The family-oriented festival is best known for its food and music. Free music will be provided by Die Mitternachters, an authentic German folk band. The band, which has entertained at GermanFests since the first festival 24 years ago, is a crowd pleaser. People who have never experienced a polka will tap their toes and maybe even get up and dance. And then there is the Chicken Dance, a favorite of young and old which truly has to be seen and heard to be fully appreciated.
Sizzling shish kabobs, bratwurst slathered in sauerkraut and authentic German desserts as well as pies, ice cream and other home-made favorites aplenty will be dished out all day. The menu also includes giant fresh oven-baked pretzels, hot dogs, and rippchenkraut, which is pork chops with homemade sauerkraut. Dark and light beer will be on tap, along with Pepsi products and bottled water. A special treat this year will be a German wine tasting booth.
Meal tickets cost $5 in advance, and will be $6 on the day of the festival. Advance meal tickets are available from parishioners of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Ticket information is also available by calling the parish office at 601-856-2054.
Horse drawn wagon rides, a climbing tower and an assortment of childrens games will provide hours of entertainment. A stroll about the grounds to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells is an experience to be savored.
For those who want to take home something to enjoy, the Country Store will be in business with an assortment of commemorative items, t-shirts, home made breads, desserts, jellies and canned goods. The hottest seller usually is the sauerkraut. Church members make hundreds of quarts of the salty cabbage delicacy using a recipe handed down through generations of German descendants living in Gluckstadt. Gifted church folk also have their creative energies in overdrive to produce fun craft items for sale.
The Gluckstadt community was founded in 1905 by families of German descent. Many of the descendants of the original families still attend St. Joseph. Each year St. Joseph Catholic Church hosts the GermanFest the last Sunday in September. GermanFest is the annual fund raising event for the church.
No coolers or solicitors will be allowed on the grounds. Festival goers are also asked to refrain from bringing pets.
The festival is held on the grounds of St. Joseph Catholic Church, which is located off Interstate 55 north of Madison. Take Exit 112 at Gluckstadt and go west three-tenths of a mile on Gluckstadt Road to Church Road. Or just follow the crowd from the Interstate.
Admission and parking are free. Festival goers may wish to bring a lawn chair. There usually aren't enough hay bales to go around.
For more information, call Pam Minninger, St. Joseph Catholic Church, 601.856.2054.
