Mai Fest

planned

for New

Ulm

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Extraah! Extraaah! Read all about it! There is a new "fest" in town. It's Mai Fest.

That's right; it's a one-day festival built around a removable May Pole with its home for special occasions a tube in the ground on the north side of the bandstand and amphitheater, just across the pavers from the permanent flag pole in German Park.

Mai, when translated from German, of course, means May.

The proposal for planting a May Pole in the park was approved by the Park and Recreation Commission at its December meeting with a stipulation that it not to be a permanent fixture.

The May Pole issue was run up the flag pole, so to speak, for possible commission approval by Denis Warta of Friends of German Park. He said his involvement was merely to present the proposal to the commission for the Chamber of Commerce's Mai Fest Committee, as well as to inform the commission that Friends endorsed the idea, as long as the pole would not be permanently installed.

Warta told the commission he had been assured by the Chamber that the May Pole would be installed only for special events like the new Mai Fest.

In a letter to Warta, Convention/Visitors Bureau Coordinator Terry Sveine explained the concept behind Mai Fest as being an inauguration "of a new festival in New Ulm, based on the simple coordination of existing events."

Sveine said plans are for "combining new and existing festivals into one big day of 'festing opportunities' on April 30, 2005."

According to Sveine, these "festing opportunities" include incorporating Martin Luther College's annual Renaissance Faire (in German Park), the Tourism Committee's largely unheralded "Morel Mushroom Fest," Putting Green, Inc.'s "Grand Opening, " Council for the Arts in New Ulm's Art Fair, the possible re-dedication ceremony involving the recently refurbished Hermann statue and monument, as well as any other events that might crop up, into a giant day of festive activities in and around German Park.

"We see the pole to be used as part of this festival with European-style dances (which would) continue to reinforce New Ulm's unique, Germanic heritage," Sveine wrote.

He admits, however, the pole is still in the planning stage and has yet to hit the drawing board.

"We have not pursued the specifics of what it would be like, pending your insights, but a rough prototype could be drawn from the blue and white pole at Schell's Brewery," Sveine explained.

In answer to a commissioner's question, Warta firmly denied that the May Pole would be "just another Heritage Tree." "It will be very different, and it will not be permanent," he said.

While May Poles have served a similar purpose (as the Heritage Tree) in Germany and other European countries, the poles differ in that they usually carry some sort of streamers that kids can hold onto as they dance around the pole.