Heritagefest opens Friday

Festival offers

non-stop

entertainment

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- "I had rather a fool to make me merry than experience to make me sad," wrote William Shakespeare in "As You Like It."

Become merry with fools as the absurdly-funny Theatre of Fools returns after a 10-year absence to the 27th Annual Heritagefest.

Gates open at 11 a.m. beginning Friday and continuing through Sunday as well as next weekend at the Brown County Fairgrounds. Five stages provide continuous entertainment.

The Theatre of Fools has one foot rooted in the tradition of European clowning and the other on the edge of the New Vaudeville movement, combining the arts of physical comedy, magic and music that creates audience participation.

Heritagefest Executive Director Leo Berg called the pair one of the premier variety performing groups in the country.

"They got their start here 20 years ago, then went out East for the Renaissance Fair circuit," Berg said. "Now their children are getting older and they want to spend more time at home."

The high-energy performance of Lloyd Brant and Rosie Cole can be found on the Wintergarten Variety Tent stage Friday at 2:30-3:15 p.m., 4-4:45 p.m. and 5:30-6:15 p.m. The duo will perform in Wintergarten each afternoon and evening of Heritagefest.

Heritagefest's opening ceremony includes a mini parade at 6 p.m. Friday in the Bayerwald Open-Air Tent stage.

National anthems will be performed by Musukverein Albtal from the Southern Black Forest near St. Blasien, Germany, as well as New Ulm's Concord Singers and the audience.

Speakers include New Ulm Mayor Arnold J. Koelpin, Master of Ceremonies Hugh Nierengarten and Torsten Schoell, Vice Consul, German Consulate General based in Chicago, Ill. The New Ulm Battery will fire three salutes and a fest keg will be opened.

The Concord Singers will host Fest Keg Opening ceremonies each night at 6 p.m.

Berg is encouraged by the weekend weather forecast that calls for dry but cooler temperatures.

"The weather forecast is great," Berg said. "Preparations are going well. Cooler weather will make it much easier to work, which helps us a lot."

This year's Heritagefest will be Berg's last as director because he is retiring.

Entertainers include German carver Rudolf Tanner, and Lip Service, another new band that plays in Las Vegas and the Bahamas and features saxophones, guitars and a keyboard and lots of audience participation.

Slowenische Sterne and its Oberkrainer style of popular folk tunes and modern standards returns for its fourth visit to America. Fourteen-year-old Nino has brought standing ovations with his charm and world-class command of the accordion.

Remstad Musikanten from the Stuttgart region of Germany bring their well-known folk music selections.

The Hergert Formation of Schleusingen, Germany, perform folk music, their own music, international rock and pop, oldies and German hits.

Local and area talent include St. George's Donnie Klossner and his Austrian and Swiss heritage music. He'll team up with the traditional German folk songs of New Ulmite Amy Triebenbach.

The 2-mile and 10K fun runs start at 9 a.m. Saturday at the New Ulm Medical Center parking lot. A children's run follows. Registration is 6:30-8:30 a.m. Saturday at the medical center.

The Seventh Annual "Tuba Mania" patterned after "Merry Tubachristmas" and "Octubafest" begins with the Parade of Tubas at 2 p.m. Sunday. Mass tubas in concert starts at 2:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday on the Edelweiss Tent Stage.

The traditional fare of food and beverages will be available.

Main entrees include brat burgers, bratwurst, landjaegers, pork, rib and chicken sandwiches, hamburgers, cheeseburgers and hot dogs.

Side orders of German potato salad, sauerkraut, spaetzle and sweet corn are available.

Beverages include Bavarian Eiskaffe, domestic and imported beer, coffee, regular and raspberry ice tea, regular and Lynchburg lemonade, milk, non-alcoholic beer, pop, radlers (beer and Sprite), root beer floats, wine, wine coolers and flavored water.

Desserts are Luigi's Italian ice, pie, ice cream, schmierkuchen, apple strudel and German chocolate cake.

Importer drinks include Possmann Frankfurter Apfelwein which will make its debut. he apple wine, aka "The Fuel of Frankfurt," is the most popular drink in Frankfurt and dates back more than 1,200 years to Emperor Karl the Great.