Join Waukesha resident Brien Lee and his blog, Sir Fido, as they explore the city and report on the interesting things they find.
I've been noticing that one of the best ways to get into many of the ethnic festivals at Maier Festival Park free or at reduced cost is to just attend Sunday Mass. I'm aware of four festivals with mass and only one charges a little for fest admission.
Fest masses are a good way to experience other cultures. You may pick up a little bit by walking through the grounds listening to the music, tasting the food and shopping the vendors, but to really get to know a culture you need to pray with them.
I couldn't have learned any more about the former Italian community of the Old Third Ward, and it's central fixture Our Lady of Pompeii Church, than I did at the Festa Mass. I learned Festa is really a continuation of the traditional religious festivals held on summer weekends not far from the current Maier Park. The mass and procession is the highlight of Festa Italiana and after it was over I wasn't drawn to stay long on the grounds, just long enough to enjoy a couple calzones.
I didn't attend German Fest's Mass yesterday. I didn't hear about it until it was too late. If I did go to German Fest I'd have missed the 18th Century Anglican Church Service I attended by chance at Delafield's Colonial Encampment.
I was drawn to the encampment by the price, free, and the location, St. John's Northwestern Military Academy. The Academy is someplace I've always been curious about and heard of but never visited. I thought this would be a good time to check it out. I was there by myself Sunday morning before it got busy and really enjoyed the time and knowledge the reenactors shared with me to explain what was going on. I'm familiar with civil war encampments and this wasn't much different except it was set much earlier - during the Revolutionary War. One of the reasons I feel these encampments make history come alive is that some of the reenactors research and live like their very own ancestors. If the ancestor they researched was a cloth merchant then they'd know everything about linen and cotton dyeing and weaving in the 1700s. They'd operate a small shop in a canvas tent and sell unusual gadgets as well as patterns and cloth made the 18th century way. They'd inform their visitors that the Revolutionary War coincided with the Industrial Revolution and the cotton gin helped America gain independence from Britain.
I was so long in listening and learning that the church service was about to begin at 10:00 and I had a decision to make. Do I drive back to Waukesha for mass at my own church or stay for a unique 18th century experience? I didn't even have to think twice. The service was held in the beautiful stone Victory Memorial Chapel on the Academy's grounds, a place I'd only seen pictures of, and it was phenomenal. We prayed like they prayed 300 years ago and it seemed strangely familiar. The message was very similar but so were several of the prayers, including the Lord's Prayer. The setting was so authentic, and not a single person didn't take the service seriously. It was an interesting experiment in history. I can see myself going again next year.
******* 7/31 addendum *********
A little more research on this topic produced a total of six ethnic festivals at the lakefront with Sunday religious services. Only Polish Fest charges a small fee and Irish Fest usually a couple cans of food to enter the fest grounds after services. The six fests are; Polish, Italian, German, Irish, Mexican and Native American.
