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Published on: 3/28/2008
Last Visited: 3/28/2008
The switch to two weekends has changed the character of Schmeckfest, said Tim Waltner, the Freeman Courier publisher who also directs this year's musical.
"(The change) has made the festival more accessible to most people and has given them options," he said.
There's a drawback for people who treat Schmeckfest like a homecoming, Tim Waltner said.
"The down side is for people like my daughter, who is coming home for Schmeckfest," he said."Now, she runs a 50-50 chance of missing people who are coming for the other weekend."
This year will feature another change - the recent opening of the $2.4 million Sterling Hall.The new facility will take on some of the demonstrations that were in the Industrial Arts and the Administration buildings.
Tim Waltner predicted Sterling Hall will change Schmeckfest "significantly" in ways yet unknown.
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Freeman Junior College staged Gilbert and Sullivan operettas in the late 1940s and early 1950s with the support of the community, Tim Waltner said.The first full-stage Schmeckfest musical was performed in 1967, and the tradition began for good in the 1970s, he said.
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Tim Waltner said he has likewise developed lifelong relationships through the Schmeckfest musical.He predicted Epp will find the same experience in coming years.
"I was just a kid when I was starting out (with Schmeckfest)," he said.