Page 2 - GC-Oktoberfest-24

2 • The German Citizen •September-October 2024 Waldfest wows Western New Yorkers
Perspectives . . . . . from page 1
Perspectives .

Garden Association dedicated their
From marginalized religion stage as the "Frank Wailand Stage
and die Auslanders" in his honor.
to superficial culture? of tribute," Krug said of the honors
"It's rare for us to hold that sort
bestowed to the late Wieand as well
by Martin Ederer use for any religion to understand as Wailand, continuing, "But it's
t is no great secret that orga‐ the important roles religion or reli‐ two well-deserving individuals who
nized religion is losing gions have played in building have been so instrumental to the
Imembership, especially in whole civilizations and shaping our event."
indigenously or derivatively Euro‐ cultural DNA. That’s not prosely‐ As it usually tends to be, the
pean parts of the world. Whole tizing. That’s simply reality. weather was warm and sunny again Photos courtesy of Spring Garden Association at Waldfest .
books could be written on the rea‐ Religion has shaped all our cul‐ for the celebration, which Krug in
sons why. These might include a tures and ethnicities. It is often jest describes as "Blessed, tradi‐
general prosperity that makes peo‐ enough our cultural bedrock. Con‐ tional Waldfest-type weather."
ple feel secure enough with the sider how much of Central Euro‐ Sunny skies provided the opportu‐
predictability of life to forget about pean history and culture has been nity for patrons to enjoy the outside,
higher powers. Maybe many of us shaped by a Judaeo-Christian her‐ woodsy atmosphere. Krug and
have become too superficial to itage, from the first Roman and Spring Garden Association mem‐
spend effort on the deeper meaning Celtic missionaries, to the monas‐ bers were busy in the days leading
of our lives, thanks to sports, enter‐ teries, to the Carolingian Renais‐ up, during and after the event coor‐
tainment, nonstop activity and sance, to the Ottonian Renaissance, dinating the many items associated
noise that have achieved the stand‐ to the dicey medieval church-state with the celebration.
ing of opiates. Or it might be the throwdowns, to the Protestant Ref‐
sense of freedom we believe our ormation, and yes, even to the En‐
culture affords us that makes us re‐ lightenment which cherry-picked
ject religious moral and social some of the finest teachings of
strictures that attempt to veto what Christianity at the same time it re‐
we would like to do. Then we usu‐ jected its institutional aspects.
ally invent our own often arbitrary Agreed that there is also plenty Next on the agenda for the oberfest season in Western New
strictures. That brings us to Niet‐ of sin to discuss, but the point of Spring Garden Association is the York.
zsche. Christianity is to get people to stop Annual Schlachtfest celebration, For more information on the
In heralding a thoroughly mod‐ sinning—often enough not success‐ taking place Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024 Spring Garden Association, visit
ern concept of morality Friedrich fully, but that still does not invali‐ at Spring Garden Park, located at https://springarden.com.
Nietzsche may well have been the date sound principles even if they 3838 Two Rod Road. Schlachtfest For more information on
first to raise the possibility that ev‐ frequently fail. As Nietzsche might is actually the original event hosted S.G.T.V. Edelweiss Buffalo, visit
eryone should make his or her own have observed about that, we are by the Spring Garden Association, https://www.edelweissbuffalo.com .
morality. Prior to Nietzsche there indeed all too human. with the band Captain Tom and the For more information on the
were certainly differing moral Still, consider the deep Chris‐ Hooligans performing. The event is 2024 Schlachtfest celebration, visit
codes, but there remained the sense tian heritage of German culture that one of several kicking off the Ock‐ https://springarden.com/schlacht‐
among their adherents that morality now often gets forgotten. Think of fest or call (716) 912-3124.
was bigger than personal desires, the great art and architecture, the
and the equal sense that a moral educational institutions that the Viewpoints
code should guide entire societies. church (-es) created from elemen‐
As a result of modern cafeteria tary to university at times when
morality, we have now reached a only the clergy and a few nobility Thank You Hilde Smith!
point where people have largely were literate, the social welfare
grown deaf to the very real role systems and hospitals, and even the by John Duke
that religion has played through all time that clergy (monks especially) ell, here we are again, an‐
human history in shaping civiliza‐ had for R&D in science and tech‐ other Labor Day, Sept. 2,
tions. This is a reality I always nology (includes beer, wine and W2024, and it's as if some‐
need to emphasize with students in stronger drinks, by the way). body threw a magical switch and
my Western Civilization surveys. Perhaps it is time to take harder, summer changes to fall, and stu‐
The basic continuum is that once deeper looks at what our heritage is dents head back to their classes.
