Strassenfest 2025: Celebrating 40 years of Sister Cities
The 2025 Strassenfest is celebrating the 40th anniversary of a partnership dedicated to connecting Jasper to its roots in Pfaffenweiler, Germany.
Through the partnership, Sister Cities of Jasper was formed to create a bridge between the two cities as part of a program under Sister Cities International. Sister Cities International’s mission is to foster relationships between the citizens of different countries and communities in the United States. One of the first documented connections was between Toledo, Ohio and Toledo, Spain, in 1931, according to the organization’s website.
Background
“Some of the early German families attracted to Jasper were from Pfaffenweiler. Names like Alois Eckert, Francis Joseph Beck, Joseph Erb, John George Eckerle, Lorenz Kiefer, and Ignatz Schuble. In all about 100 men, women, and children from Pfaffenweiler came into and settled the lands around Jasper. Most of these people worked hard and took land instead of money for their labor.” — Dr. Eberhard Reichmann at the Partnership Ceremony on May 23, 1985
According to a Herald article published in 1984, a group coalesced around this idea as the members of the DeutscherVerein, or German Club, helped form Sister Cities of Jasper, Inc., to create a connection with Pfaffenweiler, Germany.
In September of 1984, 39 Jasper citizens visited Pfaffenweiller to explore the creation of a partnership between the two cities. They met with the mayor of Pfaffenweiler, Grolly Weissmann, and received a warm welcome reception from the residents of the small town.
The group visited during the town’s annual Schneckenfest (Snail Festival) and were acknowledged during the fest’s opening ceremony. While there, DeutshcherVerein member Jim Corn presented Pfaffenweiler with a snail hand-carved from African mahogany, and Pfaffenweiler revealed a monument dedicated to the partnership.
In May of the next year, a group of 41 from Pfaffenweiler arrived in Jasper to officially sign the charter for the Sister Cities by the cities’ mayors, Jerome Alles and Fritz Gutgsell, “documenting the partnership known as Sister Cities of Jasper, Inc., before an overflowing crowd at the Knights of Columbus Home,” as recorded in a booklet commmemorating the 15th anniversary of the partnership.
Pfaffenweiler presented Jasper several gifts, including two engraved stones. One reads, “The First Emigrants to Leave Pfaffenweiler Settled in Jasper.” The other stone reads, “Jasper and Pfaffenweiler became Sister Cities May 2, 1985.”
We spoke to a few folks involved in the partnership and the Sister Cities program.
Max Verkamp
Max Verkamp, president of the Partnership Commission, was a teenager when the Sister Cities charter was signed. As a junior at Jasper High School in 1986, he became one of the first five students to travel to Pfaffenweiler, Germany, as part of a newly formed sister city partnership.
Nearly four decades later, that experience continues to shape his life and exemplifies the lasting impact the relationship has had on both communities.
“I think through the years, I’ve gained an appreciation of, in some ways, how small the world is, how people in different areas of the world, regardless of how they grew up, most people want to have a good life,” Verkamp said. “Friends and family are important, and there’s really more similarities and differences.”
Verkamp’s first experience in Pfaffenweiler took an unexpected turn when he discovered his host family were distant relatives. His great-great-grandfather, Leo Daschle, had left Pfaffenweiler in the 1860s to come to the United States, while one of his brothers remained in Germany. The family Verkamp stayed with was descendants of that brother.
“When I walk through the Pfaffenweiler streets, I’m just kind of taking in that my great-great-grandfather was walking these same streets 160 years ago,” Verkamp said, recognizing the struggle his great-great-grandfather went through in light of the choice he faced, staying in Pfaffenweiler or seeking a better outcome for his future in the United States.
A choice that likely meant he would be disconnected from his family and their descendants permanently.
In those moments, he wonders how his great-great-grandfather would have felt about the reconnection between the descendants over a century later.
That connection has remained strong over the years. Verkamp has visited Pfaffenweiler seven times, always staying with the same family. And, several of his German relatives will be staying at his home during the upcoming 40th anniversary celebration of the partnership. They are arriving on Wednesday.
