Midday; Our home town-Strasburg

It means that you know everybody if not it will be any different than everybody else. It's not like you make me go to a bar and you sit there all night you don't know anybody very well in the market and you know you know everybody's family. Our hometown Strasberg North Dakota population six hundred forty three. This is one in a series of programs that explores the values concerns and character of life in small towns and is produced by Minnesota Public Radio station KCCI Morehead. With funds provided by the North Dakota Committee for the Humanities and public issues. Strasburg is a small farming community located in south central North Dakota and settled in the early 1900s by German Russian immigrants. Our sound portrait begins with residents telling why they like living in Strasburg and pious craft traces the history of a German Russian settlers and their descendants. Describe themselves the interviewer is John it's one thing about it.

You can look up at the sky at night if you starred. In any of the cities not walkies bad you can't even you can't even see a star at night. You can do things with your family much easier more often in a small town. My children are five and six but they go swimming by themselves. So imputed to cross the street here but we only live a block and a half from it but. We don't have to drive them anywhere. We don't have to worry about them. We don't have any trouble. I can't remember the last time. Our business is broken into that hasn't been since I've been back. In Europe for seven years. My biggest problem in being in business with the kids stealing babies or 5:40 something small like that. They're just the whole lifestyle is different to the small towns it's a slower pace. There's so many benefits that I don't even can even pinpoint because they used him.

For me I I don't know whether it has anything so unique as any other town excepting that I feel at home here I am. I have lived here now for since 45 the winter of 45 and we have our little church here I have my friends here and I know nearly everybody and it is pretty well known and known all over the country because of Lawrence Welk I guess. But he doesn't mean so much to us because we just take it kind of for granted you know you get to my step sister my schoolteacher she was his teacher. And he comes here once in a while you know and he comes to the nursing home and he dances with some of those old women you know and. But that I would move to Stroudsburg for that not that. And I have children living I have a son in the California. In Vista California a beautiful part of California way in the southern part and they want me to come there so bad in my condition they said to be just the thing for me

because I can't walk you know. And I said No I don't think you could pull me away from Stroudsburg my roots are from there. And we have our cemetery here my folks are buried here. My husband is buried here I lost a daughter a couple years ago of cancer of the oldest one of the children she was 64. And our older son is at night and he is married here and and. Well it's just home. It's just like. Even if you have a new bar and you try to get a horse or a cow in that new barn and there's an old the shed where you sit so tall and you know it doesn't like that no Barney wants to go back to that oh shit. And that's the way it is with us so we like I like to be it. I just like to be here. The people are real friendly around here which like you go to some other small towns which I have been and I tell you that people aren't half as friendly as they are

around here. I don't know what it is and every people every strange people they come into town they always they can't get over how friendly everybody is around here and like when kids come. The younger kids that come here to visit they always want to stay here and they don't want to go home anymore I don't know what makes it. I don't know if they really like it here and they'd even like to move back to the driver. Well the reason why they do come back is they either have grandparents or uncles or aunts here and and I think now when they do come they don't want to go back. Yeah I'm playing just softly all my life so I'm lucky. Thank you friend. You know friend to me. We're determined. Why am I here. I am.

There. Do my folks you know we come over here. Well we come from the Ukraine. This is us out of South Russia that's in Russia all these people here all the people around here. And the other towns are lit and all of the guard over east here. We've really come over here and 906 right here we come. We went there by train to and where from southern

Russia. These colonies there you know are there people even colonies that are done separately and they're left and then we left there and we boarded in on better Belgium. And we landed in Quebec on a boat and become for creek back to Aberdeen South Dakota and then we moved here. Now the people here are called German Russian people. Why why did I have that. While they are sure of my day I originally immigrant from out US Lorraine. Eighteen Eight our people are 18 8 to 11 the Plaka community has some prior. Well at that time you know there were 11 Alsace-Lorraine which is a little country you know between Belgium and that low country where every once in a while they had a war you know in Germany or France and it belonged to Germany awhile and then to France over

