For nearly five decades, Muenster — a small city 20 minutes south of the Texas-Oklahoma border — has hosted a festival that’s as much as an ode to its German roots as it is the largest revenue-driver in the city.
But this year there are plans for a new festival practically right across the street, organized by a nonprofit group that split off from the original Germanfest.
In a city of 1,700, word travels fast. So when the Muenster Jaycees announced their new event on Facebook called Party in the Park, support from residents was split.
The two events are scheduled the same weekend of April 26-28, and people like Albert James Knabe, who was born and raised in Muenster, questioned whether having another event at the same time would take away traffic from Germanfest.
“There are people that travel across oceans to come and visit our Germanfest,” Knabe said. “So, it seems to me that we're trying to cut off our nose to spite our face.”
For the past 48 years, Germanfest has been key to bringing in tourist money to Muenster. Lilly Palmer, executive director of the chamber of commerce, said the festival brings in more than 20,000 people each year.
Originally Germanfest was for the locals. But as its grown, more people outside Muenster want to be involved, Palmer said.
“We are here to support the locals, but we bring outside money to give to the locals and then they go home,” she said.
It features live music, food and drink, cooking competitions, a fun run and bike rally. Wearing lederhosen and dirndls is not only encouraged, but it gets guests in for free.
The first festivals were held at the community center and then, for about 38 years, at the city park.
“There's no electricity or water,” Palmer said as she drove around the park. “And so, we would have all these vendors come and you would have all these cords everywhere and hoses everywhere and water everywhere, and if it rained, it would just saturate and it would just be muddy.”
In 2018, the chamber moved the event to an indoor facility called Heritage Park which was made with Germanfest in mind. The building comes equipped with indoor restrooms for guests and special handwashing stations specifically for food vendors.
However, they also face rising costs for things like tent rentals and security. This year Palmer said the chamber had to reduce how much their main beer vendor, the Muenster Jaycees, would receive in beer sales.
Previously the Jaycees received 77% of beer sales. This year they were offered 70%.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to come to an agreement and they chose to step away from Germanfest,” she said.
The chamber of commerce has since obtained its own alcoholic beverage license and will have beer at its event.
But the split has also divided festival participants. Some local vendors have pulled out of Germanfest and are opting instead for Party in the Park.
The new event came as a surprise to the chamber, which previously believed a local ordinance prevented another festival from taking place the same weekend as Germanfest.
But no such ordinance is on the books, and in February, the Muenster City Council gave the Jaycees the OK to host their event at the city park.
“The whole thing with these events, especially these bigger ones, is just to get more traffic into our town and increase sales revenue or get our little German heritage thing out there or basically just promote the town,” said City Council member Jeff Maas. “So, you know, in my mind, you're not really taking away from any event, you're just adding to it.”
There are two Jaycees members on city council, including Maas, although he said they are not standing officers and do not speak on behalf of the organization.
A resident of Muenster for 20 years, Maas has been involved in several platforms including the Jaycees, the Chamber of Commerce, the fire department, and the Knights of Columbus.
“Small towns, you know, you spread what you got, especially people that are willing to do something,” he said.
Germanfest is usually the main fundraiser for the Muenster Jaycees, which have been around for 60 years. Each year the group brings a large semi-truck beer trailer to the festival and their members help to set up, work, and tear down the event at the end.
The Jaycees is a community based organization that helps with monetary donations or manpower and is funded solely through fundraisers.
“We decided that the Party in the Park was our best way to raise money for our annual expenses, for our main fundraiser,” Muenster Jaycees president Jared Flusche said.
Party in the Park will have live entertainment, food vendors, a bike rally and a fun run. Although similar on paper to past Germanfests, Flusche said it is not intended to be Getmanfest.
“It’s an opportunity for local nonprofits, local vendors, to show off what they have and have a chance to make money,” he said.
Flusche said they are targeting a completely different market. The event will offer different attractions — including various genres of live music — and will not have a German theme. If Party in the Park guests end up going to Germanfest and vice versa, it’s a win-win for everyone, he said.
There is no back-up plan for Party in the Park if it rains and it’s uncertain if it will become an annual event.
“We would like to be back at Germanfest next year,” Flusche said. “At the end of the day, I hope both of them do great.”
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