Verkamp joined the Jasper Partnership Commission about 15 years ago because of his ties to Pfaffenweiler and his experience as an exchange student. The commission, appointed by the mayor, maintains city-to-city connections and organizes partnership celebrations.
Sometimes these groups can be confusing since each seems to have similar goals. But where the Partnership Commission handles official city-to-city relationships, the separate Sister Cities organization focuses on various exchanges between the communities, including student, culinary and artist exchanges. And, the German Club works to maintain German heritage in the community.
The partnership has created numerous opportunities for cultural exchange and personal growth. Recent programs have included culinary exchanges where local chefs and food service professionals travel to Germany to learn cooking methods and cuisine, then return to incorporate those elements into their work.
This resulted in the program being honored by Sister Cities International with the 2025 Innovation in Arts and Culture Award, announced early in July.
Verkamp also believes the partnership has had a significant impact on Jasper residents, helping them reconnect with their German heritage that was often suppressed during the world wars.
“I remember my mom saying that when she was born in the 30s, you know, even though her parents knew German, they would not teach the kids German because of World War Two,” he said. “I think that heritage got buried, and I think the partnership has created an avenue where people could rediscover their heritage.”
The program continues to attract new participants and has become multi-generational. Two of Verkamp’s three children have participated in the exchange, with the third planning to go next year. His oldest daughter is currently preparing for a three-month stay in Pfaffenweiler, including a month-long internship.
He credits that core group from the beginning as key to the success of the program.
“The core group had a passion, they had a vision, and people got exposed to it,” Verkamp said. “As more people got exposed, more people got engaged with it, and thus that has just continued to expand outward.”
The partnership has also revealed historical business connections between the communities. Many of Jasper’s oldest companies were founded by immigrants from Pfaffenweiler or received investment from those immigrants.
“I’m biased because I work at Indiana Furniture,” Verkamp, who is the company’s President and CEO noted. “My great-great-grandfather was one of the original shareholders in the company.”
“It’s just one more connection between the two communities,” he added.
Matthias (Matt) Hilger
Matt, as he’s known locally, came to Jasper seeking experience in cabinet making to continue his career in Germany.
“I needed to get 36 months of professional experience under my belt before I could apply to the Master Craftsman School,” Matt explained.
His friend Arnold Pfaff from Pfaffenweiler had visited Jasper with the first partnership group in 1985 and told him about the area’s woodworking opportunities.
Matt felt the experience in Jasper could give him what he needed to continue, as well as allow him to experience the United States and work on his language skills. He applied by mail and held phone interviews.
“A call from Germany to the U.S. cost five marks a minute, which was, at that point, $2.50 a minute,” Matt recalled. “So you kept one call pretty short. Get to the point fast.”
He started working at Indiana Desk (now, Indiana Furniture), where he stayed for nine months before working for Aristokraft for the remaining nine months. Within that time, he met Kathy Kunkel and the couple married on May 29, 1989.
What began as an 18-month professional exchange in 1987 turned into a 38-year Jasper residency, whose story illustrates the deep personal connections fostered by the Jasper-Pfaffenweiler sister city partnership.
His experience reflects the welcoming nature that characterizes the partnership between the two communities.
“I was royally treated,” Matt said of his initial welcome.
And it goes the same for visitors to Pfaffenweiler, Matt said. If anyone asks him what to expect when visiting Pfaffenweiler, he has a simple answer. “You will enter the town and you will be home, and that’s how people will welcome them,” he said. “That’s why this is unique. It breaks barriers and crosses oceans.”
And those connections are fostered for years.
“What really stands out is the repeated visits of friends, relatives over decades,” Matt observed, mentioning how these relationships lead to international visitors at each other’s weddings, anniversaries or just for a stop by while they are touring each other’s countries.
Matt has remained actively involved in the partnership throughout his decades in Jasper. He currently serves as treasurer of Sister Cities of Jasper Inc., and previously held board positions. He was also a founding member of the partnership commission and served on the board of the German American Club.
He agreed with Verkamp’s assessment of the importance of broadening residents’ horizons.