and then these Kaiser and Katherine under Peter what is it Peter the greatest and then she invited these people over there over there. She didn't want to populate that proud of them. That's a nice country there. Black soil and the Russians at their native russian didn't do anything or something. Then in order to build up that kind of guy soon she gave them 60 days a day in which the about there put them there by a quarter the first 100 people were right here in this locality where three young fellows you see as soon as they get up to be 21 years old they had to register and had to go. Related as it was so sad a lot of these get you know before that get across the border bribery a maid at the head. Usually them and then they come over here and the phone plan down here was five of them and that was in 1888. Out here right in

struggling and then of course they're told call the bank then these people being then in the spring of 1889 11 families can go to settlement. But they left you know one account and the land gets gassed you know to land on cruel you know if he didn't leave a single family the usual 8 4 5 6 families together you know everybody knew everybody when they settled. You see we had a combat in this that's a Russian word narco Bettany is something like a state you know and we were from presuming to be out of me with disco yes or yes there's like a county or something like that. And they're across the river. The mystery of a coming form the border between there's Arabia and these people the southwest here by name us and they came from because you had a little different dialect but not all of them they had to travel beyond us in a desert different travel bureaus and people go in and make arrangements

and get paid to fathom you know what a fair cost at that time from now which is a station a railroad station is a Russian word to Aberdeen South Dakota. We paid a hundred and forty routes adult take it that was only worth by 55 cents. But now that one I don't know it's not it would have been about $70 not all that in France but Holden of course it wasn't first class I know. Then on the boat it was the first class was third class on the Kaiser ship. I was not quite out of us. Not quite 11 years old. AC course we can talk of nothing but we get along well with Strasburg like when he got here when there was no there was tours here already when I got here there wasn't much. Like all the little towns of course then they grew faster and when these people all came in we got to

the six 650 of them like you know those in town had their little baseball team that was not in the troop. Well there was nothing out and training and it was the radiations that like you know like everything has changed now. Those days you know everything was Germany and even the churches and everything. We're German Russian community I would say and many are

here and most of them still speak it and many of us speak it fluently. Some of our children speak a few words of praise here and there. They want to learn. In fact some of our boys say Mom Why didn't you teach me German when I was smaller and they get in every word or every phrase they can talk German Yeah but that doesn't mean that much. People are people. It doesn't make that the difference. Does your family follow any old German customs or cook German food plan live C-list would serve and all its food and talk and everything. I try to be. Be proud of my background you know. You know we apologetic. I think in the past because of the history of the two world wars people have been somewhat of feelings of inferiority

and also the fact that most of them had German as their second language or as some German is their first language. But they are somewhat apologetic and have some feelings of inferiority. At one time it was probably considered not I don't know why but people didn't really care. To let other people know that they have this Russian German background. I think when they left they felt it was a detriment. I think today was the more liberal thinking. The breaking down of these if they think groups and so on. I think it it really it really doesn't affect them too much either way. Well I suppose we have an accent don't we. Yeah they told me that or anyone I. And. Kiss three of them. And. I don't I suppose who are kind of a farmer's walk those who eat you know and you can

tell their self a lot of. You need to get out of work and welfare something then otherwise I would know there's so much difference. I think they're very in most cases they're ambitious. They're hardworking. So they try to get a hit. They do put value on education. Although I think this is kind of going the other way. They're very competitive. Ah. One thing I think that is detrimental to them they're very they're very prejudiced. They're very biased I think. Are very. Quick to criticise. And they don't like to. They feel that their opinion is the right opinion and they're a little bit too fast and that the they're a little bit too quick to condemn I think I think they're. Just because there's a change

doesn't mean it's been obvious race around here I think. Firemen the community I went to school there and you never got away from home you might say. You would never wish you had or not not really because I don't think I'd have to hold on to what I have today if I had a role in you know a man can't accomplish overnight you know our lifetime moldings you know overnight and the longer you're on the Vice-Chancellor. I think I think myself lucky for state where we don't have a very very mixed community. If it's not very mixed if it's mostly German and no pride in their German ancestry you know and you've got to join them or leave it. I joined up. Yeah I used to play it. How do you feel about that German Russian heritage to mean anything to you.

