Green County 2023 Visitor Guide

on tap in new glarus • what's on tap in new glarus • what's on tap in new glarus • wh OLD BUT NEW TRADITIONS The hills of New Glarus are alive with music! And that music sang out to Greg Long with an invitation to come “home.”

Long didn't grow up in New Glarus. He isn't even Swiss. But he's adopted the village and heritage as if he was born to it. And in so doing, inspires a younger generation to keep the Swiss music alive for years to come. Seven years ago, Long, a Beloit native living in Madison, was at a pivotal life point. Newlywed and wanting a change and place to raise a family, he found himself thinking about his childhood trips to this small village. “It is near Madison, but far away enough that it felt like its own community,” Long said. “It had a strong sense of community. We (Greg and his wife Cassandra) wanted a place with a sense of identity.” While this idyllic bedroom community usually attracts Madison transplants wanting space, and small-town life close to a big city, Long's love for music made it doubly attractive. Music is the heartbeat of New Glarus. Locals passionately play and interpret traditional Swiss songs. It's niche, and a more difficult sell for the younger generation. But Long says this music has something the world needs. “Swiss music is nice because it's happy music,” he said. “It's upbeat. Some people might find that boring, but I love that they're happy about life, camaraderie, friendship, belonging. The melodies are just beautiful.” With a varied musical background, playing bagpipes, guitar and trombone in school, Long quickly found a place in the Swiss music scene. “I kind of just jumped in headfirst, right into the deep end,” he laughed. He sings in the Yodel Club and Mannerchor (men's choir), but quickly says his yodeling is elementary, at best. “Thankfully in the yodeling club, most of us are background singers.” Then there are the bands. From the Swiss folk ensemble D'Schwiizer Gruppe to the brass band Biergarten Specials, there are no lack of opportunities to play. D'Schwiizer Gruppe plays local gigs, with a lineup including Damion Babler, Heinz Mattmann, George Albright, and Long. You'll hear accordions, beutel (a small alphorn) and bass. Biergarten Special, formed by the New Glarus Schools band teacher Amy Doefer, is all about that brass. When the Max Drexler Band retired, Doefer formed this group to continue the German-style brass band tradition. It's a new ensemble, picking up where Drexler left off. Apart from the music, Long can be credited with adding an old, but new, tradition to the calendar: Silvesterchlausen. He joined up with Andy Schulz, George Albright, Ed Brand, Tim Pauli and Joann Cruse to kick off this new fest in 2022. Silvesterchlausen is a rather obscure tradition originating in Appenzell, Switzerland, Once these traditions are gone, it is an uphill battle to revive them and bring them back.

Farmers Market Opens in May - Friday afternoons

Polkafest June 9-10

Beer, Bacon & Cheese June 10

Silvesterchlausen Entertainer

Blues, Brews & Food Trucks June 24

Maxwell Street Days July 14-16

NGFD Firefest August 5

with men and women masked and costumed in natural materials and branches. They parade the streets with cowbells and harmonize in yodeling without words. New Glarus is the only place in the world outside of Switzerland to celebrate this tradition, and Silvesterchlausen 2023 drew a large, enthusiastic crowd of revelers. Long says the trick to keeping the music and festivals going is in engaging a younger audience. To that end, the high school band teaches alphorn, and a children's choir, Kinderchor, is training the next generation of yodelers. “Once these traditions are gone, it is an uphill battle to revive them and bring them back,” Long said. But if new people pick up where others leave off, New Glarus' rich cultural history is safe from extinction. As Greg Long proves, you don't have to be Swiss to be Swiss.

New Glarus Woods Trail Run August 19

Oktoberfest September 21-24

Swiss Historical Village Harvest Fest - October 8

A Walk in the Past

Burn The Böögg April 15 Heidi Folk Fest June 23-25

Swiss Volksfest - Aug 6 Boos & Brews Halloween Pub Crawl - Oct 21 Downtown Trick or Treat Oct 29 Holiday Tree Lighting - Nov 30 See More Events @ swisstown.com

visit our website for more information Swiss Historical Village & Museum

612 7th Ave., P.O. Box 745 New Glarus, WI 53574 admin@swisshistoricalvillage.org (608) 527-2317

Group tours and buses welcome by appointment. swisshistoricalvillage.org

Christkindli Market December 1-3

Silvesterchlausen January 13, 2024

14

15