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“Trees Are Our Roots” 8099 Bavaria Rd * Victoria * 952-443-2990 |
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When I write of the Victoria Volksfest and Victoria Zeitgeist, as I do in the feature story this month, I am reminded how often German connections have brushed my life. It began in the 1960's at Minneota High School with two years of a foreign language, as required, under Herr Holz. I chose German over French and Spanish since German was the language of science and math, my avocations and anticipated fields of study. At Briar Cliff College, I took more classes in the German language but I would never call myself proficient. Practice makes perfect and everyone in the dorm spoke English. *** In 1971, when the young couple was looking for a place to call home, we found Victoria. We didn't consider heritage of a community. Our criteria was small town in the southwest metro (so we didn't have to drive through Minneapolis to get home to Mom and Dad), big lot, trees, private backyard, nearby church, not too expensive. In a short time we discovered we lived in a community that prized its German and Swiss roots. I told them (our new friends and neighbors) about Belgian American Day in Ghent, and Allan told them about the Norwegians in nearby Minneota. *** In 1979, when Scott McClain started the Victoria Gazette, I read about the heritage of this community from firsthand recordings and stories of its residents. Either their parents or grandparents had been born in Germany or Switzerland. For many years, Victoria was German-speaking and the children learned English in school. When I wrote my first feature for the October 1979 issue of the Gazette, I learned about the Moravians in Victoria and their German heritage. *** In 1980, when I became editor of this newspaper, I continued the practice of interviewing old town people, but with a pen, not a tape recorder, and at their home, not the Gazette office. As Mr. McClain struggled, unsuccessfully, to keep his many enterprises in Victoria afloat, I kept the Gazette going. The phrase "blood, sweat, and tears" comes to mind. The fun part was writing the front page stories. It was interesting to me that Victoria's folks hadn't come from Belgium or Norway -- nor Ireland, Italy, Poland, France, Spain, or a number of other places. *** German connections continued in my life. In 1984, I became acquainted with a Gazette subscriber, Fr. Bernardine Hahn, a Franciscan priest who had served St. Victoria in the 1950's. Fr. B. visited me, and had answers for my many questions. He happens to be of German ancestry, celebrating his centennial birthday this year along with the City of Victoria. *** In 1989, when I was a member of the Victoria Commercial Club, we decided to sponsor a community event to recognize and celebrate Victoria's heritage. We called it "Touch of Bavaria" and the annual event became very successful. Our intent was not to make money, but we did. Funny how that works. Touch of Bavaria was a tiny Oktoberfest, held in the cool weather of the fall under a shelter and tent at Lions Park. It basically lasted about five or six hours on a Saturday night with a live German band, lots of polkas and waltzes, and German food including brats, kraut, homemade German potato salad, apfel struddle, German beer and Rhine wine. *** In 1991 we visited daughter Jenny when she was studying in Munich through Carleton College. Jenny had enrolled in several German classes with Frau Crisman here at the Chaska High School, then continued German classes at Carleton, becoming even more fluent while living and studying in Munich. Natives thought she hailed from Bavaria, in southern Germany. *** During these many years, I frequented a shop in Minnetonka called The Apostle Bookstore where I uncannily fell in love with a piece of sculpture on display, and for sale, that was entitled the Bavarian Madonna. I bought it. In 2005 a man born and raised in Bavaria became Pope Benedict XVI. Interestingly, I had purchased and read many books by the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who spoke and wrote with unequaled clarity and charity. In 2010, I felt called to commission a bronze sculpture of Mary for the Church and the Community. I chose the Bavarian Madonna and named it Ave Maria, which is also the name of a beautiful piece written by Franz Schubert, a composer from Austria, where they speak German. And so I see there has been a touch of German in my life from early on, without planning for it to be so. Is there a word auf Deutsch for serendipity? |
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From the Editor |
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Dedicated to the sunshine of truth, the moonshine of meeting deadlines, and the starshine of Victoria. |
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The Victoria GAZETTE |
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Sue’s Album A symphony of photos and fewer than a thousand words at www.VictoriaGazette.com |
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September 2015 |
