German Fest, a once-a-year-celebration of ‘gemütlichkeit’

Revelers who attended German Fest in the Altenheim Grove last Friday and Saturday got their first taste of what Germans refer to as “gemütlichkeit.”

“Gemütlichkeit,” or warmth, good cheer and friendliness, describes the village’s fest as hundreds of people sat at tables in a huge, open-air tent and lifted 20-ounce steins of German style beer, while singing with a live polka band named Paloma and eating platefuls of bratwurst, sauerkraut, large warm pretzels and a dessert called “bienenstich,” or bee-sting cake,

For those with deep roots in German culture, it’s a nostalgic trip back to where their hearts still reside. The two-day virtual excursion into Bavaria is hosted jointly every year by the Harlem Maenner und Damen Chor and the Deutsch Amerikanischer National Kongress, or D.A.N.K West. 

German Fest is less a fundraiser — with admission $2 — and more an occasion for German Americans to celebrate their culture and share it with those of other ethnic backgrounds.

Many of the German Americans pouring beer, serving brats and taking tickets were born in Europe after World War II, and are part of a generation we would call the Baby Boomers.  All of them interviewed by the Review have lived in the Chicago area for decades, but nevertheless think of Germany as their “heimat,” their home.

Hilda Lorenz said she was born outside Berlin and was brought here by her parents when she was two.  Peter Herdeg said he grew up in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.

Many were born here. The parents of Andrew Pfaff Cross, for example, emigrated from Stuttgart. Alfred Mueller’s father came from Leipzig and his mother from a German enclave in Ukraine.

All four said they found homes away from home in “vereine,” or clubs, where they could speak German and be comfortable with people who share the same culture.

For Herdeg, it was the Harlem Manner und Damen Chor singing verein, a group of which he is now president. 

Pfaff Cross joined the Rheinischer Verein, a Mardi Gras club, and is also a member along with Lorenz of the Egerlander Folk Dance Group. Mueller said he has been a member of D.A.N.K. West for years.

Fred Leinweber is 20 years younger than the German Americans interviewed and did not speak German at home. It was while learning the language in high school, college, and during trips to Germany, he said, that he fell in love with German culture — so much so, that he is now the President of D.A.N.K. West.

Instead of saying that his home is in Germany, he describes his identity this way: “I am an American and I’m proud of my German heritage.”

He said he is proud of the many contributions Germans – 41 million of them, according to the 2020 census— have made to American culture like architecture, a strong work ethic, food and of course beer.  At one time, German was the language used in worship in three Lutheran churches and the Baptist church in Forest Park.  The cornerstone of St. Paul Thai Lutheran Church reads, “Evangelische Luteranische Kirche, 1899.

In 2014 Peter Herdeg, the current president of the Mannerchor, worked with the village and D.A.N.K. to resurrect the festival, which had been dormant for years, and host it in the Altenheim Grove.  Because the months of September and October are full of Oktoberfest events in the Chicago area, it was decided to have a festival in the spring.

All proceeds from admissions and the sale of food will go to the two hosting nonprofits.