Schmeckfest!

(I wrote this article originally for the Freeman Courier, and it appeared in the March 30, 2011 edition on p. 14)
Freeman, you may not know me, but I know you.
At least I feel like I know you. I’ve made 10 trips to visit your fine city since last November. You may have seen me visiting with the Courier staff, or out and about, visiting with your school superintendents, city officials or local business leaders. So coming to Freeman on Saturday, March 26, to enjoy the 53rd annual Schmeckfest for an 11th visit was a natural extension. Plus it helped relieve my natural curiosity of this festival I’ve heard so much about.
There was a hint of trouble in the air when we first parked about a half-block north of Pioneer Hall. We had skipped lunch to make sure we’d have room for the famous Schmeckfest meal. Our mistake. The smell was so tantalizing we almost skipped the demonstrations altogether and went straight for the meal, but no… A little self-discipline first!
We stepped into the auditorium and were greeted almost immediately by Vernon Hofer. Soon we met Judy Pullman Bittner, who explained what we would find and where, and then tracked down a program for us since we’d missed one at the entrance. On her recommendation, and after we’d checked out the pastries and the pfefferneusse demonstration (and had a sample), we took a seat to listen to Norman Hofer tell “From Plow Boys to Fly Boys – the Waltner Brothers’ Story.” Now neither my wife, Barbara, nor I knew any of the gentlemen Mr. Hofer talked about, but we were both interested in his captivating talk. Plus it gave us a reason to look for the airplane in Heritage Hall Museum.
Next came the main course – the meal. Both Barbara and I are mainly of German descent, but this was new territory for us. We kept reminding ourselves of the advice given to us by several people waiting in line – “Pace yourself.” We waited our turn in the hall, got in line when our number was called and then jumped to the head of the pack when two seats in the middle of a table were available.
What a model of efficiency. Hundreds of people seated and enjoying a family-style meal. Servers dressed in white, hovering over each table of hungry folks with the constant din of mealtime conversation. I was seated next to Dr. Dennis Ries to my left, and on my right, ironically, was another Schmeckfest first-timer and rural Hartford resident, Gary Meyer. So between sipping the green bean soup (loved the vegetables) and munching on the salad, gebratene kartofflen (fried potatoes), kase mit knopfle (cheese buttons), bratwurst and dampfleisch (stewed beef), I visited with my neighbors and Barb across the table. Barb and I agreed afterward that the meal was not so much about the food as it was the fellowship. I can’t remember when I’ve met a friendlier group of people. Every place that we went, every line we stood in and every place that we sat for even a minute we visited with folks from Freeman, Vermillion, Sioux Falls, Hurley and Marion.
It was impressive how many people indicated they come back to Freeman every year for Schmeckfest. After finishing our meal (the meats were my favorite), we toured Heritage Hall Museum – quite an impressive museum for a small town. The rope-making demonstration brought back memories for Barbara of her dad’s helping her brothers with a similar Boy Scout project. And I could’ve stopped and watch the basket-weaving demonstration for hours. Then we made a second trip through the auditorium, bought some pfefferneusse and rosettes, sat down with a cup of coffee and visited with Anita Neufeld and Becky Ebbesen. It seemed like there were no strangers in Freeman. I had high hopes of taking some of the rosettes home with us. They never made it off of the table (thanks to my voracious sweet tooth).
We were also surprised by so many familiar faces in attendance– people from my high school days (at Alexandria), from my work and Barb’s work in Sioux Falls. It was almost like old-home week. It also made me realize what we’d been missing so close to home all these years.
As we sat in the north bleachers of Pioneer Hall, we met Chris and Carol Eisenbeis, and struck up a conversation as we waited for the musical to begin. Like the meal, the musical did not disappoint. Tim and Jeremy Waltner had already warned me that the musical talent in Freeman was first-class. The strong, clear, beautiful voices certainly were every bit as sharp as what you would hear on Broadway. But Larry Schmidt’s and Steve Graber’s performances stole the show as the gangsters. With a little tap-dancing thrown in! The only thing a Broadway production would have over this was softer seats (I hope). Freeman’s got talent, and plenty of it.
We marveled on the road home to Hartford about the food, the musical, and the interesting people we’d met, and the thousands of hours that go into the planning, preparation and conduct of such an undertaking. And we were met with smiles, introductions and stories wherever we went. We made a lot of new friends.
And we decided this much as we drove home late that night. We’ll be back next year for #54.