Die Freistadt Alte Kameraden Band

From their website:

The Freistadt Alte Kameraden Band is rooted in the “Pommern” culture that emigrated to Southeastern Wisconsin and maintained a musical heritage that is literally hundreds of years old.  Brass choirs, folk music, celebrations, and dancing were part of our ancestor’s legacy carried, successfully to Wisconsin in 1839.

More than 80 years ago the music began for our group when a small band of young men, during the early years of the American involvement in the Second World War started calling themselves the Victory Band.  They played polkas and waltzes for fellow 4-H families and supported our troops in the battle for Democracy, the very reason their families left the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1839. Over time these men would select a name for themselves from a Carl Teike march, Alte Kameraden (Old Comrades).

Those men played for American Presidents, German Chancellors, and hundreds of thousands of people across America and throughout Europe.  The Alte Kameraden Band inspired more citizens of Freistadt as the Pommern Tanzdeel Freistadt was formed in 1977.  This is a community that celebrates and honors its heritage and has literally made Freistadt, Wisconsin known around the world!

Today, many of our members can trace their heritage to the original members, they bear a direct lineage to the founders. Legacy members, who were invited into the band by the original members to continue the heritage, and other band family members that found us because that’s what band geeks that love to perform do…they find a family and make incredible music.  We’re proud to carry the banner of the Alte Kameraden into the next 80 years and beyond.