Turner members arrive in New Ulm for 56th Turner Fest
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NEW ULM -- Members from Turner Societies from across the country arrived in New Ulm Tuesday ahead of the 56th National Tunerfest.
Turnfest is a series of athletic and cultural events held by Turner members every four years. This is the first time New Ulm's Turner Hall has hosted the event. As of Tuesday, 17 different Turner groups will participate in Turner activities.
New Ulm Turner Hall Executive Director Andrea Boettger was pleased with the turnout. Turnfest promised to bring many people to New Ulm.
Asked which event she believed would have the highest competition, Boettger said gymnastics was traditionally the biggest event. The Turners Societies began with an emphasis on gymnastics and it is still a big part of the various societies.
Of the 17 Turner Societies participating in the athletic games and cultural events, the Concordia Turners are the most represented with 78 members coming to New Ulm. The Concordia Turners are coming from St. Louis, MO. Historically, the Concordia Turners have the highest representation at Turnerfests.
National Administrator for the Turners Kate Payne said the Concordia Turners like to bring the most "flare" to the festival. Other high-represented Turner groups include Northwest Chicago and Milwaukee Turners.
As the host city, New Ulm Turners are also expected to have a high turnout. There are roughly 70 New Ulm Turners registered, including spectators.
The New Ulm Turnfest even brought former Turner Instructor William Woehrle, Jr. Woehrle New Ulm Turner's gymnastics team in the 1970s. He moved on to teach at other Turner organizations, but after 50 years he has returned to New Ulm to compete in the games.
At age 80, Woehrle believes he might be the oldest male athlete this year. He will be competing in track, gymnastics, volleyball, swimming, and the 5K.
William Woehrle said there are no age limits. He knew at least one 7-year-old was registered to compete and one 93-year-old woman.
Turnfest is not limited to athletic competition, but also cultural exhibits and performances. Turnfest Vice-Chair Tom Edwards said the cultural side of Turnfest is similar to a county fair show. There are many arts and crafts categories including painting, photography, needlework and handcrafts. Edwards said at least 150 photographs were registered for the competition. Dozens of quilts will also be on display in Turner Hall.
The cultural events will include performance arts. Musical acts, dance groups and poetry readings will be judged as part of the competition.
Many Turner members have chosen to compete in both athletic and cultural events. Hannah Schultz,18, from the Toledo Turners, will be competing in several categories. Schultz entered several photographs and an essay. She will also be competing in dance, gymnastics and track. This is Schultz’s third Turnfest competition. She began competing at 10. Her family arrived in New Ulm in the late afternoon after a 12-hour drive.
Schultz said loved the experience of driving through farmland and seeing all the cows. She was also impressed with New Ulm's Turner Hall building, saying it is one of the more unique Turner Halls she has seen.
Turnerfest activities are scheduled to being 8 a.m. Wednesday with Women's 30+ Track & Field at New Ulm Middle School and Women's Gymnastics. The Turner Park Beer Garden will open to the public at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday followed by a 5 p.m. cookout and live music at 7 p.m. from Bockfest Boys.
The Turnfest Commencement Parade will start at 6 p.m. on German Street near the Marktplatz Mall and end in the German Park parking lot.
A full schedule for the upcoming Turnfest can be found at https://turnfestnewulm.com.