Celebrating 65th wedding anniversary Oktoberfest style
vacationing St. Joseph couple attending New Ulm festivities for 40th time
Loretta and Roger Zimmer are celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary and 40th trip to New Ulm’s Oktoberfest this weekend. The only year they missed was during COVID, and they sorely missed their annual tradition
Loretta and Roger Zimmer sit in front of their eight children Patty Nentl, Sue Loso, Judy Zimmer, Sherrie Klein, Rhonda Sauerer, Shelly Acheson, Julie Ortloff and Bob Zimmer (L-R) On the 40th anniversary of Loretta and Roger Zimmer going to Oktoberfest, all eight of their children are attending the festival together. Some of them have never been to Oktoberfest before.
Roger Zimmer has had this hat for 20 years, collecting one or more pins every year he has attended.
Loretta and Roger Zimmer are celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary and 40th trip to New Ulm’s Oktoberfest this weekend. The only year they missed was during COVID, and they sorely missed their annual tradition
Loretta and Roger Zimmer sit in front of their eight children Patty Nentl, Sue Loso, Judy Zimmer, Sherrie Klein, Rhonda Sauerer, Shelly Acheson, Julie Ortloff and Bob Zimmer (L-R) On the 40th anniversary of Loretta and Roger Zimmer going to Oktoberfest, all eight of their children are attending the festival together. Some of them have never been to Oktoberfest before.
Roger Zimmer has had this hat for 20 years, collecting one or more pins every year he has attended.
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New Ulm -- This year’s Oktoberfest is a special anniversary for St. Joseph couple Roger and Loretta Zimmer.
This weekend, the Zimmers and their eight kids will come to New Ulm and enjoy the festivities. For Roger and Loretta, it is the 40th time they've attended Oktoberfest and their 65th wedding anniversary. The Zimmers first stumbled upon the festivities in 1983, when they were traveling across southern Minnesota for their 25th anniversary.
"We came back through New Ulm and decided to stop there," Loretta Zimmer said. "And we stopped at the Holiday Inn. They happened to have one room available. We stopped and stayed there and we have stayed there ever since."
Aside from one year when it was full, the Best Western (formerly Holiday Inn) has been the place to be for the Zimmers since they first started attending. Loretta Zimmer said at the time music was played throughout the hotel. There used to be bands in the pool area, and they would watch them from their room on the second floor.
"The Concord singers were always there," Loretta Zimmer said. "The first years they had Authentic German bands who came from Germany. They played quite a few years."
The German tradition has brought the Zimmers back every year since. Loretta and Roger speak fluent German, and they have been to Germany several times. They enjoy speaking to people from Germany and running into old friends from years past.
The one year they were not able to attend was in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Loretta Zimmer said they went to New Ulm anyway, but it felt much emptier than before.
"We missed it," she said. "We missed going to the Best Western and not being with friends."
"It was not fun," Roger Zimmer added.
Having a tradition going this far back has had positive effects on the Zimmers. Loretta Zimmer sees it as something they anticipate every year together.
"You look forward to it," she said. "It's our vacation every year."
"It's better than picking rocks," Roger Zimmer said.
For those looking to start their own traditions, Loretta Zimmer said the best thing to do is go for it without hesitation. The Zimmers also used to go to Bavarian Blast annually. They stopped because it got too hot and there were no indoor activities. Even if some traditions do not last, it is worth it when you can see old friends and have something to look for every year.
This year is the first time all the Zimmer's eight children will be going with as well. Some of them, including Judy Zimmer, have never been to Oktoberfest before. She said it is not lost on her how special this opportunity is.
"Not too many people get to celebrate their parent’s 65th wedding anniversary," Judy Zimmer said. "To have eight kids and every one of us there with our parents and celebrating with them, and they’re healthy. And all of us polka. We’re all looking forward to dancing."
Judy Zimmer said she and her siblings have been brushing up on their Schottische, which is a four-person polka. While the Zimmers could have all gone together before, Judy Zimmer said she and her siblings recognized it would be even more special if they waited until now.
"We knew it was going to be their 65th wedding anniversary and how special it is," she said. "We tried to think of what we could do as a family. As soon as we mentioned to my parents the thought of coming to Oktoberfest, they could not believe we all wanted to come and join them."