Heritage Sunday

This adorable little guy is my grandson, Evan. At 17 months old, he's really at a cute, cute age.

Why is he dressed in lederhosen, you may be wondering.....

Yesterday was a fundraiser dinner for the Columbus Maennerchor.

What is a maennerchor, you may be wondering.......

Here are the answers to those questions:)

Like just about every family in this area of Ohio, my husband's family is of strong German decent. And most, like Jim's ancestors, were farmers.

When my kids were young, my sister-in-law, Judy, went to Germany to tour and visit the area where her family originated from. I monied her up and asked her to buy authentic German folk clothes for my three kids.

Back then, in the early 80's, many people in our area dressed up their kids in German attire for the annual Bratwurst Festival, held in our county seat of Bucyrus. With Judy's purchases, the Gibson kids were about as authentic as it gets when we went to the festival; my son in his lederhosen and the girls in dirndls. This was my way to help my kids be in touch with their German heritage.

Naturally, I saved those clothes. And now when my grandkids wear them, I feel a sense of "double heritage"...that of the distant past, of ancesters we only know from family tree charts and a few faded sepia toned photographs, and of the less distant past of attending festivals with our children (and now grandchildren) dressed in authentic clothes brought from Germany by their beloved Aunt Judy.

As adults, two of my kids moved to German Village when they went to college in Columbus. Now a mother of three, Kerry also wants her kids to know their heritage and enrolled Ava in the Kinderchor, the children's choir of the Maennerchor.


"Maennerchor" simply means "Men's Choir" in German. Or so I am told, some days I can barely speak English let alone another language :)

At one time the Maennerchor had hundreds of members. Like most organizations, those numbers have fallen. But they soldier on, singing and giving concerts. 

In my mind, this is the loveliest way to honor one's ancestry, by keeping traditions alive.

 Yesterday's Maennerchor dinner was a wonderful event to attend.
Kerry has moved out of the Village, now, but is still vested in the Maennerchor. I met her at her house and we took the short drive into the city to have a good meal, hobnob with friends, and simply relax for a while.


Live entertainment was provided by an accordion player dressed in full lederhosen. He played constantly...I admire his stamina. He was soooo good with children, too. In this picture,  he had Ava place her hand over his so that she could get an idea of what it is like to play an accordion. :)

The food was interesting and delicious. After the meal, the men all stood together and sang a round of songs. I think most of the lyrics involved drinking beer, from what I could gather (mostly from the guys holding up their bottles of beer at certain times in the songs).

The audience was not static. Swaying back and forth in their chairs, they held up their drinks, whether it was beer, wine, soda, or water, and joined in when they knew the words.

With all the turmoil in the world, I think gatherings like this are important. They teach us where our families originated from. They also teach us that they chose to come to America, that they built America into what we enjoy today. Let's not blow it, OK?

Marcheta *bless our homeland forever