Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-06-07
OF "Luren" Will be Celebrated
This Week Thursday
and Friday.
GRAND CONCERT AND BANQUET
"NOr mama" Will be Here from La
Crosse and "Minnehaha" from
Sioux Falls, TO Assist in
the Festivities.

The long anticipated Twenty-fifth
Anniversary of the existence of
"Luren" has nearly arrived, and on
Thursday and Friday of this week the
event will be fittingly celebrated by
the members and friends of the organ
ization. Thursday night grand jubi-
lee concert will be given at the Grand
opera house, which will be musical
treat such as is seldom heard in a city
like DEBORAH. The "Minnehaha"
singing society, of Sioux Falls, s. d.,
and "Normanna' Of Lacrosse, have
accepted invitations to be present and
assist in the festivities, and will join
with "Luren" i'm this concert. This
male chorus of perhaps forty members
will be supplemented by the best local
talent the city affords, and will render
the following program:
Fanevagt. o. Olsen
Choir and Horn Sextette.
IL JOtunheimen........ ...............Ole Olsen
9 Normanna," La Crosse.
2-Lucretia Fantasia. Hauser
Prof. II. Hansen.
MAR Fjordene blaaner.........Alf Paulsen
"Minnehaha," Sioux Falls.
5-Hor oss Svea........;..... .......G. Wenneborg
Choir.
6Alpsang .Prins Gustav
7-Concertant Duo....................W Weber
Clarinet and Plano Duet.
NJ. j. Soukup and Mrs. j. K. Marsh.
S-kom Bukken til gluten ........-. Oscar Borg
"Normanna," La Crosse.
s-Breeze n Sfthe Sig 1n,o 0;;.r;o;, Lamothe
aMinnehaha,o Sioux Falls.
n-Held Dig NIT Norge o;.
l2-Naturen og Hjertat. o. Linbad
Il. luly
Choir.
On Friday evening banquet will be
served at Steyer's opera house, which
will he participated in by the visitors
and friends of Luren."
1t has been our intention for several
weeks, on the week of this occasion,
to give our readers history of the
sketch of this society since its organi-
cation, and we are able to append the
following, prepared by one who has
had much better opportunities for OBJ
tanning such sketch, and is much
more competent to write than we.
I'm the year 1874 and on the 18th of
March Luren" was organized. (I
have often wondered if our Irish
friends have been sufficiently appreci-
alive of this fact that the 18th of March
aud not, for instance, the 18th of May,
was chosen for such an event. Mr..
.. L. Roen, at present a successful
banker in Columbus, Neb., and Mr.. j.
Jackwitz, still in business here in De-
corah, called meeting on the above
mentioned date fer the purpose of dis
cussing the question, and as both these
gentlemen thoroughly believed that
Z" the way to do thing is to do it, /" the
result of this meeting was that q sing
ing society adopting the name Luz
ren," with a membership of %, was
ushered into existence. Mr.. Jackwitz
was elected president. Now for some
good leader.
For this position the young society
secured Mr.. Emil Berg, of La Crosse,
Wis. Mr.. Berg was musical enthu-
siast, a tenor singer of no mean ability,
genial, kind-hearted and everybody's
favorite. For period of about three
years Mr.. Berg continued as leader and
the society prospered, Mr.. Berg re-
signing in January, III. He afterward
returned to La Crosse securing enl-
ployment in the postoffice there. He
was also for many years, and up to the
time of his death, which occurred a
few years ago, leader of Normanna"
and the German society, Frohsinn,"
two well known singing societies in La
Crosse.
The next leader was Mr.. &. M. Berg,
of Minneapolis, MINI. For time the
society continued to prosper, but later
lack Of interest manifested itself and
when Mr.. Berg, some time afterward,
resigned, regular rehearsals were dis
Such was the condition
until 10, when Mr.. +. NJ. Sunness ar
rived from Chicago Mr.. Sunness
could not long endure the thought OF
in any place without at
least male quartette, and he immedi-
ately began agirating for revival of
interest i'm the direction of regular
meetings and rehearsals. He sue
ceeded In gathering about him o, u.
Hoffoss, Hildor H0ffoss. j. Throndson
and G. j. Ambli. Later this number
was increased by the arrival in Deco.
rah of Mr.. O. w. Holm, a baritone OF
decidedly pleasing quality. These
met more or less = rather
less-regularly until May, '84. when
a reorganization of "Luren"
was effected. The ] society now had