TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR 2022 SCHMECKFEST
Orders are being accepted for tickets for the 62nd Schmeckfest in Freeman to be held two consecutive weekends next spring, March 18-19 and 25-26.
A form is available on Page 1B of this week’s Courier. Orders can also be placed by going online to schmeckfest.com, where credit card orders can be placed directly or an order form can be printed and mailed. A chart showing the seating options for the musical can be found online, as well.
This is the first Schmeckfest since 2019; the traditional “festival of tasting” was canceled in both 2020 and 2021 because of concerns about COVID-19.
The popular festival, which began in 1959 with an ethnic Germans-from-Russia meal, has grown to a multifaceted festival that celebrates the community’s ethnic traditions. It is held on two consecutive weekends on the campus of Freeman Academy. Tickets for the meal, which is served buffet-style, are sold advance-order-only.
Tickets are also now available for reserved seats for the 2022 Schmeckfest musical production, “Matilda the Musical.” It will be presented each night of Schmeckfest with a 7:30 p.m. curtain at Pioneer Hall. This is the first time the popular musical, based on the book by Roald Dahl, is being staged as the Schmeckfest musical. An additional performance is planned for 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 24; no other Schmeckfest activities will be held that day.
A random drawing will be held Dec. 1 to process all ticket orders received prior to that date. Ticket orders received after Dec. 1 are processed daily with first-choice preference given when available. All mail orders for tickets should include a check and a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Schmeckfest also includes demonstrations of culinary arts at Sterling Hall on the Freeman Academy campus. The Country Kitchen bake sale and foods for sampling will also be located in Sterling Hall, which is handicap accessible and is located northeast of Pioneer Hall. The festival also includes free historical and musical presentations.
The Heritage Hall Museum and Archives complex, which is adjacent to the Freeman Academy campus and houses thousands of items from the history of pioneer settlers and early life in South Dakota, will be open and feature demonstrations of early pioneer life during Schmeckfest.
Schmeckfest was started in 1959 as a one-time, one-day event by the Freeman Academy and Junior College Women’s Auxiliary to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It featured the favorite dishes of the Mennonite people who immigrated to the Freeman area from Russia in the 1870s. That first Schmeckfest proved to be so popular that it was repeated the following year … and the year after and it quickly became an annual affair. It soon expanded to two days, then to three days and now two weekends. The event has become known nationally for its celebration of tradition and culture and is held annually in late March or early April.
Proceeds from Schmeckfest go to benefit Freeman Academy, a Christian, coeducational school for grades 1-12. It is affiliated with Mennonite churches in the area and was established in 1900.
IF YOU HAVE AN EVENTS LISTING, PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
March 20-21 and 27-28, 2020 – Freeman, S.D.: 62nd Annual Schmeckfest – A festival of ethnic Germans-from-Russia handicraft and culinary arts, and musical theater held on the Freeman Academy campus.
• Free demonstrations and displays of ethnic crafts and culinary skills, including sausage-making and sales; historical and musical presentations; art display, Schmeckfest Country Kitchen all open 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Heritage Hall Museum and Archives open 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Full meal served buffet style 3:45 p.m. to 7 p.m. available by advance reservation only. Order tickets online at schmeckfest.com. For information, call 605-925-4542 or write Schmeckfest, Box S, Freeman, SD 57029.
• Schmeckfest musical production of “Matilda the Musical,” 7:30 p.m. Reserved seats available for all performances, including an additional presentation at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 26. General admission at the door. Order tickets online at schmeckfest.com. For information, call 605-925-4542 or write Schmeckfest, Box S, Freeman, SD 57029.
