Salzburg Express packs 'em in

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- An accordion, trumpet, guitar, baritone and clarinet of the band Salzburg Express packed several hundred Heritagefest goers under the Rosen Tent Friday afternoon.

Mike and Julie Drummer of Mankato brought their 13-month-old son Jacob to their first Heritagefest or any festival for that matter.

Mike Drummer was introduced to polka music at a young age since his parents enjoyed dancing to Polish polkas in the Mankato area. They ventured as far away as Osh Kosh, Wis. and Chicago to satisfy their polka thirst.

"I remembered lots of these songs. I grew up around this," Mike Drummer said while Salzburg Express performed light, lively music. "Growing up on the farm, we watched Bandwagon every Saturday night. My parents went polka dancing every Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon."

The Drummers hired a polka band to play at their wedding.

Marj and Odein Hyland of Tracy said they enjoyed being able to listen to bands in the new air conditioned Fest Halle. A retired dentist, Odein said he enjoyed the cooler weather Friday.

Len Burkhard, a Fargo retiree, brought his mother Barbara of Towner, N.D. (near Minot) to Heritagefest. He enjoyed eating kettle corn and spaetzle, although he admitted his German-Russian mother makes it pretty well also.

"Hostfest is a big Norwegian festival in Minot. We could use a German-Russian festival up there since that's what most of the older people are," Burkhard said.

The Burkhards said they really enjoyed the small shops in downtown New Ulm.

Salzburg Express band leader Peter Stiegler said through interpreter/stage manager Otto Werner that he enjoyed the spirited crowds that swayed to the music.

"It's a big difference here. Over in Europe, people sit still and get drunk, then they might argue and fight," Stiegler said.

The band, which hails from a ski resort area of the Austrian Alps, plans to play for its host families before performing in Wisconsin. From there, the band will tour Toronto and Niagara Falls before returning to Austria.

Saturday, the band will perform on the Rosen Tent Stage at 12:30 and 4:15 p.m., in the air conditioned Fest Halle at 4 and 9 p.m., in the Bayerwald tent at 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, they'll play on the Bayerwald stage at 11 a.m. and in the Fest Halle at 5:15 p.m.