Submitted

The Rowan Museum is once again hosting our annual German heritage weekend with two events at the Old Stone House in Granite Quarry. 

On Friday, Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m., we are hosting “Deutscher Abend,” or German Evening. We will have a wonderful German buffet by the Buttercup Café, along with New Sarum beer, German wine and sweet tea. Franklin Merrell, Salisbury Chapter SAR President and Archivist at Union Lutheran, will be our guest speaker. His presentation entitled “Radical Protestants, Lutherans, Regulators, and the Revolution in colonial Rowan County” will focus on German participation in key historical movements.

Deutscher Abend is a ticketed event, and tickets must be purchased in advance by Sept. 9. The cost is $50 per person. Contact the museum to reserve your spot at 704-633-5946 or office@rowanmuseum.org.

Germanfest, our German festival, is on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. This is not a traditional Oktoberfest. This event is open to the public and aimed at educating the public on the German history of Rowan County.

We will lead tours of the colonial-era Michael Braun House and reenactors will be on-site detailing the lived experiences of German settlers in 19th-century Rowan County. We will have demonstrators showing trades like blacksmithing, weaving and more. Booths will be set up explaining German American culture and history, especially church history. We will also have vendors selling honey, soap, lotion and other handmade items. There will be some small animals and colonial toys and games. We will have concessions, and New Sarum will be selling beer, including specialty beers that were made at the Braun house. 

On-site parking may be limited, but a trolley will continually run between the Granite Crossing Shopping Center, located at 900 N. Salisbury Ave., Salisbury and the Old Stone House, located at 770 Old Stone House Road, Salisbury, from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for students, and any children 3 or under are free.