Page 7 - GC-Oktoberfest-24

The German Citizen • September-October 2024 • 7
Local German celebrations

are a part of WNY history

his year marks two great an‐
niversaries for Buffalo’s Ger‐ Opa’s
Tman-American community.
It’s not only the 40th anniversary of
the Buffalo German Fest, it’s also Attic
the centivintennial of the first Ger‐
man Day celebration in Buffalo. by Greg
Following that initial 1904 festival,
Germans would gather for decades Witul
to celebrate their cultural heritage, itics and society, mostly had stayed
including a festive party held in away. Not even our Louie
"The Conversion of Holy Hubertus" by Wilhelm Räuber (1849–1926). ward Lang. The afternoon saw the
1912 that heard a speech from athletic feats of the local Turn‐ [Fuhrmann], his honor the mayor,
Exploring the story of Buffalo’s own “Wild” man. vereins and a schutzenfest where deemed it necessary to visit the big‐
Planning for the 9th iteration of
gest festival of his countrymen and
the Buffalo Deutscher Tag began in the North Parade Gun Club took German friends held during the
top prize. Ernest Bauman proved
St. Hubertus (c. 656-727) earnest on May 10 in Joseph himself to be the best individual whole year.
Miller’s Hall at the corner of Gene‐
see and Reed streets. There the marksman maintaining a substan‐ “Of the brewers only two were
by Martin Ederer Jägermeister began as tial lead over Carl Schultz, Henry there, who never yet missed a Ger‐
n modern terms, the story of a civilized drink to be leaders of the German-American Staffel, and the rest of the field. man Day celebration and do not
St. Hubertus belongs more Alliance laid out what they hoped In the evening the concert deem it beneath their dignity to mix
Ito Belgium and Holland than consumed sparingly after to see at that year’s festival. bands took over as people ate, with the common people. These
to modern Germany, but in St. Hu‐ dinner by older Germans. Headed by Dr. Gustave A. drank, and danced the night away two were [Bernhard H.T. Voelker of
bertus’ time, Belgium, Holland, quick and as painless as possible, Hitzel and assisted by Louis until the large fireworks display the Tonawanda Brewing Company
France and Germany were all part and avoiding killing mother animals Malsch, William Ritter, and John signaled the end of the popular and Carl A. Strangmann of the Ger‐
of the Germanic Frankish world of with young. In a sense he is the pa‐ Wieder the committee only moved event. man-American Brewing Co.]”
the Merovingian Dynasty. Consider tron of respect for nature and took a one formal motion at the meeting, In the review of the 1912 A century later many of New
that Roman Gaul came to be named stand for good ecology long before setting the date of the festival to Deutscher Tag the German-Amer‐ York State’s best German festivals,
for the Franks: France. Known as that concept existed. He was also Aug. 11. ican social critic for the Buffalo including the Buffalo German Fest,
the Apostle of the Ardennes, the re‐ the saint to call upon for a cure of Things moved slowly in the late Express noted that while the event survive and thrive not because of
gion best remembered today in rabies. spring months, but with the change was always popular with Buffalo’s the upper echelons of the commu‐
America for the Battle of the Bulge Beyond the basic story of St. of the seasons, planning kicked into burgeoning middle class, it was nity but the regular folks who do‐
during World War II, Hubertus was Hubertus comes some fun stuff. high gear. On July 31, Dr. Hitzel less of a draw to the city’s elite. nate their time and effort to ensure
born 656, the son of a Frankish The first is that there is a very simi‐ announced the official schedule for “Of our so called prominent Ger‐ everyone enjoys themselves and
duke. Probably during his teens he lar older story about St. Eustace, a the day which included opening ad‐ man-American citizens only a few that German-American culture will
was sent off to the Neustrian court Roman general who had an en‐ dresses, gymnastic exhibitions, were present, the big breweries continue to blossom for generations
of Theuderic III in Paris, where he counter with a deer and the cross. concerts, dancing, military maneu‐ and merchants and men who play to come.
was eventually awarded the title of He converted, and was eventually vers, a shooting competition, and a an important part in our local pol‐
Count of the Palace. By this time it martyred by the Roman emperor spectacular fireworks display.
was clear that he loved to hunt. Hadrian in 118. This all illustrates As they had the year before the
Around 682 Hubertus married well the confusion all too common Germans formally invited Buffalo’s
the lovely Floribanne, the daughter in medieval record-keeping. Irish community to the gathering,
