{"id":87,"date":"2014-11-03T13:17:55","date_gmt":"2014-11-03T19:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/50.28.89.84\/~cchs2\/wpcchs\/?p=87"},"modified":"2014-11-12T21:45:29","modified_gmt":"2014-11-13T03:45:29","slug":"stiftungsfest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carvercountyhistoricalsociety.org\/wpcchs\/history-topics\/stiftungsfest\/","title":{"rendered":"Stiftungsfest"},"content":{"rendered":"

The longest continuously running festival in Minnesota history, Stiftungsfest, was founded in 1861. This German festival celebrates the music and culture of Carver County\u2019s German immigrants.<\/em><\/p>\n

Stiftungsfest has a long and rich history, rooted in Pioneer Maennerchor, a German men\u2019s singing group also founded in 1861. One night, founder Carl (also spelled \u201cKarl\u201d) Bachmann had a dream in which he was leading a group of men singing songs in German. Inspired by this dream, the next day, he gathered the best male singers who were willing to put in practice hours. That very evening, the first practice of Pioneer Maennerchor was held in Bachmann\u2019s home in Benton. The group sang songs in both English and German, due to the groups\u2019 strong German roots. Over the years, the group traveled and participated in many concerts, festivals, and contests. They have won many awards.<\/p>\n

That same year, Stiftungsfest was born as a picnic for choir members and their families. Choir member\u2019s chose the name for the gathering, which is German for \u201cFounder\u2019s Day Festival\u201d. This yearly picnic was first held in Vogler Woods, then Young America\u2019s City Park. Each year, the festival grew larger, until the whole community of Young America was involved. Baseball games became a main attractions along with the music and dancing. Other Minnesota towns with large German immigrant populations, like New Ulm and Gaylord, offered special train service for this festival, as did Minneapolis and St. Paul.<\/p>\n

In 1867, the Pioneer Maennerchor built a permanent home, Singer\u2019s Hall, in Young America. The hall was famous for its \u201cDes Brosse Runde Tisch,\u201d or big round table. Used for card games after practices, the table had a special shelf beneath the playing surface to hold beer mugs, preventing spills on the tabletop.<\/p>\n

By 1911, interest in Pioneer maennerchor had waned. However, the group did not officially disband until July 7, 1938. The final six members voted to turn over control of Singer\u2019s Hall and Stiftungsfest to the village of Young America. The village handed control to the fire department, which has maintained festival traditions ever since. When the cities of Norwood and Young America merged, so did the fire departments. Both departments have worked to run Stiftungsfest through Stiftungsfest Incorporated since that day.<\/p>\n

Over time, there have been changes to Stiftungsfest. In 1956, barbeque sandwiches were first offered. That same year, the festival became a three-day event for the first time since 1866 with baseball tournaments, bingo, parades, dancing, as well as singing and music. Since 1981, Stiftungsfest has hosted the Diedesfeld band from Bonn, Germany, every five years. Other bands from Germany are invited every year. In 2011, Stiftungsfest celebrated its milestone one hundred fiftieth anniversary. In 1994, to better house Stiftungsfest, Willkommen Park was redesigned to look like an old German town.<\/p>\n

Turning Point:<\/strong> The founding of Carver County\u2019s Pioneer Maennerchor in 1861 was the start of a yearly gathering of choir members, called Stiftungsfest, which has grown into Minnesota\u2019s longest running and largest celebration of German heritage and music.<\/p>\n

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Chronology:<\/strong><\/p>\n