Becky Wildkid

The German Fest is a traditional festival celebrated in Milwaukee, the Wisconsin. The Henry Maier Festival Park is well known for its celebration found at the lake front of the great Michigan Lake. The beginning of the German Fest happens when Henry Maier, the mayor dared the local German-American residents’ community in a speech that happened on 20th May, in the year 1980. It was the 20th Anniversary of German American National Congress which is actually known as Deutsch Amerikanischer National Kongress (DANK) to arrange a festival for the Germans.

Very soon after that, Walter Geissler, the President of DANK at that time, organized a five member committee and was the chair person of it which led to the foundation of the great event, German Fest. The events that have to take place in the German Fest were first consequently written in the month January in the year 1981. After this a lot of working was done on this and thus led to the first ever German Fest which was held in the month of August in the year 1981. It was then named as the German’s largest event celebration in the North American territory. It presently is celebrated during the last weekend completely in the month of July every year.

The German Fest also denotes the celebration the culture of Germany, also including the countries like Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, South Tyrol, and the German speaking communities all around the earth. Many people travel from the “Vaterland” to educate and perform at this grand Fest along with the traditional music.

One of the major attractions is the tent called as cultural tent. It is the best place where various groups which includes both the current and the former provinces which pompously call “German” themselves can be seen. The people range from Hessians (Hessen) and Bavarians (Bayern), to the other German speaking countries like the ones of Austria (Österreich), and these groups relocated by WWII whose home places are at present located at Poland (Polen) and also at the former Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia (Jugoslawien and Tschechoslowakei).

At the central portion of the Fest grounds, a parade passes by periodically which showcases the different German-American heritage associations, the local German fascination schools, and the others who celebrate the German heritage of theirs. The German cuisine will also be an important feature of the German Fest. Most of the well known restaurants of German style and the food services of that area can be found during the happening of the great fest which also includes Bavarian and Mader’s Inn. It also gives place to Usinger’s , which is renowned as the Milawaukee’s biggest sausage maker . Adding to it, the Usinger’s celebrated the 125th anniversary of theirs in 2005, which was along with the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the great German fest. The 2010 was the 130th and 30th anniversary of the Usinger’s and the great German Fest. The 2011 German Fest is planned from 28th to the 31st of July.