Donald Teuma-Castelletti
THORNE July 13-15, 2018
Bretzlaffs of all kinds descended upon Thorne last weekend, as their decennial reunions were interrupted for a special occasion – the 150th anniversary of their ancestors coming to Canada.
Seeing over 300 family members turn out, the event featured food, games, history lessons and much more as everyone came from all over in celebration of the Bretzlaff Reunion.
Generally taking place every 10 years since the first reunion in 1983, that schedule was interrupted when family members realized they had this opportunity at hand.
“This was five years because it marks 150 years since the six ancestors came here from Germany,” said Sheri-Lyn Schock, one of the event organizers.
The weekend’s fun kicked off Friday night with an opening ceremony emceed by Phillip Holmes, another organizer, at the Thorne Community Recreation Association (TCRA).
From there, Saturday’s activities included plenty of socializing, fun and games, log sawing, a silent auction, a display of family artifacts and historical talks with Pat Brady. Sunday continued with a church service in Schwartz at the Zion Lutheran Church, before a reception filled the building’s basement.
Another weekend opportunity came in the form of taking part in self-guided tours of the area, dubbed the Bretzlaff Homestead Tour. With a map available at the TCRA, many points of interest were highlighted, with explanations of who lived there when, and what has become of the location nowadays.
Of course, with so many family members and a deep connection to Thorne, that tour was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to learning about the family’s history. A detailed talk was held with Brady in the mid-afternoon, as he discussed the history of the family in Germany and Canada.
In 1868, Wilhelmina, Louisa, Frederick and Ferdinand left Germany to arrive in Canada, before making their way to settle in the Thorne area. Four years later, two more of their clan would join them when Carl and Carolina arrived.
However, the exciting news shared at the reunion was first brought forward during the opening ceremony Friday night. After some thorough digging, Brady and Roy Bretzlaff had discovered the name of the ship that the family had crossed on: The Washington.
To commemorate this finding, and the original six organizers of the family reunions, those folks were gifted framed renderings of the ship at the opening ceremony, said Schock.
Family members had the chance to own their copy of the picture by bidding in a silent auction. It was one of several items, plus the registration fee of the event, that would help to support further family reunions down the line. As well, Bretzlaff-branded souvenirs and donations help make the event possible, Schock explained.
Of course, rounding out all of the exciting portions of the reunion was the chance to share a meal together. With their German roots, there was simply one must-have on the menu – the TCRA’s ever-popular and impossible-to-replicate sauerkraut, a staple of the annual Ladysmith Oktoberfest.
While many have been disparaging of the recent heatwaves, those who had a taste of the sauerkraut knew that all of the excess perspiration was well worth it, as the soaring temperatures were said to have contributed to one of the group’s best batches ever produced.
