years before the talk of English as the official language. 

·         Texas got the accordion bug from German and Czech settlers in the Texas hill country in dance halls and spread its influence to Hispanics, Creoles and Cajuns.

JUL 2011 

• German Fest: Milwaukee’s “Original Haus Party” is one of Wisconsin's finest fests, as Today's culture meets yesterday's traditions with Old World recipes,  contemporary & German music plus everything in between.
• The city of New Braunfels, located 30 minutes north of San Antonio, puts on the biggest German cultural festival in the United States. More than 120,000 visitors flock to “Wurstfest” every year, drawn by Polka music, German beer, and, of course, bratwurst.
• There were no beer steins or lederhosen, but the mood was still upbeat Friday as local officials celebrated one of the state's latest German-tinged economic development successes as the Tennessee Governor welcomes Lisega.
• Listen closely and you may detect a German accent as General Motors will use it’s promotional hype geared towards its all-new 2011 Buick Regal to U.S. buyers.
• Waterloo resident Willis Werling always has a white Christmas at his home as his unique holiday tradition took
  root initially with the founding German immigrants.
• A group of German brewers, politicians and public figures
  have called for the country's 14th century beer purity law to be included on the UN's  list of "intangible" world cultural treasures.
• There was a time in Frederick County Maryland when German was such a common language that German speakers had their own newspaper but that was in the 19^th century, more than 100 years before the talk of English as the official language.
• Texas got the accordion bug from German and Czech settlers in the Texas hill country in dance halls and spread its influence to Hispanics, Creoles and Cajuns.  

AUG 2011

• Cletus and Rosemary Muensterman come by their love of their German heritage as their grandparents settled in Evansville, Indiana. The two have been married 65 years and are gearing up for Germania Maennerchor's Volksfest this week.
• Zack Greinke got ahead of himself when the Milwaukee Brewers asked him to pinch hit in the fifth inning Saturday night wearing the wrong uniform top. Instead of wearing "Brewers" like his teammates, Greinke instead wore a jersey saying the German translation: "Bierbrauer." No, Zack, no. Nicht! Nein! Nee! Milwaukee plans to wear the German jerseys Sunday as a nod to southeastern Wisconsin's rich Deutschland heritage.
• The Hagerstown, Maryland 16^th annual “Augustoberfest” celebration pays tribute to the area's rich German heritage and supports scholarships for exchange students to Hagerstown's Sister City - Wesel, Germany. This two day event scheduled for August 27^th and 28^th will feature festivities found at traditional Oktoberfest celebrations in Bavaria.
• Master Illusionist – German Magician Jan Rouven gives a backstage tour of his new show inside the Fame Theater at the Clarion hotel-casino. Already famous in Germany, he now tries his hand in Las Vegas.
• South Carolina’s “Schuetzenfest” takes place August 19^th & 20th. The name of our festival comes from the traditional Schützenfest, or 'marksmen's (hunter's) festival', a very long-established folk festival in Germany. Since Ehrhardt was founded by Conrad Ehrhardt, a German immigrant, and many of Ehrhardt's citizens come from a German background, the name is fitting. Another reason? The area around Ehrhardt, South Carolina, is a hunter's paradise.
• A group of Newark, NJ residents came together in 1881 with one goal in mind: to share their German heritage through ethnic music. More than a century later, members of the Newark Maennerchor still are singing and celebrating their history as Maennerchor is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year.
• Holy cow! It must be a slow news month in Germany if a runaway cow makes the front page of a top selling German newspaper. Bovine Yvonne has been keeping animal lovers in Bavaria in a tizzy after she broke through an electric fence on May 24th and has been hiding in a nearby forest ever since.
• Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival Aug 18^th -20^th in Bucyrus, Ohio known around the world as the "Bratwurst Capital of America," Bucyrus celebrates the town's German heritage with this 3-day family-friendly event with more than 100 different foods from local family recipes that have been handed down through the generations dating back to their roots in Germany. Because of this, each bratwurst is unique and different as each recipe varies from maker to maker.
• Once billed as the world’s only dry Oktoberfest celebration - this north Alabama city of Cullman(named for a German immigrant) gets to celebrate it’s German heritage this year by legally be able to get a beer.
• The 46th annual German-American Festival (GAF) is Toledo, Oregon’s oldest, largest and greatest German Heritage ethnic festival with authentic German food, beer, and entertainment. The event this year takes place August 26th, 27th & 28^th.
• If you love beer and ice cream then you’re going to love this new creation by a Glasgow brewery. West Brewery is serving ice cream infused with its award-winning Hefeweizen beer at its bar and restaurant in Glasgow Green.
• Introducing the Wirsthaus. Los Angeles has seen a spate of German-themed bars and restaurants open in the past few years and very few are actually run by Germans. The new WIRSTHAUS hopes to carve a niche for itself with a menu of updated German classics and a menu 30 German beers, including a few rarities that should make hops-freaks gleeful.

