'Tis the season for the Great Minnesota Get Together, but we can't forget about Minnesota's oldest small town celebration: Stiftungsfest.! (Pronounced "stiff-tongues-fest"... You know, when your tongue gets stiff from drinking vast amounts of German beer, it happens to the best of us.) My hometown, Norwood Young America, is the home of this celebration, and we Norwood Young Americans couldn't be prouder. Growing up, Stiftungsfest was the last hurrah of summer before school started again. It was a time to meet your friends down at the park and, if mom allowed it, show off some of your new school clothes. These days, it's a time for everyone who's ever lived in NYA to come home. People who weren't friends or never even spoke in high school will greet each other and have a great time together jamming out to 80's cover band Hairball. I'm sure the beer helps loosen people up as well, but everyone there is so happy and just wants to have a good time. No drama, no gossip, no politics - which is unheard of in a small town! ;-) This year, we have even more to celebrate at Stiftungsfest. Many of the folks who volunteer and organize this great event are volunteer fire fighters, and the funds raised at last year's celebration helped the NYA Fire Department buy the machine that saved my Dad's life this past winter. THAT is what community is all about! Supporting our local fire departments is huge, because their first responders will be there to help us when we need it most. So while Stiftungsfest is known for its softball tournaments, beer gardens, and the best burgers you will ever sink your teeth into, let's not forget that it's also a great way to give back to the fire department and our community that's done so much for us. The dollars you spend at Stiftungsfest go right back to help the people in this amazing community. This town raised us, it's important that we support its events and traditions so we have something to come home to.
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Katie LoudenThoughts. Happenings. Randoms. Archives
January 2014
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