Not really. My gramma's talks a lot about how she came over everything that I was born in America so I realize like most people come from German Russian thing that I don't really care I don't think about them much. I go home quite often and you'll hear somebody older people in the homes there that get together they'll sing your German songs the tears rolling down their face. Right right. Yeah. You know. So that I think one of the most colorful traditions still observed in Strasburg is the German Russian

wedding dance almost every weekend from March through October of the dances held in Snyder's blue room a large Quonset roofed hall attached to a bar on Strasburg's Main Street. Now Pius Kroft tells us about the old time wedding dance. And then we visit one in progress in Schneider's Blue Room. The traditions and and learning best of weddings and all that their customs they had to know that of us change the line. It seems that in those days well there was a wedding took about two days sometimes three. What was it like. Well they had on the hall as you know well into the wedding. Katie in the red and day of the wedding and invite the relatives and friends who haven't been heard. So musicians and that they would meet and dance and brings in three days. Well the first there was the main day and then the second as usual left there was then a little smaller the more close ones came

in. That's usually ways to meet up and drink up what was left to you is much more fun than ever nodded by Fox. Or. Or. Or. When the bright. And bright

and I know they're meeting with you. It's tradition mainly I think it's been going on for years like you guys ever think of having any other kind of wedding. It's just the basics here and there. Just carried on. I think everyone is similar. With a few changes and there are various minor. Threat. For everybody every night.

You're listening to our hometown Strasberg North Dakota one in a series of programs exploring the values concerns and character of life in small towns produced by Minnesota Public Radio station KCCI Morehead. Although most Rosberg ER's have a German Russian heritage there are several families who are the descendants of settlers from Holland. Adriana new SMA is one of those Hollanders. Now she tells her personal history of Strasburg from the perspective of those Dutch settlers.

I was born. And 1885. If I should say I check. Then they haven't even have a Florida Dorrit yet. And Campbell County South Dakota I guess I was the first baby had my folks live there for two years and then there are these homestead rights came out and went further into North Dakota to look for dad and he found the place. That's about seven miles. South east of here between here and Hague. And he filed on that as a homestead and that's where I was really raised and I lived on that place for over 50 years spent most of my life there. In the first years my folks at my folks part of there they

had to bring their grain their wheat to Eureka my wagon and oxen first and later my horses. As time went on you know the country progress they and they used to have horses that bought their horses from Indians by the river and they call them Broncos have you ever heard of that Bronco horses. They call them Bronx they are awfully wild and they but the Indians used to take a good thing them and they'd come through the country and sell them to the settlers here and that they were tough. That's how we had our first horses I know but I remember my dad plowing with the ox and ox team Yeah sure we took determination to come here. And. They made good by my dad they had their good times and hard times but I think they were wise they came and it was too because of.

The military rules they had there you know of being a draft. You know if they had everybody every boy had to become a soldier. If his house was fit you know and he had a serve a term in the in the service even if there was war or not and they were unsatisfied with the government. And then when the United States of course said it seemed like that they got such good reports from the United States that these things are also different and everybody was his own boss you I'd say and that interests them I guess. And they were just eking out a living in the old country and I guess they had just enough money to come across. What was it like to grow up. Out here in those days I think people are happier than they are now. We don't ever do any better you know. We didn't have shoes where we had

we walk barefoot during the summer and in the winter time well we little kids we just stayed inside. My folks had a sot house and it was built like this and that was that they had a tea to it with a barn for their horses and cows. And then in there there was a kind of a little hallway between. And we had our toilet you might say the back house in that hall we didn't have to go outside for that. And then the hay that my folks would get that in from the back and they fix a roof over the hay stacks and haul that full of hate right from the inside they could get the hay to the cows and horses. And we don't have to ignore as most of the time in the winter time we do usually sit around in that sod house I remember that my my dad spent most of his time in that way to reading stories. We have stories books we kids could sit

