BEGRÜßEN SIE FREUNDE!
The Inception
The shot above captured many of the key players in our market, and our delegation from Dietzenbach, Germany.
Not known to many, Waukesha County has a sister county in Germany called Offenbach. In 2006 the acting Mayor of the time here in Oconomowoc, Maury Sullivan, visited a city called Dietzenbach in hopes of forming a Sister City Alliance with Oconomowoc. In 2007 a group from Dietzenbach traveled here to Wisconsin and the potential relationship was further explored. The Sister City Partnership was formally established on December 9th, 2008 when a formal delegation from Oconomowoc returned to Dietzenbach.
The purpose of the Dietzenbach-Oconomowoc Sister City Partnership was to deepen our friendship, establish closer ties between our people, further our mutual interests in education, culture, tourism, economic development and government. It is in that spirit that we have created this event, taking a sampling of the flavor that is Dietzenbach, Germany and adding it to our quiet lake community 4300 miles away. It is a pleasure to be able to honor those in Dietzenbach as they have taken such an interest in us. The picture below to the right, shows our city branded into their round-about. How cool is that?The German Christmas Market, or Krist Kindle Market (meaning Christ Child Market) looks to have had its start in the late middle ages. The Christmas Market in Dresden was first held in 1434 and is one of the oldest Christmas markets. There are hundreds of similar holiday markets all across Europe. Generally held in the town square and adjacent pedestrian zones, the market sells food, drink, and seasonal items from open-air stalls, accompanied by traditional singing and dancing. There are no German Christmas Markets here in the Lake Country area, or close for that matter.
The idea had been batted around as an option for quite some time, but the task appeared to be somewhat overwhelming. With the support of our current Mayor, Jim Daley and the diligence of many others like Oconomowoc's Director of Economic Development, Bob Duffy, the idea remained active and was finally paired with an event planner. We have formed a corporation around this concept and have filed for our non-profit status. We are also excited to have a delegation from Dietzenbach coming to our Christmas Market. You can find them in the VIP Tent onsite. Above: The Bürgermeisters (Mayors) of
Dietzenbach & Oconomowoc.
Our
goals with this event are three fold.
1. Create a fun holiday event for families from all of the Wisconsin and Illinois communities
2. Highlight our beautiful City of Oconomowoc as a destination place
3. Foster the relations with our sister city, Dietzenbach, Germany.
With all necessary permits in hand and a team of diligent worker bees, we are advancing on our next season here in Oconomowoc. We encourage your feedback and suggestions. Most importantly, we look forward to seeing you here in November.
Oconomowoc is branded into the round-about in the
city center of Dietzenbach!