Hundreds of people turned out last weekend for the German Cultural Society’s 60th annual Maifest, said Joe Wendl, a society spokesman.
“It was a very good event,” he said. “I would say we had more than 800 over the weekend.
“We’d normally have around 1,000 (attendees) for the weekend. But, numbers were down because people (around the St. Louis area) were clearing up from the (May 16) storm, and there were some road access problems.”
The event ran from May 16-May 18 at the society’s Donau Park in House Springs.
“Attendance was down somewhat on Friday night (on May 16),” Wendl said. “We sold 85 dinners that night when we’d normally sell around 100. But, Saturday was normal and Sunday we sold about 450 dinners.”
Those who attended the event had the chance to revel in German music, dance and food, organizers said.
The Wendl Band performed May 16, Der Spitzbaum took the stage May 17 and the Deutschmeister Brass Band performed May 18. Dance groups from the society performed at various times throughout the weekend.
Wendl said the organization’s Maifest has become something people look forward to every year.
“We started it in 1965 in Columbia, Ill. In the 1990s, we moved it to Donau Park,” he said. “It’s just a very popular event.”
The next event on the society’s schedule is its Wiener 'N Schnitzel Dinner set for noon to 5 p.m. (or until sold out) July 20 at Donau Park. The Deutschmeister Brass Band will perform.
For more information about the society’s activities, go to germanstl.org or visit the German Cultural Society of St. Louis Facebook pages, one focused on Donau Park and the other on the organization’s Jefferson Hall facility at 3652 S. Jefferson Ave. in St. Louis.