On the way to Sängerfest, 1934

A Moment from Yesterday

Conrad Stoesz | Mennonite Heritage Centre
<p>Photo: Mennonite Heritage Centre/Mennonite Archival Image Database</p>

A group of 18 young men and women travel in the back of a truck on their way a Sängerfest or song festival in the Didsbury, Alberta, area in 1934. No seatbelts used here! Song festivals were popular in Mennonite circles as a way of gathering to see old friends, enjoy singing four-part harmony music, and a way for young men and women to meet in controlled environments. These events often included people from different Mennonite denominations. Charismatic itinerant music directors, like Kornelius H. Neufeld, commonly led these groups, which could number over a hundred singers.

Courtesy of Mennonite Archival Image Database. 

Photo: Mennonite Heritage Centre/Mennonite Archival Image Database

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