Oktoberfest packs 'em in

Slovaks enjoy New Ulm

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Oktoberfest 2004 and life for that matter, has had a heavy international flavor for retired Chaska dairy farmer Clarence Kelzer.

Kelzer and his wife Dorothy made their 18th visit to Oktoberfest in New Ulm. Clarence and his good friend, Rueben Schumacher of Mayer, wore their lederhosen and hats full of pins.

He talked about why he keeps coming back.

"It (Oktoberfest) brings out the best in people. We really enjoy the music and costumes," said Kelzer who recently turned 80. Until a couple years ago, the couple also attended German festivals in Winnipeg and Ellsworth and La Crosse, Wis. Now they concentrate on New Ulm.

Kelzer and Schumacher invited a good friend, Slovakian immigrant Frank Petruska, who is now working as a remodeling contractor in Hopkins. Petruska invited two of his friends from Slovakia, Beatrice Sekerakova and Marcella Lichvarikova. Sekerakova works as a hotel manager in Slovakia while Lichvarikova worked with charities.

The women have tourist visas but would like to secure working visas and immigrate to America. Meanwhile, they're doing some painting for Petruska.

For Petruska it was a long, slow process to immigrate to America, in some ways, similar to the recently released movie "The Terminal." Tom Hanks starred as Viktor Navorksi, a traveler from a fictional Eastern European national who got stuck in a New York City airport for months after a military coup in his native land.

Hanks stayed alive by eating discarded airport food and doing remodeling work with American contractors. In search of a musician in New York City that his deceased father knew, he finally got to meet him before he had to fly home.

"That's how it is. Anybody can make a go here if they're willing to work. It's all out there," Petruska said.

Kelzer said he and his wife often hosted foreign exchange students. They once hosted a girl from Amman, Jordan who would only drink coca-cola and had a poor complexion.

Kelzer eventually talked her into drinking a few glasses of milk each day. Her complexion improved and she became much happier.

On another occasion, the Kezlers hosted Russian farm managers through a U.S. State Department program.

"They wanted to see how American dairy farmers could produce so much milk, they had a surplus," Kelzer said. "They just couldn't understand individual farm ownership. Their interpreter wouldn't let them see the inside of our house. When they wanted to see it, they were quickly driven off the farm. It was very strange."

Several other Chaska couples signed in as the Farkel family, in an effort to remain anonymous.

They admitted they missed Richie "The Festmeister" Wilfahrt, but enjoyed the snake dance.

Oktoberfest continues at 11 a.m. Saturday near the intersection of Minnesota and Center Street in downtown New Ulm and at the Holiday Inn for afternoon and evening sessions.

(Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).