Missouri Germans Consortium

October 3, 2016

October is the month when you can almost find an Oktoberfest around every corner. Here are some other events happening in Missouri that you may also find interesting!  We hope that you are able to attend some of these very interesting programs. Don’t forget to look for Missouri Germans when you do!

October 3rd, 2016  Day of German Unity! A National holiday in Germany, with 2016 being the 26th Anniversary.

October 5, 2016 – Wednesday– 7pm- St. Charles County German Heritage Society – Stegton Regency  Banquet Center (1450 Wall Street) Speaker Dorris Keeven-Franke will share the “German Heritage Corridor – an initiative of the Missouri Humanities Council“.  Keeven-Franke will explain the history of the corridor and what the plans for the future are.

October 6, 2016 – German-American Day is a National holiday in the U.S. observed annually on October 6 each year,   which celebrates the German-American heritage. This day commemorates the date in 1683 when 13 German families from Krefeld near the Rhine, landed in Philadelphia.  Those families subsequently founded Germantown, Pennsylvania, the first German settlement and organized the 1st petition in the colonies to abolish slavery in 1688. Originally just “German Day”, the holiday was celebrated for the first time in Philadelphia in 1883, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the settlers from Krefeld; and similar celebrations developed across the country.The custom died out during World War due to the anti-German hysteria that prevailed at the time.  The custom was revived in 1983, when President Reagan proclaimed October 6 as German-American Day to celebrate and honor the 300th anniversary of German-American immigration and culture to the United States.

October 8, 2016 Saturday – 7:30 pm Deutscher Mannerchor Annual Fall Concert and Dance St. Louis German Cultural Society Hall 3652 Jefferson Dance music by the Wendl Band.

October 15 & 16, 2016 Saturday and Sunday – 9am-5pm  Deutsch Country Days A Living History Weekend at the Historic Luxenhaus Farm on 18055 State Hwy O. This is the 35th year that the Luxenhaus Farm has come to life, sharing the folkways and skills of the early Germans in Missouri. Spend a beautiful autumn weekend visiting with artisans from across the country that come together to share the story of our early German immigrants and pioneers. This is a wonderful educational event for the entire family. Some demonstrators do have their beautiful handcrafted items for sale as well so you can begin your Christmas shopping too – with items we guarantee you won’t find online! Visit with Oma (Grandma) Huber (Dorris Keeven-Franke) on her front porch as she shares the history of these early Germans, and to learn more about the Luxenhaus farm and its fascinating history. For more information visit www.deutschcountrydays.org or call 636-433-5669.

 October 27, 2016 Thursday 6:30 pm – Maplewood Public Library – 7550 Lohmeyer Maplewood, Mo. 63143 314-781-2174 http://www.maplewood.lib.mo.us Exploring Missouri’s German Heritage: Stories from the German Heritage Corridor  From the first Germans to follow Gottfried Duden, and the German Abolitionist Muench family to the traditions and customs that enrich our communities today, Missouri’s largest ethnic group celebrates its history. Hear the stories of those that came, like Minna Bock Morsey. Minna came to Missouri in 1834, after her father the Baron von Bock founded Dutzow in 1832, the first German settlement in Missouri. She married Col. Fredrick Morsey, who guarded the Missouri railroad during  the Civil War. Thousands of Germans worked to save Missouri from the Confederates and keep it for the Union. To download a PDF click on this link:  german-heritage-corridor-program-flyer-october-2016-1

October 30, 2016 Sunday – 2pm – Missouri History Museum – Lee Auditorium – Refugee Resettlement: Best Practices in St. Louis and Germany

Experts from Germany and St. Louis have been participating in an exchange to learn from each other about successful refugee resettlement and immigration integration. Attend this town hall meeting for presentations and roundtable discussions with Dr. Yemi Akande-Bartsch, president of FOCUS St. Louis; Betsy Cohen, executive director of the St. Louis Mosaic Project; Anna Crosslin, president of the International Institute of St. Louis; and Dr. Frances Levine, president of the Missouri Historical Society. This is program is presented in partnership with the International Institute of St. Louis and the Mosaic Project. Download a PDF refugeeresettlement_oct_pdf_90697

For more information visit us on Facebook! at  https://www.facebook.com/mo.germans/ You can also email us at MissouriGermans@gmail.com anytime!