German Heritage Dinner Presents Winning Awards, Scholarship Money to Area Seniors

Jasper – Sister Cities of Jasper, the Jasper Deutscher Verein, and the Jasper Partnership Commission recognized Paul and Laura Grammer with the German Heritage Award during their annual German Heritage Dinner held Thursday, October 7, 2021. 

Since 1999, Sister Cities of Jasper, the Jasper Deutscher Verein, and the Jasper Partnership Commission have celebrated German American Day in Jasper in October and presented the German Heritage Award. The German Heritage Award recognizes individuals or groups that have generously contributed time, talents, or resources to maintaining, improving or building upon our German heritage in Dubois County. 


After the 23rd annual ceremony, Laura explained what the German Heritage award means to her, her husband Paul, and her family - who surprised her with being in attendance after the announcement.

"For my family, my mom and dad are on the list, my brother and his wife are on the list - we were taught early on that giving back to the community is the right thing to do," Grammer said. "...It means that this German Club is going to go on a long time, it means that German heritage is still alive in the community, and it means that what we did had meaning to people."


Paul and Laura have been members of the Jasper Deutscher Verein for many years and have contributed both time and talent to the club. Laura served four years as the Treasurer of the Deutscher Verein and Paul and Laura provided leadership and support in working to run the booths at the Strassenfest. In 2019, Laura was instrumental in bringing German Heritage to Thursday evenings at the Strassenfest. 

As one nomination submitted for the award so accurately stated, “Countless hours were spent in planning and practices, and just plain work!” An additional nomination stated, “Laura’s thoughts and dreams, with the support and help of her husband Paul, have been instrumental in in bringing German Heritage back to the Strassenfest opening night and ceremonies. Laura’s efforts to involve youth in our German heritage is sure to pay dividends forward to our mission of preserving, promoting, and celebrating our German Heritage for future generations.” 

During presentation of the award, Mary Leah Siegel, President of Sister Cities of Jasper, stated, “Paul and Laura are so worthy of this award. Rarely do you see one without the other, working together, to offer support or lend a hand wherever needed. Their commitment to community, family tradition, and German heritage is simply amazing.”


Prior to the ceremony, Siegel described the ideal candidate for a winner as "tireless efforts in the community, some of them are very public, some are more behind-the-scenes."


During Thursday night's festivities, the winners of four winning essay writers, one from each high school in Dubois County, read their works and were awarded $250 in scholarship money and a certificate.

The Senior essay winners included: Corbyn Schnell (NE Dubois), Dylan Weyer (Forest Park), Maddie Wanninger (Jasper), and Emily Roby (Southridge).