Warta crowned German-Bohemian King

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- All hail King Deny the Eighth, the latest of eight Bohemian titular leaders, presumably in exile from their homeland, to be crowned at a German-Bohemian Heritage Society gathering.

Denis J. Warta of New Ulm received his crown, sash, robe and staff during a ceremony at a German-Bohemian Heritage Society benefit at Turner Hall Sunday afternoon.

The benefit event also was a tribute to local old-time musician David Suess, 53, who died April 1. Suess and his wife Sandy played in his father's band, Erwin Suess and the Hoolerie Dutchmen. His father and his widow attended the G-BHS event.

Long-time bandleader Johnnie Helget fielded a group of local musicians who played polkas and waltzes during the entire four-hour benefit. A fund-raising raffle also was held.

"It's very nice that there were enough people who knew David to do this," Sandy Suess said.

The crowning of the new Bohemian king was not without its glitches.

The coronation processional was to have had special music; however, the procession led by Don Brand entered to polka music, much to the consternation of master of ceremonies Paul Kretsch. So he had the band play the processional music even though the procession was already at the stage.

Warta satisfied everyone that he was not only fluent in German but in the Bohemian dialect, as well. Kretsch said it was required of someone wanting to become Bohemian king to prove his mastery of the Bohemian dialect by saying rapidly and faultlessly a Bohemian tongue-twister.

Warta sailed right through it. The tongue-twister in English is, "Is it true that the gray man has gray hair behind his ears," Warta interpreted later.

Warta then announced his appointments to the royal court. (To certify each appointee's true Bohemian connection, Warta gave each the middle name of "Wenzel" or "Wenzelova" in the case of women.)

They were Prince Regent, Paul Wenzel Kretsch; Secretary of Defense, Arminius Wenzel Hermann; Secretary of the Treasury, George Wenzel Portner; Secretary of the Interior, Norman Wenzel Warta; Attorney General, William Wenzel O'Connor; Surgeon General, Dr. Daniel Wenzel Groebner; Minister of Propaganda, Louie Wenzel Lindmeyer; Radio Communications, Marlene Wenzelova Domeier; Graphics and Photography, Flip Wenzel Schulke, and Historian, Darla Wenzelova Gebhard.

Ambassadorships were to the City of New Ulm, Mayor Dr. Arnold Wenzel Koelpin; to Brown County, Peggy Wenzelova Tauer; to Wallachei, Dan Wenzel Beranek; to Goosetown, Mary Ellen Wenzelova Domeier; to Silk Stocking Ward, Dr. Jim Wenzel Seifert; to St. Paul, Robert Wenzel Paulson; to New Mexico, George Wenzel Glotzbach, and ambassador-at-large, Dr. Don Heinrich Wenzel Tolzmann.

Warta's predecessors as king were Peter Gag, Joseph A. Eckstein, Tony Weisner, George Wurmstein a.k.a. Sauerkraut King; John Seifert; Otto Dietz, and most recently Kurt Eisen.

On becoming king, Warta told the crowd of more than 100, "it's unbelievable. I know a lot of people would say it's all make-believe and doesn't mean anything, but it's the continuing of a wonderful tradition."

But Kretsch took some of the glamour out of it when he told Warta, "The banner (sash) and staff are yours to keep, but you'll have to get yourself a robe because we rented this one."