of Dagobert, Count of Louvain. St. Floribert, Hubertus’son, suc‐ where the two groups could com‐
Eventually Hubertus ended up in ceeded him as the second bishop of miserate over the Arbitration
the more eastern Kingdom of Aus‐ Liège. Treaties of 1911 which moved to
trasia (Verdun, Trier, Aachen and Jean-Francois Dandrieu (1682 - favor Great Britain at the expense
Cologne were here). Floribanne 1738 and active in Paris during the of Germany and Ireland.
died giving birth to their son Florib‐ reign of Louis XIV) composed a With fair weather, 12,000
ert. In deep grief Hubertus with‐ solemn mass of St. Hubertus with Buffalonians began to descend on
drew from court life to the Ar‐ the unusual scoring for organ and Teutonia Park, where East High
dennes Forest and hunted. In that hunting horns. Some critics have School would one day stand, to
context the legend of St. Hubertus panned it as a remarkably dreadful party. Once gathered the great Ger‐
was born. On a Good Friday – piece. man throngs heard Central School
when he should have been in church There are also a few factoids to teacher and Baron Heinrich von
– he went hunting and happened complete the story of St. Lambert. Nettelbladt give a speech in lan‐
upon a stag. When the animal Lambert is, with Hubertus, a patron guage of the Fatherland while the
turned toward him, Hubertus saw a of Liège and also of Freiburg im young Irish-American attorney
cross floating between his antlers Breisgau. He is also celebrated in William J. Donovan gave opening
and then heard a voice threatening Münster where he has a church remarks in English.
him with hell if he did not turn to named for him. The tower of Lam‐ Addressing the mass gathering,
Christ and a holy life. Hubertus bertuskirche has cages suspended Donovan spoke on the great accom‐
asked what he needed to do. The from it as a reminder of an espe‐ plishments and contributions the
voice told him to find Lambert, the cially nasty anabaptist debacle dur‐ Germans had made to their new
bishop of Maastricht, for further in‐ ing the Protestant Reformation‐ homeland. No one there that day
structions. …but that’s a long story for another could have had any idea that the
Hubertus set out to find Lam‐ time. young jurist would one day become
bert, who became his spiritual men‐ Finally, the Hubertus symbol of a key global figure who would peel
tor. After Hubertus renounced his the stag and the cross is the promi‐ Germany free from the grip of fas‐
political birthrights and found a nent logo on the Jägermeister bottle cism.
guardian for his son, he gave his labels. Jägermeister, meaning With the speeches out of the
wealth to the poor, and on the in‐ “huntmaster” or “master hunter” is way, the entertainment could begin.
structions of Lambert, went out to obviously a nod to hunting. Curt On the main stage 200 singers from
live in the Ardennes among the lo‐ Mast, the son of a German vinegar the Orpheus, the Saengerbund, the
cal people and the animals. Eventu‐ manufacturer, was all about spirits Teutonia Liederkranz and a few
ally Hubertus studied for the priest‐ and hunting. The result was a di‐ other singing societies serenaded
hood. Hubertus went to Rome, and gestive liqueur he developed in the crowded under the hand of Ed‐
while there the pope had a vision 1934. Bitters and digestives were a
that Lambert had been assassinated; big part of the liquor landscape in
the pope appointed Hubertus his the nineteenth into the early twenti‐
successor as Bishop of Maastricht. eth century. The idea was to de‐ Advertise your
Hagiographies state that Huber‐ velop something to calm the stom‐
tus was a model bishop who cared ach. Consider that the American business or
for the poor and evangelized in the Cola industry also began as stom‐
Ardennes and Netherlands regions. ach tonics. Jägermeister began as a next event in
Part of the reason for his success civilized drink to be consumed
were his skills as an outdoorsman, sparingly after dinner by older Ger‐
which impressed the locals. He also mans. The German
moved the bishopric from Maas‐ By the 1970s, Jägermeister be‐
tricht to Liège, thus becoming the came a common sporting sponsor. Citizen
founder and first bishop of that dio‐ Then Sidney Frank, an American
cese. Liège grew nicely afterward. liquor importer, began to promote
Hubertus died outside of Liege Jägermeister in the 1980s as the ul‐ Call Steve or
at Voeren around 727. He is consid‐ timate party drink for unhinged
ered the patron of hunters, archers, young partygoers in America: the Michelle
foresters, mathematicians, opti‐ Jägerbomb, the Surfer on Acid, the
cians, metalworkers…and the city Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse‐
of Liège. Hubertus also became …and worse names…were born. 716-835-9454
synonymous with honorable hunt‐ St. Hubertus probably would not be
ing ethics such as making kills as pleased.