USAG Bavaria’s Volksfest Showcases Decades of German-American Friendship

GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany - As is tradition every summer in Bavaria, more than 100,000 people gathered for the 63rd annual German-American Volksfest here, Aug. 2 to Aug. 4, 2024, in a fun-filled celebration of partnership and unity between both nations.

On the first day of the event, the festival opened with several distinguished guests fulfilling roles in initiating the celebration. Grafenwoehr Mayor Edgar Knobloch and U.S. Consul General Timothy Liston, both frequent guests of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria events, were key players in welcoming this year’s festivities along with the grand opening guest of honor, Bavarian Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder. Söder, who was elected as the Bavarian Minister-President in 2018, helped cut the ribbon to open the festival, only the second Volksfest since the event experienced a three-year lapse from 2020 to 2022. During the opening ceremony, Söder received a tour of the festival grounds from Col. Kevin A. Poole, former commander of USAG Bavaria, where he tried a variety of American refreshments, greeted guests and interacted with both U.S. and German military personnel. In his opening remarks, Söder spoke highly of the longstanding and blossoming friendship between the German and American people.

“We are not only brothers in arms here, but brothers in values,” stated Söder. “We not only have common interests, but common values of freedom and democracy that have connected us for a long time.”

The Grafenwoehr Training Area, where the event was held, serves as the U.S. Army’s largest training footprint in Europe and is used frequently by both American and German military forces. The USAG Bavaria German-American Volksfest, which is always hosted within the training area, began in the 1950s, only a few short years after World War II ended. Though the world and training area have changed greatly since then, the central themes of the first festival - friendship, unity, and partnership - remain the same.

Throughout the festival weekend, German and American guests from areas both near and far attended Volksfest, where they enjoyed activities such as carnival games, rides and retail booths. Countless food and beverage vendors lined the festival grounds, offering a large variety of American and German culinary favorites from bratwurst and pretzels to hot dogs and hamburgers. Two beer halls, one representing the U.S. and the other Germany, offered live music and a line of beers from their respective countries. Equipment displays from the U.S. Army, Bundeswehr, and Nuremberg Airport were also open for guests to explore, strengthening ties between the military, civilian and local communities.

“One of the important aspects of this festival is to show the German people that this is a symbol of our steadfastness in support of the defense of the European continent,” said Poole. “We have displays of all our military vehicles which shows our strength - not only American strength, but German as well. It’s something special.”

This year’s festival was special because it provided an opportunity to celebrate other milestones within the USAG Bavaria community. Franz Zeilmann, a community relations officer with USAG Bavaria, is retiring later this year, marking this his last Volksfest as an employee of the organization. Zeilmann originally hails from Germany and has worked for the U.S. Army for over 40 years, starting as a mechanic before moving up throughout the years to his current role in the Public Affairs office. In an act of appreciation for his years of dedicated service, Poole asked Zeilmann during the grand opening to tap the Volksfest ceremonial keg, a traditional act that symbolizes the start of large celebrations in Bavaria.

“Col. Poole chose me to tap the keg after 40 years of working for the U.S. Army and taking care of Soldiers - it’s a big honor to do that, especially here at Volksfest with a lot of people in attendance,” said Zeilmann following the grand opening ceremony. “I have seen a lot of people and positive changes over the years. When you think back to over 70 years ago, we were enemies and now, we celebrate a longtime friendship. It’s just great and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”

In addition to Zeilmann’s retirement, Poole relinquished command Aug. 6, only a few days after the conclusion of Volksfest. Throughout his tenure as the commander of USAG Bavaria, he became widely beloved by both the military and local populations, constantly prioritizing the welfare of all those within the USAG Bavaria community. For Poole, the 63rd annual German-American Volksfest served as a farewell to not only the organization he led, but the local community he came to know and love throughout his time as commander.

“I’m just happy to be here,” said Poole. “This is one of my last missions with USAG Bavaria and I couldn’t think of a better way to close out two years as commander of this great organization - going out with one of the best German-American Volksfests.”