there all even as Duch. We could sit there all evening and he would read such an interesting story you know that we didn't want to go to bed read some of our dad read some more of that of course that was all in the US you know. Uncle Tom's Cabin was one of my favorite stories that is. The neighborhood Dutch because the name of it. We would have read that over water more than once to get the full drift of it then. And then there was another one that was a shredded affair for I would is the lamp lit the lamp at least that Gertrude the lamp lighter. That was a book about a little girl that lived with her father and I want of the lighthouse on the shore of the ocean you know that was one of my favorite ones and I would play checkers or something like that and I don't know all the time there are verb laid heavy on my hands that I

can remember when I missed it and I got married when I was going on twenty and that we raise a big family we had eleven children. They say women don't work nowadays when there are housewife but I was a housewife and I worked Germans and Hollanders get along fine. Oh yes we have had all German neighbors for so long and we never had no trouble. No we always got along fine. Help each other out and. But when we when our children are growing up and we children at home we always we just wouldn't think the young are youngsters dating with the Catholics and they didn't want their kids to date ours either and we could kept that kind of separate but now there's that. In high school they marry right and left you know together and so just so they stay together.

That's the main thing. It is religion and important in this community. Oh yes yes very much simpler. Even to Catholics they're good

they're good solid good Catholics I tell you and they attend their church and everybody would be as faithful attending their their worship services. They are all right. We can live our religion in every day life. We have to if we don't change show our religion in everyday life. It's no use to go to church on Sunday and. And this plea to please the Lord on other days is not so. Do the people here do that in this town do you think. Well that's that's quite a deep question you know. I think as a whole I think they do I think they do. They do live a religious life here. So yes it's it's a Christian community.

I would say our whole life here in Strasbourg each stems out from our church our church is the center in our lives our weekly things are all standard from the church as to the activities and everything you might almost say that we that we do everything is connected with the church almost. And if they have any thing going on in town it's usually one of the church groups that's doing it. Like having a bake sale or. Getting in as a quilt party group that all stems out from the church. What does religion do for you. I don't know but you know it's hard to explain but I don't. If you wouldn't believe in any god or anything well then you could just go rob and steal and cheat anybody and not even bat an eye right. You know I mean it's the only thing you have to think of. Well maybe I won't be caught by the law but

if you have religion you don't consider that you think oh maybe there's somebody up above you know that you're cheating you're not cheating. It's a right and wrong and I think really in my opinion if you raise your children without any religion you always great like an animal. I think young people in town. Carrying on that religious tradition strongly and the older ones are definitely not. I think maybe in a Catholic church maybe they got too lenient with them. Because they thought by changing the rules and being more lenient you'd have more coming to church. But it seems like now more of them are dropping away from it because you don't really even at my age you know you don't really know you go to one Catholic. Well they don't have to go to where they can have church and Saturday night you know contra Sunday. The next church you go to it's vice versa. And that's. You know that's kind of

hard to swallow because you don't really know what's right and wrong. Religion is a big thing. Like yeah you go to church and everything. Religion is just a really big part of that especially the older people you know of the generation I think that religion is just a really big thing in their lives. How about for the young people. Oh some people well into religion a lot but and and some of the other people just like be against religion because their parents are shoving it down the throat kind of just amazing how the parents and the people think that. Like somebody might not go to church on a Sunday you know that's really a horrible thing to do. You know it it's so big I mean they brought up been brought up that it's strictly the Bible. You know I'm drifting from that little bit and you're a horrible sinner. It's kind of ridiculous that you where have in Iran you will church there and in the afternoon we put up all these children and the young adults

what kind of things are they always got a fish pie and a dart game. Cake Walk relate. We all just our pain and stuff. So why do you do this to me. To raise money for the church. I mean what do you know when you need it or do you really. And what do you mean. Right when you need. To think you're getting an education that will serve you well when you get out of town.

