Hays CVB
The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia will hold their 49th Annual International Convention in Hays, Kansas Monday, July 30 – Thursday, August 2, 2018. Scheduled speakers will travel to the event from multiple U.S. states – some from as far as Germany and Russia.
This convention, titled “The Storm,” centers on the effects of the 1917 Russian Revolution on the Germans from Russia. It will also celebrate the traditions, history, genealogy, music, and food of Germans from Russia.
Attendees will have access to a research area for genealogy, AHSGR bookstore, silent auction room, and more. The convention begins with registration Monday, July 30, and will conclude on Thursday, August 2 with a banquet and polka dance.
All convention activities will be held at the Memorial Union on the Fort Hays State University Campus, except for Kindertag, a youth day for children to learn more about their German from Russia heritage. Kintertag will be held from 8:30 a.m. – 3:25 p.m. on Wednesday, August 1 at the Ellis County Historical Society Museum, 100 W. 7th Street. The day will be filled with educational activities to show how the Germans from Russia lived, including sauerkraut and butter making, dancing, traditional games, German language, cooking, and life on the farm.
Registration is required and walk-ins are welcome. Registration for the entire convention is $125 for AHSGR members and $145 for non-members.
Ticket options are also available for individual meals, events, and tours, such as the Foundation/Society Recognition luncheon, Village Tour, Museum Tour, and Artisan Tour. Three German Cooking classes will be offered by Sam Brungardt and Charlie Dorzweiler for $10 per session.
Those interested can find details, register for the conference, and purchase individual tickets at www.ahsgr.org.
Talks for the event include:
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- Finding Your Ancestors
- The German Russian Communities in the Age of Stalin’s Great Terror
- Germans in Russia: History Milestone (Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Volga German Autonomy)
- Masterpieces of German Religious Architecture on the Volga
- Remembering a Ravaged Century: The German Colonies Caught in ‘The Storm’ of the Russian Revolution
- Letters to Pauline (Schlegel) Lehi: Volga German Family Correspondence from Russia to Oklahoma, 1913-1937
- DNA 1: The Basics of Life / DNA 2: Analyzing Your DNA Results
- Ethnic Clothing for Mennonites and Other Germans from Russia
- Mennonites in Russia after the Revolution
- The Immigrant Woman
- Dutch Hop: Music of the Volga Germans
- History of the HFDR (Historical Research Association of Germans from Russia)
- Lives of Ethnic Germans in Soviet Exile during and after WWII
- Religious Persecution of Germans in Siberia
- Volga Famine Relief
- Authors: Karen Schutte, Teddy Needham, Ulrich Merten
- FHSU Ethnic Studies Center: A Roomful of History – The Volga Germans of Ellis and Rush Counties in Kansas
Speakers include:
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- Olga Litzenberger (Russia)
- Michael Wanner (Germany)
- Eric Schmaltz (University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK)
- Maggie Hein (Chicago, IL)
- Ulrich Merten (Florida)
- Peggy Goertzen (Wichita, KS)
- Norma Pipkin (Hays, KS)
- Terry Batt (Denver,CO / Russell, KS)
- Alex & Nancy Herzog (Boulder, CO)
- Sisters Alice Ann Pfeifer, Mary Ann Schippers, and Mary Elise Leiker (Wisconsin/Hays, KS)
- Brent Mai (Connecticut)
- Patty Nicholas (Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS)
The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and houses one of the largest repositories for German Russian studies in the U.S. It includes, books, records, maps, photos and many more items.
The Sunflower Chapter of AHSGR, Hays, is a local Chapter of AHSGR striving to promote the heritage of the German Russian on a local level.
For more information on attending the AHSGR Hays Convention can be found at by contacting the national AHSGR office at 402-474-3363 or [email protected] or Kevin Rupp at 785-656-0329 or krupp@ruraltel,net.