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NEW ULM -- HermannFest returns this Saturday, offering a full day of free live music, German food and evening fireworks across Hermann Heights Park and Harman Park.
The annual festival comes as organizers face a heightened sense of urgency to fund a major reconstruction of the historic Hermann Monument.
The Hermann Monument Society organizes the event. The society's sole purpose is to support the Hermann Monument. All proceeds go back to the monument, President Tom Furth said. The festival started in 2013. Admission is free and the event is cash-only.
The 102-foot Hermann Monument is one of New Ulm's signature attractions. The 32-foot copper statue of Hermann the Cheruscan sits on a 70-foot base and dome.
City officials said this spring it is no longer safe to go up and down the structure. The city now lists public access inside the monument as closed.
Chronic water infiltration has left the base and dome beyond repair, prompting an estimated $11.6 million full-scale restoration project.
Furth said the closure has changed how real the problem feels.
"The urgency has changed as far as the monument goes. It didn't really seem real to anybody as long as the monument was open for people to go up and down," Furth said. "now this year they've closed it, and I think there is a heightened sense of urgency."
The Hermann Monument Society is not a city organization and is not affiliated with the city, Furth said. The city of New Ulm owns the monument. It is a city park under Park and Rec Director Joey Schugel. The society works closely with Schugel and makes donations as projects come up.
Schugel and the city have challenged the society to raise $1 million toward reconstruction. Furth said the society accepted the challenge.
"The city and the Park and Rec folks have challenged us to raise a million dollars toward the reconstruction
project," Furth said.
The full project is estimated at $11.6 million. Consultants told the council that water infiltration, largely from mid-century gunite repairs that trapped moisture, left the masonry crumbled and wet.
The city plans to carefully deconstruct the monument, drafting new blueprints during the process, before rebuilding it with as much original material as possible. There are no original blueprints.
"They need to carefully deconstruct the monument and create a set of blueprints on its way down, and then they'll go out and take bids to have someone rebuild it, and you'll have a nice brand new set of blueprints," Furth said.
The city will reuse as much original material as possible, including railings, iron work and rolled steel columns that can be sandblasted, Furth said.
State officials approved the deconstruction approach after observing structural decay firsthand at the site.
Furth said the Minnesota Historical Society had never approved a project where the monument is deconstructed. It had preferred a brick-by-brick approach where one brick is taken out, polished and put back.
"They've never approved a project where you are actually going to deconstruct the thing. They've always preferred where you take out one brick, polish it, put it back in that type of thing," Furth said.
That changed during a site visit to the interpretive center under the monument. Furth said a decision maker was standing by him when a small chunk of rock fell.
"A little chunk of rock fell, almost hit us in the head. It was real small, but it just kind of proved the point that taking out a brick and cleaning it isn't
really what's going on here," Furth said.
Furth said city officials closed the monument this spring after determining it was no longer safe to go up and down. The monument has been one of New Ulm's greatest attractions for a very long time, he said.
Furth said people who have never been to the top forget the view of the city and the Minnesota River Valley. The monument has 99 steps to the observation deck. Up to 10,000 people visit each year.
"If you've never gone up to the top of the thing, it's almost something you need to do every couple years because you forget how beautiful it is from up there," Furth said.
Furth said the monument's history makes the fundraising more significant. The Sons of Hermann Lodge was a nationwide fraternal organization.
At the time, the organization decided to create a monument to Arminius, similar to the one that had already been erected in Germany.
"When the Sons of Hermann Lodge, which was a national fraternal organization, decided to construct a Hermann monument in the United States, much like the one that had already been erected in Germany, there was a lot of different cities and areas of the country that had larger Sons of Hermann lodges," Furth said.
The national secretary was Julius Berndt. Berndt lived in New Ulm. He was the architect. Furth said Berndt had a lot to do with the monument being placed in New Ulm.
"It just so happened that the secretary for the national Sons of Hermann organization was Julius Berndt, and Julius lived in New Ulm," Furth said. "One little change in history, and the monument could have been somewhere else, even in another state."
The monument was built from 1887 to 1890 and formally dedicated Sept. 25, 1897, at the 21st National Convention of the Sons of Hermann. It is modeled after the Hermannsdenkmal near Detmold, Germany. It honors Arminius, who led Germanic tribes to defeat three Roman legions in 9 A.D. It is second only to the Statue of Liberty among copper statues of its scale in the United States. The city took ownership in 1929. It was listed as a Minnesota Historic Site in 1972 and on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Congress designated it in 2000 as a national symbol for contributions of Americans of German heritage.
Furth said raising the money will take more than festival sales.
"Obviously, brats and burgers aren't going to produce a million dollars. We've got other plans that we're going to be putting in place to raise some big funds, but for now, the best opportunity that everybody has to help support the monument is to come on down," Furth said.
The society has introduced new fundraising tools. The society has a new website and new logo at:HermannMonument.com.
The site has details about HermannFest and the monument and a donate button that accepts card, PayPal and Venmo. Supporters can also donate or purchase memberships online. Donations of $50 or more include a society membership through 2027, Furth said.
"We've got a new website. It's still
HermannMonument.com. And on that new website, there will be details about HermannFest. There'll be details about the monument, and there will be a donate button," Furth said.
At Hermann Heights Park, 10 Monument St., Dain's Dutchmen will play at 11:30 a.m. and the Miss Loretta Tribute Show at 1:30 p.m. Last year the middle slot was held by Leon Olson. Olson has since died. Miss Loretta was in Olson's band and was instrumental in the tribute show at Bavarian Blast. The Concord Singers will close the hill at 3:30 p.m.
Food includes bratwurst, burgers, hot dogs, sauerkraut and potato salad by Joni's, Mad Butcher on tap, Mabel's Market and the Jersey Sweet Spot ice cream van.
Joni's sauerkraut and potato salad returns. Furth called it the best. Schell's beer and 1919 Root Beer will be available.
The society will have official festival merchandise including T-shirts and crew-neck sweatshirts. Board member Caitlin Gavrich worked on the designs.
Near Broadway and Center outside the Brown County Historical Society, 2 North Broadway, it is Denny Warta Day at the popcorn wagon.
Next to the popcorn wagon, organizers are creating a 1950s-style gas station experience centered around vintage gas pumps. Michael Koester will be dressed as an attendant, and they have installed a rubber strip that dings when cars drive up
so he can wash windshields and clean headlights.
At Harman Park, 101 N. Garden St.,
the Bockfest Boys will play from 3 to 6 p.m. next to the beer stand. At 6 p.m., Thunder in the Valley starts with the New Ulm Municipal Band accompanied by up to 10 cannons fired in unison by the New Ulm Battery during march songs and the 1812 Overture. This is the third year Koester will conduct Thunder in the Valley, Furth said. Furth said you will not find another show like it.
"You won't find another show like this anywhere, where you get up to 10 cannons that are firing, and they're actually firing in unison with the music performed by the New Ulm Municipal Band," Furth said.
At 7:30 p.m., the Blue Ringers will play a pre-show set and then a post-fireworks headline set.
At about 8:15 p.m., there will be announcements and the annual Big Ten countdown.
Center Street between Garden Street and Highland Avenue will be closed from 8:15 to 9 p.m. for the fireworks launch. Fireworks are at 8:30 p.m. over the monument. The display is a 15-minute fireworks display produced by RES Specialty Pyrotechnics of Belle Plaine.
After fireworks, the Blue Ringers will play into the night. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. HermannFest runs 11:30 a.m. to late Saturday.