Schutzenfest

A Schützenfest is a traditional German ‘marksmen’s festival.  It is part of the German and Swiss culture.  There are target shooting contests all over the countryside.  The contestants shoot at targets to ‘show off’ their shooting abilities.  In Germany the shooters shoot at wooden targets for the most part.
       
The winner becomes the 'Schützenkönig' (male) and 'Schützenkönigen’ (female).  At the Baltimore Kickers are an equal opportunity festival, so they name both a ‘king’ and ‘queen’ as well. 

The largest Schützenfest is a commercial venture and is held in Hanover, Germany.  There are over 5,000 marksman competing.  The festival has rides, beer tents and the ‘Marksmen’s Parade’. 

Believe it or not, this was commonplace in Baltimore one hundred years ago.  We actually had ‘Schützen Parks’ for our festivals.  It became part of the German American culture here around 1860 and appears to have been established by ex-German soldiers from the Franco Prussian War.  Years prior to Carroll Park becoming a park, the area surrounding Mt. Clare was leased from the Carrolls’ and became Southwestern Schützen Park--a private recreation area used by German immigrants in Baltimore.  The park offered a pastoral setting with carriageways and pedestrian walks was planted with trees, shrubs, and flower beds and included a picturesque Victorian conservatory. Carroll Park also hosted the German festival each year until 2008.  The Eastern Schützen Park was out Gay Street (then called Belair). In addition to a target range, the park's facilities included bowling alleys, a dining hall, ballroom, bar, billiard tables, and summertime accommodations for member families and their guests. There was a forty five acre park with numerous gardens.  There were festivals held regularly and it has been reported that these festivals often drew crowds in excess of 50,000 for weekend events.  This was just blocks away from the Weissner, Rost’s and Bauernschmidt Breweries who were more than happy to provide refreshments and featured their own beer gardens and music pavilions.

The festivals are a way of life in Germany and Switzerland [the first Swiss Federal Shooting contest, the Eidgenössisches Schützenfest was held in 1824] and the winners take great pride in the awards they receive.  Various medals and cups are the most common forms.