Kommers 2019

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Kommers 2019 was held on Sunday April 7th at Hart Park in Wauwatosa.  MGV Harmonia Kenosha won the competition, with the Madison Maennerchor in second place and Milwaukee Liederkranz, the 2018 winner, in third. Milwaukee Liedertafel was the host choir and the set up and food were great.

Below are some photos; click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photo.

 

MMC rehearsal canceled 2/7/2019

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Our rehearsal on Thursday February 7, 2019 has been canceled due to weather and road conditions. With the rain, sleet and snow that we’ve had over the last two days, plus the forecast of much colder temperatures tonight, it will be dangerous to be out on the roads. So tonight’s rehearsal (and business meeting) has been canceled.

German-American Dialects Online

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GERMAN-AMERICAN DIALECTS ONLINE!

Are you curious what your German-speaking ancestors in America might have sounded like?

The Max Kade Institute’s German-American and American English Dialects page is new and improved and back online! Go tohttp://language.mki.wisc.edu/, click on the tabs and explore “The German Language in America,” listen to “German-American Dialect Recordings,” and read “Essays” to learn more about facts and myths regarding German in America.

GERMAN GENEALOGY Workshop in Madison, Saturday, February 23, 2019

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Finding Our German Ancestors in Europe:

a Workshop for Genealogists 

with Antje Petty 
Saturday, February 23, 2019
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
UW-Madison Memorial LIBRARY, Room 126,
728 State Street, Madison
Cosponsored by the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies and the Wisconsin Historical Society

REGISTER ONLINE at www.wisconsinhistory.org  Registration begins on December 14 and is first-come-first-serve. Limited to 75 registrants!

Fees (including lunch): $36 for members of the Friends of MKI, the Wisconsin Historical Society, or the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society; $40 for non-members

Session I         “All I know is they were from Germany”

Before you can do any meaningful family research in Europe, it is crucial to know where your ancestor lived at a certain time. This session will give advice on how to identify your ancestral hometown in the context of Central Europe’s complex territorial history.

Session II        Lives lived and documented

Vital records are usually the first ones we try to find when researching our ancestors in Europe, but people’s lives were documented in many more ways. Whether our ancestors owned land (or not), paid taxes, attended a school or a church, joined the military, had a business or a bank account; were members of a guild, club, or community organization; etc. – chances are, they left traces that can help us discover their stories.

Session III      Finding documents from German-speaking Europe

This session is an introduction to finding historical records from German-speaking Europe online and off. It will include tips on how to do archival research as well as on how to navigate and use the ever-growing online selection of German and other European historical documents and genealogical resources.

Session IV      Working with historical German documents 

You found a family document. You made a copy.  But now what?  In this session you will learn strategies to efficiently interpret historic German documents, even if you do not speak the language and cannot read the script.

PRESENTER

Antje Petty is the Associate Director of the Max Kade Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She shares the resources of the Institute with the community through lectures and workshops and has done extensive research on German-speaking immigrant families.

For more information go to: https://mki.wisc.edu/events/2018/finding-our-german-ancestors-europe-workshop-geneaologists

or contact Antje Petty (apetty@wisc.edu / 608-262-7546) or Lori Bessler (Lori.Bessler@wisconsinhistory.org / 608-264-6519)

Madison Half Marathon

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At Tenney Park, just past mile 11.

At Tenney Park, just past mile 11.

The Madison Marathon and Half Marathon was held on Sunday November 11, 2018, and here’s a photo of Tim (#5517) and Joe (#5583) in Tenney Park just past the Mile 11 marker. More importantly, this is just a little over 2 miles from the finish line and the beer tent.  It was a pretty cold morning, but at this point the sun had come out and the temperature had nearly gotten up to the freezing point.

Click on the photo to see the larger version.

CD Release Party – November 17

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Sound Salon – Alpine Dreaming
November 17, 2018 – 7:00pm
University Club, 803 State St., Madison, WI

Join us for this lively CD release party featuring the Grammy award-winning owners of Archeophone Records Meagan Hennessey and Richard Martin, accordionist Deb Krauss Smith, and folklorist and Professor Emeritus James P. Leary.
In 1920 Ferdinand Ingold, a poor but visionary Swiss settler in the small Wisconsin town of Monroe, audaciously launched a record label, Helvetia—invoking his homeland’s ancient name and celebrating its musical heritage. Praised in the immigrant press yet beset by fiscal challenges, Helvetia issued a scant 36 sides. Illuminating one of the first American record labels established by an immigrant for his own community, Alpine Dreaming both recalls a bygone era and resonates with all who seek better New World lives while remembering their homelands.
Co-sponsored by the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies, Mills Music Library, and the Mayrent Institute for Yiddish Culture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

2nd Annual MMC Open House

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We held our 2nd Annual Open House at the Essen Haus on Thursday, September 27, 2018.  Had a good turnout and our friends from MGV Kenosha paid us another visit as well.

Also, President Ruch presented Walter Bausch with his 65-Year Certificate.

 

Beloit Chorale Concert

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The Beloit Chorale performing at Bethel Lutheran Church, July 21, 2018

The Beloit Chorale performing at Bethel Lutheran Church

The Beloit Chorale performed at Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison on Saturday July 21st. This is the Chorale’s first season and we were pleased to have the opportunity to sponsor the concert.

This is a recording of one of the songs that the chorale performed. It is “Stars” by Erik Esenvalds.

Olbrich Park Biergarten

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On Thursday June 28, we met for our usual summer “rehearsal” at the Olbrich Park Biergarten. We had visited once last summer, and it’s a great location on the shore of Lake Monona. It’s at the south end of the park, near the Walter Street entrance.

We had some beer and some food and sang a few songs, and generally had a great time, as you can see in the photos below. We’ll definitely have to make another visit to the Biergarten soon!