Wikipedia
Schmeckfest (festival of tasting) is an annual four-day festival in Freeman, South Dakota, that celebrates the heritage and culture of Germans from Russia Mennonites who emigrated to North America starting in the 1870s. Established in 1959, Schmeckfest showcases the traditional foods, crafts and talents of the Freeman community with an ethnic meal, demonstrations and displays and a musical theater production. Schmeckfest has been held every spring since and has grown to accommodate more than 5,000 guests every year. The event is held at Freeman Academy, a grade 1 to 12 private school, and raises about $90,000 annually for the school.
A multi-course meal and a musical — Big River in 2015, Children of Eden in 2014, Fiddler on the Roof in 2013, The Wizard of Oz in 2012, Kiss Me, Kate in 2011, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2010, Into the Woods in 2009, The Sound of Music in 2008, for example — are the main fundraising events. The festival also includes displays, demonstrations and sales of ethnic handcrafts and culinary arts.
The 58th annual festival, will be held April 16–17 and 23-24, 2016. " The Music Man" has been announced as the 2016 musical . Advance sale tickets for both the meal and the musical that are part of the festival go on sale in November. All meal tickets are advance sale only by mail (PO Box S, Freeman, SD 57029) or online Schmeckfest Web site.
Schmeckfest officials told the Freeman Courier, the weekly newspaper in Freeman, the 50th anniversary in 2008 was the most successful Schmeckfest to date, with more than 6,000 guests visiting the Freeman Academy campus. Following the 2015 Schmeckest, officials told the Courier the festival is continuing to grow in popularity.
German
English
Nudel Suppe
Noodle Soup
Grune Schauble Suppe
Green Bean Soup
Danpfleisch
Stewed Beef
Bratwurst
Pork Sausage
Gebratene Kartoffeln
Fried Potatoes
Käse mit Knöpfle
Cheese Buttons
Salat
Lettuce Salad
Geschmacke
Relishes
Sauerkraut
Zwieback
Twin Buns
Schwarzbrötchen
Whole Wheat Buns
Pluma Moos
Dried Fruit Sauce
Kuchen Mach Kuchen
Poppy Seed Rolls
Kaffee
Coffee