COLUMBIA: Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

By Kevin Darr
Saturday, June 7, 2008 5:11 PM CDT

With a proclamation of German Heritage Week are Columbia Sister Cities board members, from left, David Mehrmann, Burton Taake, Barb Miller, Jean Marie Conrad, Donna Zoeller and Ingrid Soraghan. Paul Baillargeon photo

For a town as German oriented as Columbia, Monday night was a long time coming. That's when the city council designated this week as "German Heritage Week" to recognize the influence German culture has played on Columbia's formation.

Members of the Sister Cities of Columbia organization accepted a proclamation from Mayor Kevin Hutchinson officially announcing the week. Columbia's sister city is the town of Gedern, Germany.

Sister Cities of Columbia Vice President Jean Marie Conrad said she was thrilled with the announcement."It is such an honor to have this designation," Conrad said.

Conrad said a group of Sister Cities organizations-including Waterloo and St. Charles, Mo.-spearheaded the German Heritage Week effort, with each community hosting a separate event to recognize it.

For Columbia's special event, the city will be lending a German theme to Music at Metter from 6-8 p.m. tonight (Sunday). The show will feature a German band and German treats like pretzels and strudel will be available for sale. German beer also will be available for those who want the whole experience.

It is this kind of event the Sister Cities program has helped promote, with groups of citizens from each town visiting the other every four years.

Hutchinson has been to Gedern on one such trip and said he thinks the experience helps shrink down a seemingly huge difference in cultures.

"I spent two days just riding around town with the mayor of Gedern," Hutchinson said. "What I saw is that we have quite a few issues that are similar and things that both of us could learn from the other."

Conrad has been to Gedern as well while also providing housing for those who come from Germany to Columbia.

"We are two towns very similar in size and these people can really relate to us as we can to them," Conrad said. "It is just a real eye-opener to realize we aren't that different from them."

This partnership will continue soon, as a delegation of Gedernites is scheduled to visit Columbia next year during the city's 150th anniversary.