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The Week in Germany: Culture

July 28, 2006

German Fest Milwaukee kicks off today

Thousands will converge on the Milwaukee shore of Lake Michigan this Friday for the kick-off of the largest German Fest in the United States. The festival, celebrating its 26th year, runs through Sunday, July 30.

German food is authentic and tasty at the German Fest.

The Milwaukee German Fest has been a staple of summer fun for a quarter of a century, having become one of the most important cultural events for the German-American community in the Midwest.

Wisconsin, along with Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska, comprise an area of the Midwest with the highest concentration of German ancestry in the country. In these states, as many as one half of all people claim German heritage.

But the visitors who flock to Milwaukee in celebration of German culture are not necessarily German-Americans in search of their roots. Visitors of all stripes come to enjoy a unique mix of food, drink and fun.

Coordinated by several area German-American associations and staffed by 3,000 volunteers, the festival attracts most of its visitors from out of town.

After days filled with beer, parades, dances, and activities for children, each evening ends with a fireworks display with Lake Michigan as its backdrop. On Sunday, the program concludes with a performance of Carmina Burana by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Authentic German foods such as Bratwurst, Strudel and Sauerkraut are prepared fresh each day, with over 20,000 Bratwursts and 10,000 pounds of potatoes and sauerkraut to be consumed over the course of the three-day festival. A wine-tasting will offer the best in imported German wines, while 35,000 pieces of pastry from Torten to Strudel will fulfill the German tradition of Kaffee und Kuchen.

On ten entertainment stages, eleven European bands and twelve musical and dance groups from Wisconsin will perform, among them the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, yodeler Edith Prock, the Schlossberg Quintet, and Die Sandler.

The largest selection of German goods outside of Germany will be at the festival this year, including fabulous displays of imported German gifts and one-of-a-kind collectibles in a European market setting.

Festival organizers will also raffle off several grand prizes, including a car, continental airline tickets from Midwest Airlines and a selection of wine from a local German wine distributor.

Links:

German Fest Milwaukee

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