Post date: Aug 29, 2010 12:30:39 AM
My latest theory is this. It seems like Germans in the US can be put in two categories, the party, fun-loving Germans and the straight-laced Germans. The Germans that we grew up with in Ohio definitely belong to the straight-laced variety. They we into hard work, going to church for many hours and really shunned the concept to partying. I gather that their kin in PA were much the same. The Germans that I have encountered her in MI and the ones that Eric encountered in WI are really different. Paul Malovirh's family who are from Milwaukee are the same. They are really into having a good time. They are into dancing, beer and what ever. Ann Arbor was originally settled by people from the Wurttemberg area of Germany and they still have a presence. They throw some big parties especially in the summer at German Park outside of town that draw thousands. They do have some really good music. That book about the Dust Bowl in the 1930s that I have been reading lately had a surprising chapter in it about Mennonites who settle in Kansas and surrounding areas in the early 1900s. Apparently they caused a stir with their pacifism, the plain dress and their general ways of life. However, the book went out of its way to discuss their partying, especially for occasions like weddings. They were really into dancing and their home-brewed beer. Boy, I never heard of such a thing around Hartville. Anyway, there you have my latest! Guess I had been stop now! Larry