SEP 2011

OCT 2011

NOV 2011

DEC 2011

• The 12 Days of Christmas Markets. Christmas markets are an
  old world tradition German and Austrian in origin and dating back to the Middle Ages. Christkindlmart's in Germany offer historical traditions and holiday spirit.
• Tomball German Christmas Market – Dezember 9th, 10^th & 11^th. Celebrate this German Christmas Market “Weihnachtsmarkt” Texas Style.
• A guide to Christmas Markets in and around Germany . Many people might think that Christmas markets came about to celebrate Christmas. However, if you really read the history,
  this was only a secondary purpose.
• Get in the Christmas Spirit by Celebrating St Nicholas Day. The 6th of December is a very special day for children in Germany as many of them awake in the morning feeling a mixture of excitement and fear because they might meet Saint Nicholas.
• The history of Christmas pickles originated here within the USA during the end of the Civil War from POW solider John Lower. The actual holiday blessing and tradition of the Christmas pickle took on a life of its own once he returned to Germany.
• Like most Christmas traditions, Advent Calendars date back to early 19th-century-Germany. Religious families counted down the days to Christmas by drawing lines in chalk on their doors and, later, lighting candles and hanging religious images on their walls each day to mark Advent’s passing. fall.
• Christmas in Germany. The Christmas holiday in Germany begins December 24th and ends on the 26th. On the 24th (Christmas Eve), most Germans work a half day and shops are open until the early afternoon.combined.
• History of Christmas OrnamentsThe earliest in the early 1800’s, as we’ve mentioned in passing, were fruit (particularly apples) and nuts. These, along with the evergreen trees themselves, represented the certainty that life would return in the spring.I
• I wanted to show a restaurant that is a "must see" for many during the Christmas season. Rolf's German Restaurant, located in Manhattan's Gramercy Park neighborhood at 22nd Street and 3rd Avenue, is known for its "over the top" Christmas decorations which stay up well into January.
• How an obscure British skit has become Germany's most popular New Year's tradition. Every New Year's Eve, half of all Germans plunk down in front of their televisions to watch a 1963 English comedy sketch called Dinner for One to bring in the New Year each and every season.
• A lot of baking activity lately created wonderful Christmas biscuits – called Plätzchen. In Germany, the word Plätzchen (according to Wiki) comes from either the diminutive of Platz – round flat cake – or from the latin word placenta which means cake 

JAN 2012

• Glückliches Neues Jahr 2012! - An obscure British skit has become Germany's most popular New Year's tradition. Every New Year's Eve, half of all Germans plunk down in front of their televisions to watch a 1963 English comedy sketch called Dinner for One.
• A Church built entirely of snow and ice had its grand opening in the Bavarian village of Mitterfirmiansreut. Villagers built the church, which is made up of more than 49,000 cubic feet of snow, to commemorate the construction of a similar snow church in the village 100 years ago.
• Los Angeles, get ready for the Bock Fest featuring the best German Bocks and many more Winter Warmers from all over the world. Tired of those boring tasting events, well then come to the Bock Fest and try some of the world’s best winter beers.
• The German Village Society of Quincy, Illinois exists in the community as a non-for-profit organization. Its purpose is to support the restoration of the German Historic District and to promote Quincy’s German Heritage.
• The always fun “Pretzelfest” in Cincinnati is the official kickoff of the “ Bockfest” season slated for January 28^th 2012 from 5pm to 10pm. President and CEO of Christian Moerlein, will preside over the ceremonial tapping of this season’s Christian Moerlein Emancipator Doppelbock. Local bakeries and restaurants will showcase unique pretzelcreations too.
• Germans played an important part in the formation of New Orleans that includes developing some of its most treasured cornerstones. We tend to think of the Germans and their beer and bratwursts only around Oktoberfest time, but they’ve been here since the days of Bienville.
• This coming fall, the clouds that hang among the rafters at Gemuetlichkeit Days will hold a new name - that of the festival's newest-minted angel named Elmer Waldmann.
• Run Forrest Run! Meet the original Forrest Gump, actually Forrest Behm, an All-American husker football player in the late 30’s-early 40’s from our profiles of German-Americans from the state of Nebraska.
• Wilma Neukam can only speak and read words from her native language, but the meanings have faded. She still keeps her German heritage close to her though; a confirmation Bible from the 1930′s written in German rests in her bedside table.
• On Sunday, members of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in downtown Fort Wayne kicked off a yearlong 175th anniversary celebration by hearing about a plan to start a new Lutheran congregation back in Wittenberg, Germany.

• German tradition of the Christmas Pickle had its roots in the USA during the Civil War in 1864
  
  German tradition of the Christmas Pickle had its roots in the USA during the Civil War in 1864. An act of kindness in a Confederate POW camp evolved into a little known German tadition.
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