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2008 Sommerfest und Bierfest

BINGO & KIDS GAMES

News Articles of Event

Mansfield Liederkranz Opens Annual Festival 

to the Community

(Mansfield NewsJournal)

By LISA MILLER • News Journal • July 24, 2008

MANSFIELD -- The Mansfield Liederkranz is all about tradition, but the local German cultural group is trying something new this year with its event set for Sunday.  

"July is ordinarily the month for our members' picnic," second vice president Sharlene Thornton said of the Mansfield Liederkranz SommerFest/Bierfest. "We decided to go in a different direction this year, with a Sommerfest. Several hundred usually attend when it is members only ... this event is open to the public, and we are expecting great things."

The Mansfield Liederkranz dates to 1906, when it was formed as the German-American Singing Society that met at the Ritz Bar, according to the group's Web site. Since then the organization has moved from North Main Street, to West Fourth Street, to its Silver Lane location in 1980. Along the way, the reorganized group became the German-Hungarian Singing Society and later merged with the Mansfield Männerchor to become the Mansfield Liederkranz.

Membership secretary Jean-ette Swigart said the Liederkranz has about 950 members, which has held steady for several years. Being of German descent is not a membership requirement, but those who want to join must be sponsored by a member and "just have a nice reputation," she said.

Sunday's festivities will begin at 11 a.m. with family soccer games and prizes for the winning team. From noon to 6 p.m., dig into the hog roast, barbecue chicken, bratwurst, Liederkranz garlic sausage, potato salad, potato pancakes, sauerkraut and traditional German desserts.

A 1:30 p.m. ceremony will mark the grand opening of the new Biergarten, with the keg tapping at 1:45 p.m.

Entertainment will be provided by the Hank Haller Band offering traditional European music in the Main Hall and The Relics playing '70s, '80s and '90s music in the pavilion. Bingo games and volleyball will be available for adults and kids.

"The focus of this event is not as a fundraiser so much as a celebration of the family," Thornton said. "We are proud of our traditions and our culture, and we want to pass these on to our children. The Sommerfest is an opportunity to encourage families to spend time together enjoying what it means to be German."

The Hank Haller Band will play traditional European music during the Mansfield Liederkranz Sommerfest/Bierfest on Sunday.

!Newsbites!

Mansfield Liederkranz Changes Summer Picnic Event

Originally posted on WMFD TV, Mansfield

Click on Picture for Newsvideo

    The Mansfield Liederkranz is changing the name and format of its annual summer picnic for members only to Summerfest, an event free and open to the public. The first one took place July 27 on the grounds of the Liederkranz on Silver Lane.

    German food, music and entertainment suitable for the entire family were the highlights of the first Summerfest at the Liederkranz. The club was founded more than 70 years ago to celebrate the heritage of German people who settled in the greater Mansfield area.

    The next big event on the Liederkranz social calendar is a performance by the Hungarian Dancers from Barac, Hungary. Local families will house the dancers when the arrive in Mansfield to perform on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. The dancers will travel through cities in the United States, including Mansfield, Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Cleveland.