Oh no because I'm not winning. I don't think there's much here as they would think in Bismarck or someplace like that. It's my opinion. And thanks. Get out of here you don't know too much. But I think I think the thing you know is what you know when you pick up a school when you pick up your own mind grown up you know and you don't. You learn different things and then you go back to school I'm going on your own. I think it's what you learn out of school you know what you learn from it so since. I do believe there are. Many. Disadvantages in a small school system. However. There are many things that are hard to measure. I do believe there is more of unity in a smaller school you feel more. I do think that teachers can

spend more on a. Ah. Person to person basis with the individual stewards. Now for instance here is drugs Republik I know. I know all the students. I know their background somewhat I know their parents background and and and many times you can see the difficulties. That re salt. Are because of some of these problems at home and so on. I feel in the larger city. You have more broken homes. You have more people that are there just part of the. Part of the institution. But I have seen students from the drug Republic leave here and have done very well in both private. Colleges and in the universities so all. We can see that. It's not a detriment to go to a smaller school I think there's a lot of things to be. To be decided but yet at the scene time there's a lot of things that we have. That a larger institution does not or will not offer or can't because the very size of it.

I've worked with high school students. In Valley City and I notice a difference here. I think the kids here are. More open. And they're not and they're not quite so reserved or less sophisticated from where I stand you know they're not quite so worldly. But. Really when you come right down to it I think they're just nicer kids you know their key advantage you know my kid I don't have to worry about it in like we're working on here. But they can go to the women thing right up the road you've got horses on it. I don't have to worry about them getting mugged or raped or you know I just don't you don't have to worry about that. No one will get into trouble driving to fair maybe or something like that but that's about the limit to what they. You know they have the advantage if he were going to beat your kid lead you don't know where you there.

Yes. I mean. That was. My thing. And. Then. One. Cannot thank thank. You. Very much. It. Is a good place to grow up.

In some ways I think and in some ways it isn't that. I don't know in kind of the other world and then you learn a lot more here like. Everybody knows everybody and everybody else business and stuff in a big city. It wouldn't be that way if you get out and maybe you know far more you learn. And see more town was not around tractors now and we're here in the city you know. You don't really know and you know you go to factoring get a job to do one thing on. You know. All the other people I really you know I mean everybody gets everybody except one bad guy. I mean if anybody does anything everybody knows about it. Well I got out there. And I went to Aberdeen South Dakota and I really liked it and I was glad that I was there. When. I think more kids should do it you know and then come back and

go to school and that is really. What's important to kids around here. The thing I think that put is what people think about you that's always what you're worried about you know what I think you know think about it but I don't know I don't think you really worry about it you think about every you know you're careful where you are at the right time. What's the point of view. Around here. You're getting what's giving you are and giving away. There's got to be a better life somewhere else around here. I think maybe older people like it you know. Just a nice little town that retiring you know. With the death of me. Do you think you're any your children will come back here and make a living.

No I don't think so because the doctor there really dry thought hard and he would not come back no more. He's now in there but he would never come back to North Dakota. Why not why don't you. Because he just thinks that people are so much different people interfere so much with their life that he just he wouldn't like not another five years and not enough pride you wear in bigger cities. Did you pay that much attention to people who were in more after they knew everything about everybody else. So that's why he would never come back. How do you feel about that. Well I feel the same way about that. That part bothers you because everybody in hearing whatever you're doing interfere with your whatever you're doing. That's one thing that's good about TV because they don't know each other that well be doing in little town like Crawford everybody else knew everybody else. Let me make a big issue about everything. How good to the concern and helpfulness. Don't you get that to us.

No not very much. Not real. Everybody knows you cared and I don't get much help from anybody out there so notions about smart people have I think one of them would be that. You don't have privacy. Someone always knows your ears knows what you're up to that may be true. And yet that's really in a sense not altogether a bad leader in a sense. Sometime in it it can be good do that that were intimate and know each other's business that. It might even help us a little bit to talk about religion again to shape up and examine our own Christian life well how are we living for the people see then and maybe maybe they're right. So there might be a disadvantage in that it can be an advantage. I would say. Well yeah I don't think we need to be that private that we shouldn't

want other people to know what we're doing if we're doing those kind of things that we want to be off somewhere so that people can't tell what we're doing well then I think. We're doing things we shouldn't be doing because we shouldn't care if anybody knows whether we're going here or going there. One advantage is if people know what you're doing when you go to the hospital everybody is there to come and see you. That's one great advantage where you're in a city and you get sick you probably are going to have too many visitors. But when anybody hears it anybody saying you're loaded with cards you're visited. And perhaps when you come home. They'll help take care of your family and well there's just a great advantage to that. Well I think people in a small town probably do have a lifestyle that they pretty much live by. But it just seems that as I would see it in trouble here they they're pretty

