YOUNGSTOWN

The club documents past and present activities of German-Americans in the Mahoning Valley.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown Maennerchor celebrated a milestone in its mission to preserve local German-American heritage as it marked its 140th anniversary Saturday.
Founded Jan. 4, 1863, as a German men's singing society, the club has occupied its building at 831 Mahoning Ave. since 1926 and is Ohio's second-oldest German singing club.
"We hope to be singing for another 140 years," said Wolfgang Wengler, club historian and choir member and a former club president.
'Maintaining heritage'
"As time goes on, more and more people are interested in maintaining their ethnic heritage. This is part of finding out where your roots come from for many people," said Paul Kreutzer, choir member and treasurer. The club can help people to research their genealogies, he added.
The anniversary celebration featured a display of memorabilia tracing the history of German immigrants in the Mahoning Valley, many of whom arrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to work in steel mills or breweries or on farms.
The display included Maennerchor meeting minutes and newsletters and numerous anniversary program books, song books and concert programs, photos and tapes reflecting the club's history.
Legacies in Valley
Among the enduring German-American legacies in the Mahoning Valley are Martin Luther Lutheran Church and many businesses, including Syro Steel, General Extrusions, Bermann Electric Co. and Nemenz Foods.
About 100 people marked the anniversary by viewing the memorabilia and attending a banquet, followed by a choir performance and a presentation by Wengler concerning the club's history.
Club membership is open to those of German and non-German ancestry, and women have been accepted as full members since 1989. Members pledge to support the club's mission to preserve German-American heritage and music and pay annual fees of $30 per person or $50 per couple.
Among the major annual events conducted at the 350-member club are a February bratwurst dinner, a spring concert in May, a July picnic, a president's banquet in September, an Octoberfest in October, a fall concert in November and Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations.
The 8 p.m. May 31 concert will draw singers from Cleveland, Toledo and Pittsburgh. The club also sponsors boccie and golf leagues.
The club is open to the public from 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays, when fish dinners are served in its bar and restaurant area.