‘Unfortunate.’ North Texas city divided over competing festivals on Germanfest weekend
Billie Fleitman has lived in Muenster for 38 years, and for 30 she and her family have run a “nagelschlän” booth — which she describes as an ancient German game in which participants compete by driving a nail into a pine log until it’s flushed to the point a thumbnail can’t fit between the two.
For three decades the family’s booth has been at Germanfest, a three-day festival celebrating the city’s German heritage the last weekend in April, when thousands visit for music, games, sausage, strudel, fried potatoes and steins full of beer.
But this year, the Fleitmans won’t be there.
Instead, like many local vendors, the family will be taking their stand to “Party in the Park” at Muenster City Park, where Germanfest took place for 40 years before it moved to a 75,000-square-foot barn-like structure on the edge of town in 2018.
The competing festivals April 26-28 — one sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, the other by the Muenster Jaycees — have caused a stir in this Cooke County city of 1,580 about 60 miles north of Fort Worth.
Party in the Park was birthed out of a contract dispute between the Jaycees — who were vendors at Germanfest — and the Chamber of Commerce, according to Jaycees president Jared Flusche.
“We decided this was the time for us to raise the money we need to be productive throughout the year,” Flusche told the Star-Telegram in an interview Thursday.
“I want both events to flourish, I hope they both do great. I have no ill will toward Germanfest at all, the Jaycees have no ill will,” Flusche said. “This is simple. We could not come to a contract agreement. We need to make our money.”
The Chamber of Commerce said no one was available to comment until next week.
Fleitman said she’s excited for a festival to return to the park but also said she felt obligated to follow the Jaycees to Party in the Park, because of all the philanthropic work they do in the community.
“They built and maintain all of the ballparks in the community for all the children, children play sports without a fee in Muenster because of the Jaycees,” Fleitman said. “Whenever someone is seriously ill, whenever someone dies, they’re the first people to approach the family to help them. They donate to our volunteer fire department. They donate to every good cause in Muenster and always have.”
Residents and vendors did not want to speak to the Star-Telegram about the split. But they have plenty to say on social media.
In Facebook posts, residents accuse the Chamber of Commerce of taking too large a portion of the profits and not giving it back to the community while highlighting instances in which the Jaycees have financially supported them and their families.
Others called the Jaycees “petty” and mentioned the amount of confusion the seemingly competing festivals will cause.
The annual Germanfest bike rally, a fundraiser for Sacred Heart school, lists the afterparty (tickets for two beers come with the registration) at the city park instead of the chamber’s at Fuhr Hall at Heritage Park.
“It’s very unfortunate it’s come to this, “ Fleitman said. “This community usually comes together.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2024 at 2:50 PM.