“International exchanges help the young generation and the old generation to be more diverse, to be more open minded about the rest of the world,” Matt explained.
The partnership will mark its 40th anniversary with the unveiling of a special monument on Saturday at noon at the Jasper Train Depot. The monument is already in place and ready for the ceremony.
Lois Kuntz
Lois Kuntz will join Diana Treyer on the main stage at the opening ceremony on Thursday. The pair are Co-Hoffmarschalls of this year’s fest and have been connected over the years with Sister Cities and the Partnership Commission through their roles in their respective mayors’ offices.
Lois began working with Mayor Bill Schmitt in 1992 and helped establish the Jasper Partnership Commission. She and Diana, who has worked in the Pfaffenwieler mayor’s office, have both been integral parts of the Partnership Committee. Through their positions, they have spent many hours planning, evaluating, organizing, and executing activities to bring our communities closer.
Lois has grown attached to many people over the years through those visits and activities.
“Like any nationality, you feel a kinship to your ancestors and your heritage,” Lois said.
She has witnessed families being reunited during those coordinated visits between the two cities. Some find those ancestor markers in local cemeteries, but others meet living relatives and are amazed to find the similarities they share.
“I recall an Eckerle man from Germany came with a Pfaffenweiler group to Jasper,” Lois said. “He met a distant relative, Dave Eckerle, for the first time. As they stood side by side they looked like brothers!”
The partnership has fostered lasting personal friendships that extend well beyond official visits. Lois maintains regular contact with several German families, including the Blattmans, who served as hosts during visits to Germany, and continues exchanging Christmas cards with her German friends.
Lois’s visits to Pfaffenweiler have been memorable. While staying with a host family for a week during an extended visit, she had the chance to experience the Pfaffenwieler culture more intimately.
“From learning about their everyday way of life, to the food they ate, to the culture they lived, all of it was fascinating but, in a way, familiar,” she said.
It was also a bit of linguistic gymnastics for them during the visit, Lois recalled.
“Helga spoke German and English. Her husband Rolf spoke German and French, and their sons, Hannas and Jochen, spoke German and English. I spoke English and could understand some German, and Abby (Lois’ daughter) spoke English and French,” she explained. “So between all of us, we got along just fine.”
The partnership represents more than cultural exchange – it embodies a living connection to heritage that strengthens both communities’ sense of identity and belonging.
“It’s just like the spirit of your heritage,” Lois reflected.
As the partnership enters its fifth decade, Lois, Matt and Max all mentioned that the continuing involvement of younger generations ensures these transatlantic family and cultural ties will endure for future generations of both communities.
The 40th anniversary celebration through this year’s fest will bring together current and former participants to commemorate the relationship that has connected two small communities across an ocean, creating bonds that have lasted generations and continue to grow stronger with time.
“So now we make a full circle as we again teach German in our schools and now, we have a sister city in Germany with whom we will exchange our youth who will meet, live, and learn more about their long-lost Pfaffenweiler relatives.” — Dr. Eberhard Reichmann at the Partnership Ceremony on May 23, 1985
You can learn more about Sister Cities of Jasper on their website as well as join or take part in the cultural opportunities available.
As part of the Strassenfest Celebration, the city is hosting visitors from Pfaffenweiler. They are available to meet on Thursday, July 31st at 6:00 p.m. at the Strassenfest Opening Ceremony; Saturday, August 2nd at noon at the Jasper Train Depot for Unveiling of the Monument and the 6:10 p.m. Glockenspiel Performance; and on Sunday, August 3rd at 1 p.m. during the Strassenfest Parade.
Here is a rundownd of Strassenfest events beginning tonight.
The 2025 Jasper Strassenfest is officially underway tonight, bringing four days of food, entertainment, competitions, and cultural celebration to Jasper. Visitors can enjoy free nightly entertainment on the Willkommen Stage, as well as German heritage music and dance performances on the Glockenspiel Stage. Friendly competitions, food booths, and family activities will be spread throughout the city. Booths and carnival rides open this evening, with hours extending through the weekend.
