Will Wear Lederhosen For Beer

"Hey ladies, check-out my leather pants." 

Heritagefest is no more. The small town German festival has gone the way of the dodo bird. According to organizers, Heritagefest has been losing money the last two to three years. Respectfully, those in charge decided to end the two-weekend ‘fest’ rather than produce a sub-par product.

Heritagefest was, in a lot of ways, not all that different from any other typical small town festival. But because it was mine it was the best. I could go back and run into my friends, spend time with my family, eat some of my favorite foods, and drink my hometown brewery’s beer. It was a portal into memories of early childhood.

My mother used to dress me up in ‘Lederhosen’ (Which in German means ‘leather-pants.’ See above) for an afternoon at the fest grounds. I hated it… as any red-blooded seven-year-old would. I would cry, protest, pout, and argue to no avail. We all know who wins when you go toe-to-toe with mom. So I would sulk all the way out to the festgrounds and act surly while I was there. But at some point, Heritagefest would take-over. I’d be swept-up in a German conga line, I’d run into friends dressed in similar ridiculous costumes, or I’d get my hands on some oh so delicious funnel cake. By the end of our ‘festing’ time I would not want to leave.

As I got older I came to revel in the opportunity to catch-up with scores of people from the past. We would all gather near one of the beer tents and exchange stories of school, marriages, and work. Everyone would be drinking Schell’s beer like it was their job, only stopping to ingest a sauerkraut covered brat. MMMmmm, I can almost taste one.

The music was always top-notch as well. Many local and regional bands would dust-off their accordions and play their best polkas. But the real treats were the numerous groups who made the trip all the way from Germany to perform. No doubt about it, night in and night out Heritagefest delivered high quality entertainment to all comers.

I’m sad that weddings prevented any ‘festing’ this year, and disappointed that I may not get another chance to take friends to Heritagefest. But time marches on, and even the best polka songs have endings. All I can do is hope. Hope that someday Heritagefest will return.

For more information see Hertiagefest's Official Website