people disaffiliate with a religion really all about, to unpack all the That hasn't happened for me in over
and regular practice thereof, they layers of our cultural DNA beyond a half-century, but somehow it hap‐
lose a sense of religion’s historic the surface superficialities and fun pened again to me this year.
and cultural relevance in shaping stuff. At the very least we will I wrote an article in The German
all of us for good or for ill. learn something and also gain a Citizen talking about food and how
That’s when an honest grasp of much deeper appreciation of why sometimes you can tell by its name Willkommen Platz 2024 – Downtown Kitchener, 200 King Street W.
reality becomes important. It’s im‐ our heritage really matters. where a food comes from. Ham‐ The first Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest was celebrated in 1969 at
portant for even those who have no burgers from Hamburg, Frank‐ Concordia Club in Kitchener. The keg was tapped and history was
furters from Frankfurt (am Main, made. Since then, Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest has developed its
Hesse), Wieners from Wein (Vi‐ own traditions, becoming one of the largest Bavarian Festivals
enna), (today’s modern hot dogs). outside of Germany. Tens of thousands of visitors celebrate annually
Although most of my German in our Festhallen, at local restaurants and by attending one of our
friends are Bavarian, I also have
FREE-EMAILVERSIONor$19PRINTCOPY (6ISSUES) best friends from Hesse (Edingers) many family and cultural events. For more information visit https://
and Prussia (Messerschmidts). But www.oktoberfest.ca.
Name _________________________________________________ what I learned in school, and had Meserschmidtt, my friends from first.
forgotten is that there is more than Hamburg, NY insist that the ham‐ But for now, I am going to stay
Address________________________________________________ one Frankfurt in Germany. burger was really invented right on with the food, because right
While some of the Messer‐ here in Western New York, but I around the corner, and sooner than
City/State/Zip ___________________________________________ schmidts argue that their name orig‐ think they are telling me a whopper. you know it, it'll be Oktober Fest
inally was spelled with a double T, I still have to go with Hamburg in again! And with German foods dur‐
Germany, officially the Free and ing Oktober Fest you have to have
Email __________________________________________________
Hanseatic City of Hamburg. beer, it's an unwritten law.
But to my good luck I received The largest group of visitors to
a letter from Mrs. Hilde Smith, and Munich each year are Irish tradi‐
although I was in my German lan‐ tionalists who make a pilgrimage.
guage classes over 50 years ago, And, surprising to some folks, the
Hilde was teaching German from second largest Oktoberfest in the
before I was born, and she's a lot world isn't in Germany, it's in Kitch‐
The German Citizen sharper than I am, or that I probably ener, Ontario. Besides the Germans
Published by Buffalo Standard Printing ever will be. Hilde (pronounced and Irish for really knowing about
3620 Harlem Rd. Hilda, not a slang non-German beer it's the Canadians. The number
one imported bier in Canada is
Hildee), explained, just as my
Cheektowaga, NY 14215 teacher had done decades ago, the Beck's. The Kitchener Oktoberfest
716-831-8013 difference in Frankfurts, among is a must see, it begins in the
mail@thegermancitizen.com many other things I had forgotten. It Willkommen Platz, the Keg Tap‐
was Wunderbar! ping ceremony takes place from
Editor - Roger Puchalski
It was as if I was back in my Friday, Oct. 11. The Biergarten
Consulting Editor - Martin Ederer time machine and traveled back to opens at 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 13,
For Advertising Sales call: the warm summer of 1974. I'm go‐ 2024. Its location: Carl Zehr
Michelle Kisluk or Steve Kroczynski
NOW AVAILABLE ing to have to leave the time travel‐ Square, 200 King Street West,
ing and Hilde for upcoming issues Kitchener and along King Street
THROUGHOUT WNY AND
January - February March - April ONLINE AT in February and April, because with from Ontario Street to Kitchener
City Hall.
the groundhog we could have the
May - June July - August same things happening over and If you could make it, this is the
September - October November - December THEGERMANCITIZEN.COM over again and during April you place to go.
could say anything you want on the Ein Prosit!