JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER The Menno community has its fair share of annual traditions.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM THE 62ND SCHMECKFEST

Dear Schmeckfest guests, If this is your first time to Freeman, welcome! If you’re coming in for a repeat visit, welcome back!

Editor's Note: This story was written by Jeremy Waltner and first published on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Schmeckfest. It originally appeared in the March 12, 2008 edition of the Freeman Courier. Even the state’s largest newspaper, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, must have sensed something special was about to happen.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER Like the flowers of spring, once it started to bloom, there really was no slowing it down. What was originally designed as a one-night, one-time event on March 13, 1959 quickly became something else, and it wasn’t long before Schmeckfest was rolling. A two-day celebration of the community’s Germans-from-Russia heritage followed that first festival, and by 1973, on the occasion of its 15th anniversary, organizers decided to make it a Thursday-Friday-Saturday event.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER Cody Roth was with other members of his family preparing for the Angus Roth Ranch 25th Anniversary Bull Sale scheduled for this Friday, March 24 and then moved on to chores when he received a call from his wife, Haley, who had just returned to their rural home north of Wolf Creek Colony. It was just after 6 p.m. Saturday, and their house was on fire.

Sam Waltner, a junior at Freeman Academy, helps set up curtaining inside the Sterling Hall auditorium Monday afternoon, March 20. Activity is picking up across the school campus as students, staff and a host of other volunteers prepare for the return of Schmeckfest. The traditional festival will take place this Friday and Saturday evening, March 24 and 25 for the first time since 2019. Watch this week's Courier for a detailed look at what's in store, as well as a look back on the "disaster" that was the very first Schmeckfest back in 1959.

It's the week of Schmeckfest and the Schmeckfest Ticket Exchange board is beginning to populate. The board is used for those who have tickets to sell, and those who are looking for tickets, and is located in The Link connecting Sterling Hall and Pioneer Hall, where the two marquee Schmeckfest events — the meal and the musical — will take place. The 62nd Schmeckfest will be held this Friday and Saturday, March 24 and 25 for the first time since 2019. Watch for a full preview in this week's Courier.

These small icicles hanging off the stop sign at the corner of Highway 81 and the North County Road illustrate how cold it was on Saturday — single digits with sustained winds making it feel much colder. But it's better today and should be closer to average in the coming week.

This Schmeckfest throwback photo shows the sausage-making demonstration decades ago, when it and other demonstrations were located in the Tieszen Industrial Arts Building — which in 2007 was removed to make way for Sterling Hall. Sausage has been one of the staple of Schmeckfest from the beginning and is among the most sought-after foods. Pre-festival walk-in sales begin today in the Freeman Academy maintenance building from 1 to 6 p.m.