Mayor Landwehr's Blog

Muenchberg Message: a Bond Set in Stone

The significance of the 220 pound Memory Stone transported by our German visitors might have been obscured a little by Oktoberfest fun and other events last weekend. Here's the message on the stone's plaque. It's thoughtful, timeless and deeply appreciated. 

Thanks again to Thomas Schnurrer, Herbert Schaller, Artur Materny and Marco Herrmann for the visit. 

 

Scenes from Oktoberfest 09

Early morning rain had everyone worried, but the weather cleared for Jefferson City's Oktoberfest in Old Munichberg. Kudos to Walter Schroeder and all the association members. Here is selection of scenes from the day.

Muenchberg Visitors

Gert and son, Peter, are touring the USA following Peter's high school graduation. They bring greetings from our Partner City, Muenchberg, Germany. This is an interview after a nice dinner hosted by Larry and Cathy Kolb.

JCPD Lieutenant Williams Visits Partner City

Lieutenant David Williams and family visited relatives in Germany and stopped by our partner city, Muenchberg. As usual, they received a warm welcome from Mayor Fein and our other great friends.

Major South Side Redevelopment on Dunklin Street

Larry Kolb and Steve Rollins are doing something we've been trying to encourage for years: redevelopment of an entire block instead of a piecemeal approach. It's exciting and encouraging. 

I interview Larry and Steve for a segment on JCTV Channel 3. Here's the first part. The half hour show with all the pictures will air on Tuesdays at 5:00 and Thursdays at 5:30 during July on Mediacom Channel 3.

Germans Very Interested in U.S. Elections

Like all of Europe, the media in our partner city, Muenchberg, Germany, followed our national elections very closely. The local newspaper emailed some questions for the Mayor and published an article about local impressions; and the radio station taped an interview. (Note that enough Germans understand English to broadcast the interview without translation.) The headline of the article reads: "Obama narrowly loses in Missouri." I tried to artfully disclose that Missouri and Cole County are a little more conservative than the rest of the country. The reporters were very curious about where the U.S. is heading. Most of us are asking the same question. Friend Kris Ballage provided a rough translation shown below as an extended entry.

Muenchberg Teacher Will Spend September Here

Kristina Zuber, a teacher from Muenchberg, our Partner City in Germany, will visit two local schools during September. Middle school students at Lewis & Clark and first grade students at West School will host Kristina, each for two weeks. She will stay with the Landwehrs, and then with Andy and Lesha Neidert so she can walk to both schools. The Neiderts spent part of their honeymoon in Muenchberg, arguably our first official ambassadors. Special thanks to Kris Ballage for the passage from St. Louis after some complications due to hurricanes. 

This is Kristina's first trip to the USA and her goal is to learn about our educational system and share her perspectives with Jefferson City students. We met Kristina during our visit to Muenchberg in 2007. Her visit reminds us of Mayor Thomas Fein, First Lady Lieselotte, and all the wonderful people who made the trip so special. We discovered that we're more alike than we are different.