Submitted photo The first bi-annual Menagerie sing-along is set for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 17 at the New Ulm Country Club. The youth folk group led by Bob Wirtz from 1970 to 2000 spread good will, enthusiasm and spirit. The group toured places nearby and as far away as Germany.

If you go:

Who: Public

What: Bi-annual Menagerie Sing Along

When: 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17

Where: New Ulm Country Club, 1 Golf Club Drive

NEW ULM — Menagerie alumni, friends, family and supporters are welcome to the inaugural sing along at the New Ulm Country Club, beginning at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17.

Ted Wirtz of Carver, the son of original Menagerie director Bob Wirtz of Florida, said the sing along is different than previous Menagerie reunions in that it is open to anyone interested in the group and its music.

Wirtz said the new bi-annual sing along format was determined by feedback from Menagerie alumni.

“The alumni still want to get together, play and sing as before but they want something for everyone to come and listen or sing along with them if they want to. New Ulm has such a profound heritage of supporting music,” Ted Wirtz said.

“I’ve got positive responses about the sing along from many people including former Menagerie member Al Hawkins of Plymouth. Hawkins has directed college choirs that toured the United States and Central Europe,” Wirtz said.

He said a possible summer sing along venue may be the Flandrau State Park beach house, where The Menagerie practiced during the warmer months decades ago.

“It’s about sustaining the history of the group and inviting everybody else to come and just have fun with it. All I want to do is keep this going,” said Wirtz.

A former member of the Halloways rock band, Wirtz said he still writes music and sings and considers himself “a folk guy.”

“It’s not just a concert now. It’s about everybody getting together, hang out, sing, joke and tell stories,” said Menagerie alumni Angie Schauman.

The non-denominational youth folk group directed by Bob Wirtz from 1970 to 2000 began when Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Luther Leaguers including Jill Akre, Marcia Alsop, Jill Schlong, Kathy Schmidt, Nancy Suedbeck and Barb Cherrington wrote and conducted a worship service. Wirtz and his wife Bettianne were Luther League advisors.

The students were encouraged to continue after the worship service. Performances at other worship services were well received. The group expanded, adding members from area schools, adopted the name The Menagerie and became non-denominational.

Students practiced Wednesday nights at the Flandrau Beach House. Acoustic guitars and violins were added. They performed at church services and social functions around Minnesota.

In 1974, The Menagerie performed at the U.S. Naval Academy. The group performed in Nashville several times. They helped celebrate the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Ulmer Muenster Cathedral in Ulm, Germany in 1977.

The Menagerie was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 2004 at Turner Hall. During the ceremony, Wirtz said he believed the group had a positive effect on people nationally and internationally.

“The group sent an underlying message of love, caring and respect to whomever they encountered,” Bob Wirtz said at the induction.

He retired from The Menagerie in 2000. A Menagerie alumni concert was held at the State Street Theater several years ago.

Menagerie alumni are asked to respond to the group’s Facebook site regarding the sing along, which is planned to take place every winter and summer.