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By OREN
WINDHOLZ
SPECIAL TO THE HAYS DAILY NEWS
The annual
Midwest Deutsche Oktoberfest, Sept. 15 and 16 at the Ellis County
Fairgrounds, will feature two programs of interest to many residents of
Ellis and other area people.
One of the most
significant Immigrant groups to arrive in Ellis and points west were the
Bukovina Germans who came from the Austrian Empire beginning in 1886,
Among them were two sub groups, the Swabian Lutherans and the Bohemian
Catholics. The |
forebears of
these ethnic Germans had been attracted from Southwest Germany and
Bohemia inAustria to
settle the sparsely populated crown colony of Bukovina. Among them were
skilled glass workers, forest workers and others in trades and farming
to support the build up up of a glass industry.
The programs
will start at noon Sept. 15 with Irmgard Ellingson's material prepared
on the Swabian Lutherans. This will be followed by a presentation
created by Steve Parke on the Bohemian Catholics, Oren Windholz will be
moderator for the sessions and those attending will also benefit from a
question-and- |
answer Session
with Bukovina Society board members. The Bukovina Society, an
international heritage Organization, has been based
in Ellis since its founding in 1988. Currently, there are 480 members
including 41 from 11 foreign countries. A vast Web site can be viewed on
Bukovina and the Society at www.bukovinasociety.org, the work of
Werner Zoglauer,
Naperville, IL. and Becky Hageman, Wichita, KS.
The two presentations are
part of a series called German Heritage Days at Oktoberfest to be
conducted in the Schenk Building in an air-conditioned meeting room.
Information for the Oktoberfest is available at
www.midwestdeutschefest.com
Oren Windholz is vice
President of the Bukovina Society. |
