Oktoberfest crowds

enjoy downtown

beer garden, music

Painting of

city unveiled

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- With weather Saturday more like late August than early October, Oktoberfest goers got a musical treat at the Holiday Inn and the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce's cordoned-off beer garden on Center Street.

As an added attraction at the beer garden, an oil painting by Mankato artist Marion Anderson commemorating the city's 150-year existence was unveiled.

A Limited Edition of 950 prints has been made from New Ulm "City of Charm and Tradition" for sale by the Chamber to benefit the Network New Ulm Youth Leadership Program, according to Bob Webb, a Network NU alum.

"Anderson is donating 90 percent of the proceeds from the sale of those prints, including the 100 artist's proof prints, to the youth leadership program because she really believes in helping youth," Webb said.

"The money will go to pay expenses of the program to make it more self-supporting," Webb explained. "We expect the entire edition to sell out quickly, noting that "200 were sold sight unseen before the prints arrived at the Chamber office."

Anderson, who was raised near Nicollet and Madelia and whose grandparents retired in New Ulm, said she made a "number" of trips to New Ulm in the past year to do her research for the painting which, of course, features a reproduction of Hermann statue.

The beer garden crowd also was treated to old-time musical selections played by John Gag of North Mankato on his concertina and, later, a variety of music by the Wally Pikal band.

At the Holiday Inn's poolside area and German Rivers room, festgoers not only got to hear the familiar voices of the Concord Singers and the music of the Elk River German Band but also music selections from a brass-and-wind band from Nauheim, Germany.

The 13-member Nauheimer Dorfmusikanten band has been on tour throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin the past two weeks. Saturday's performances at Oktoberfest was its final stop before returning home Sunday.

"Nauheim is a small village of 11,000 persons between Frankfort and Heidelberg, but music is a tradition in our village. All across Germany it is known as the 'music village,'" explained Peter Schmidt who plays horn and trombone.

In addition to the community band which appeared here Saturday, the community supports five orchestras, Schmidt said. It's also been home to over 10 music instrument manufacturers "who make just about every type of musical instrument except for pianos" for over 50 years.

In fact, the band's tour in the U.S. was sponsored by one of those manufacturers to raise awareness of the town's musical tradition.

"That same firm gave one of the saxophones it makes to Bill Clinton when he was president. It was sent to him so we don't know if he has played it or not," Schmidt added.

The band which has been in existence for 32 years features trumpets, clarinets, horns, trombones, saxophones and drums, under the direction of Norbert Bolbach. Heidi Kuethe is the band's vocalist, its 13th member.

The community's orchestras include four "wind" orchestras and one "stringed" orchestra.

"It's a very musical village," Schmidt said, smiling.