Heritagefest benefits from new facilities

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- It was like a slice of heaven on Earth Saturday at the Brown County Fairgrounds in New Ulm.

As the 29th annual Heritagefest moved into its second day under a deep, blue sky, packed tightly with white, fluffy clouds, young couples were pushing strollers on a newly asphalted road past the grandstand and the arts and crafts building and the huge entertainment tents.

Gone was the dusty gravel road that not only bounced heat back into the faces of fest-goers but raised dust and made those assigned to push strollers wonder when it would ever end.

But that wasn't all that was new for this year's 'fest.

A new attraction, Fest Halle, was added to the list this year, thanks to completion of the New Ulm Civic Center. The larger of the two ice rinks was opened to fest-goers for checking out products from booths that used to lurk under the grandstand or in the home economics building, as well as the halle's Gift Shoppe.

It also is the site for the one of the entertainment stages.

The opening of Fest Halle also signaled the advent of air conditioning for at least part of the festival events and restrooms built on good, old firm concrete.

Food and beverages have been consolidated in a remodeled area under the grandstand, and for your eating enjoyment, you can sit at one of a number of tables with attached umbrellas as if you were sitting on a restaurant patio.

"Isn't this great?" marveled one fest-goer who had sat down with a buddy to drink a tall, cool one and watch the traffic on the newly asphalt byway that runs from the Franklin Street parking entrance to the old 12th North St. gate. It's now billed as parade route although fest-goers appeared to be considering it a "promenade" route.

The Concord Singers are still belting out those good German songs from the Rosen Tent which they shared Saturday with Die Wolpertinger from Watertown, Salzburg Express from where else? -- Salzburg, Austria, of course, and New Odyssey of Chicago, Ill.

The festival is featuring a number of local bands on its Fest Halle and Bayerwald Open-Air Tent. There are Don Klossner and Peter and Paul Wendinger of New Ulm sharing the Fest Halle stage with the Original Filstalspatzen from Germany, the Salzburg Express and the S.G. Edelweiss Dancers from Eagan in Fest Halle.

Meanwhile, the Original German Band from New Ulm and the Concords mixed it up with the Original Filstalspatzen band and the Gutzgauch trio from northern Germany in the Bayerwald Open-Air Tent.

There's a new stage, the Variety, in the south arts and crafts building which featured an alternating Gutzgauch band and folk art program, and, of course, there's the Kinderfest Stage which for years has presented entertainment for children.

While the Heritagefest was in full swing at the fairgrounds, the Marktstrasse was having its one-day run on Minnesota Street downtown.

The market which covered two blocks between Center and 2nd North streets featured an eclectic array of booths, selling items ranging from embroidered sweatshirts to artificial wreathes and flower arrangements.

"You don't have to water them, and they're guaranteed not to die," said Darwin Stanfield who with his wife Edna operated an artificial flower boutique.

The Stanfields who call both Pocahontas, Iowa (summer) and Mesa, Ariz. (winter) home have been coming to New Ulm for Marktstrasse "since this street was torn up (for the Streetscape project)," Stanfield said.

"I remember that we had to set up on the next street over (German)," he said.

"That was a mess, but we got through it. We've been coming back ever since," she said.