much all in agreement with let's say the same lifestyle. Would you accept someone who came in who maybe wanted to live a different way but who you know that's kind of hard to see I mean he would know what to say on that. I would rather say they would I would think anyone living coming in with the new lifestyle I think would. Would fit in because I don't think there would be that many complications really as I would see it. You know I think this party wouldn't want to be so different. He'd naturally just conform to that to their way and fall right into it. As is the case with most small towns in North Dakota farming is

essential to the economy of Strasburg. Now we sit in on a discussion about farming with the farmers co-op elevator and we hear first from elevator manager Vic derringer. All the farmers do it. They're doing do it. So I just felt that I was out on leasing sales at least one half of the state an article and they talk about the cattle and the cattle prices are bad and the cattle might not have any money and you know farmers have got any money and inflation is eating up all the profit but they sure fan an awful price but when I ran into I think it was since our economy I rented 80 acres of land for twenty five hundred. Twenty five dollars for one year. Actually 60 years a kind of vision on 20 years of prairie. Well how come I always hear the farmers complain and it. Can't make enough money in this.

Or if you're a farmer you'd complain too because for the simple reason because they've been used to high cattle prices if they take these cattle these calves in and last year only got three hundred dollars apiece for rather less than $100 for the same cap and then they go in and get this the same thing that they have to buy like a sack of bolts are for repairs so that's probably up 50 percent or or better their fuel is up. 25 percent or 30 percent there's a fuel man right there who will tell you and he can do something about A by bring the price down when you don't. Well how about the grain market now that the great market is real good and I don't think grain farmer could complain the only thing he claimed about an hour's drive from grasshoppers. Yeah a lot of a lot of catalysts don't have anything to sell. Right now. This is what they're complaining about. For that like say I've been here 22 years now and you take what I am worth and you take a farmer or you take like oh I could name some guys that

started farming when I started here. And let them sell out today they're worth probably oh I don't know two hundred thousand three hundred thousand dollars. If they sold out today and look what I'd be worth you know yet the average guy when you took this job you're the average guy when you took the job it kind of had beat you. Because they fight you had one heck of a good job right and they were out here in the fire and now can cause i was in and they didn't know what to do I did work family days a week where I had to be here. Well I don't I don't know about that but they didn't have the right to spend you had your monthly salary check and you know what two storey living high on the hog. This is a little higher than I have I'll tell you about the last 10 years they've been you noticed a difference prior to that time when he was little tight anyway. Far more complaints but he probably has a few dollars at the end of the year but then he has to have a new tractor and maybe five six thousand maybe then the next year is going to buy a new

more than that if you're going to find a combine your comments right and of course you can afford to pay more for it because look he's right there on the debt hanging over their head and this is what I guess off or didn't go so good here. We didn't know if I would if I would have heard you do know. Yes I had for years two years two years and you know what it cost a year to do for for Iraq. And Iraq and Iraq will get my for the bank. Let them look at their feet about it being about a poet care that they now vote a vote of I think about a part of it I think now

for I never miss it even that way about about a minute to tell you how to get whatever they develop for freedom now for the better part of it you know. Not a bit of a note about it but I find it may not be the big track to get the ball on the launch of the first place it should have been up there for all the money was going to get anything I want to get that yes they can eat like a seed. Strasburg is the birthplace of band leader Lawrence Welk and in many ways welcome bodies the character and values of all Strasburg. We conclude this program with a view of Lawrence Welk through the eyes of those who stayed behind

Pius craft Lawrence Welk younger brother Mike Welk and Al Kramer. I remember the first time a commodity. He was he had to hook up with them. Was it Casey or Caylee. It was I mean I mean you know something we had an opera house we call up their lips kept fear that fair asked of staff and then travelling shows came out was a man and a woman maybe two and they come out had a little mad magician and stuff like that and he had hired him. I remember then that was a first travel chap I guess he had and became odd bit accordion on the stage you know at that kind of a nice tunic on with tight pants and so I remember that's about it was very very nervous you know I was shy. Took him a long while to get make announce his own program very very long time. I know one time we were I was and when Don by mistake to enter So tell me an office. And then now his cousin M.O. And here this fellow was down there.

