Big Muddy Folk Festival
Boonville, Missouri
April 2—3, 2004

Folks in the town of Cole Camp, southwest of us, have kept alive a Low German dialect spoken there since the town began. In 1989, a German club was formed, and a group of men got together to sing German Christmas carols for the holidays. The fun they had prompted Neil Heimsoth to organize the Maennerchor the following year, and they sang for us in 1998, performing German folk, religious and classical songs in both four-part and two-part harmonies. A favorite piece is the “Hunters Chorus” from Weber’s opera “Der Freischuetz.” The group, usually 15 to 18 men, has since become regulars at the Kansas City Oktoberfest and last December gave a German Christmas program at Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage.

The group belongs to the Nord-Americanischer Sængerbund, a national organization of 2,500 members formed in 1848. The Maennerchor has a sister group, the Damenchor, and they recruit young singers from local high school choirs and sponsor a college scholarship.