And it happened right on to him. Now Newman is Lawrence an estate Nandor So tell just where we were at and it was plain in the Orpheum there and it says we'll go with that tonight. He's got two shows on tonight. So we went there was for the second show after nine o'clock and we were around a bank door coming on the stage set and when we come in they were already going and he was out on the stage and he coming back in to change and he was sweating and nervous a guy says Lawrence I don't know. Golly that's a you know he was so nervous you know and it's that thing when he come in to change clothes or something a little bit and I thought he wouldn't last you know he was so nervous to me but then you got to know what it finally took a long time. Well he was afraid he couldn't speak English way to go you know. Those days were out when he went to school. All you had English was in school when you commom everything and everything was German you know. You know those stores whatever church everything was so he still has that dialect. So I advised them of it.

I'm talking with Mike Walkley. Nativist perking younger brother to Lawrence on what was he like as a young man when he was he was a pretty pretty good walker. Ivanna Yeah. But he didn't care too much. Wes wanted to go. He did play a little bit for dad this is the third time but he was a good worker it was pretty strong. OK big guy. What did you learn to play. Oh well you know my dad played and my older brother and he had such a love for music he played when he was young my right he did. There was always an organ here and I remember my dad when he and evening when they were all done and he took the organ the small one. Played a little bit. Hope

someone gets in sometime. Yeah Lawrence comes back every year and why why did he come back. Well you know we didn't come out there too often you know sisters and brothers getting pretty old now. So when we go together a little bit in the fall. I. Sometimes have a little reviewing you know. Do you miss this place do you think. No I don't think so. I think it's so much nicer right now would you like to live out there. No you wouldn't. Why do you why do you like living here. Well I suppose because I live here all my life. I got my children here my sisters. I know everybody. Fresh air here. Sometimes people day.

We're out here from. Michigan and so on there to hold we're here and the wind was blowing a little bit from the north. I remember one time I said oh that or that they said you're going to be a hundred years. Probably right. What do you think you'd miss most if you had to leave here. Working on the last. I'm speaking with Al Cramer who is a businessman in Strasburg he runs can tell us boiling elling cafe here what kind of influence is having a man like Lawrence Welk on nationally famous person have his birthplace here as it affected the place do you think. Oh very much so. I can hear this every day as the

tourists come through. Some go out of their way just to come to Strasburg even if they didn't know they were disclosed to Stross but they just stop in to say they saw the signs and they had to see some things. About Lawrence Wachs hometown. And we do send them out to his farm which is three miles west from here. And it definitely has a factor. This is the birthplace of Lawrence Welk and it's. Helped the business in town. Do you think it would would have survived being you know had it not had someone unique like that being. So seeded here would it still be the same town. I am afraid not. I'm afraid not because there are a lot of towns that are a little larger than Strasburg and don't have a celebrity like we have that are not on the upswing. So I personally I think it. Is one of the factors mistrusts would be surviving and on the upswing. What do you think accounts for.

Lawrence Welk its success or is it something he got here do you think it's possible. Well he came up through the ranks and money was hard to come by in his days. He learned to work hard and save this money and down the earth guy and I think that's what made him famous. That's what you can generally talk about all the Germans here just a lot. They're pretty hard workers and they don't like to be up on the pedestal thing I've got the money. I don't know anybody anymore you know and that's not that attitude that people have. I think Lawrence walks. On the same basis make it the hard way and say for the. Night. No way I'm going to throw off the ring. You've been listening to our hometown of Strasburg North Dakota. This is one of a

series of programs exploring the values concerns and character of life in small towns. Series is produced by Minnesota Public Radio station KCCI Morehead with funds provided by the North Dakota Committee for the Humanities and public issues. Producers of the series are John in St. Denis Hamilton and Bill Sebring.