FAREWELL TO DR. SHOEMAKER: For more than two hours on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 people in the Dutch Country of Pennsylvania paused to remember one of their native sons who so loved this pastoral countryside, and its Rhineland's descendants. Shoemaker could not help but to record their Americana civilization for future generations, yet unborn, that they may rejoice in the freedom that their Old World pioneers, developed in William Penn's land of milk and honey, far from the cultural wars of Europe to finally create an American Paradise where Germanic farm-loving people continue their traditions to this very day!
Dr. Don Yoder, co-founder of the Kutztown Folk Festival with Alfred L. Shoemaker waits his turn to eulogize his colleague of fifteen years.
Richard Shaner, Director and event coordinator, demonstrates the "Hexahewwel" Shoemaker allowed he and his Heidelburg Philharmonic bandmates to sell at the annual Folk Festival.
Mayor Sandra Green proclaimed April 13th, 2008 in Kutztown as Dr. Alfred Shoemaker Day, at Kutztown's Trinity Lutheran Evangelical Church on West Main Street at 2 P.M.
Besides a "Double-Headed Eagle" Hex Sign, Richard Orth, Assistant Director, reviews Alfred Shoemaker's PA German roots in Lehigh County.
PA Dutch citizens, young and old, Plain Dutch or not sing "Amazing Grace" at Trinity Lutheran Church Service for the late Alfred Shoemaker.
Rev. Richard Miller, son of Herb and Viola Miller, close friends and loyal supporters to Shoemaker's visions introduced "Drechter Kucha" (funnel cake) to the World.
Professor Dick Beam, German linguist himself (seated), chats with 90-year-old Violet Oliver, a neighbor of Shoemaker in Saegersville, Lehigh County. Both salute this early PA German dialect folklorist who studied the German-American language.
Some of the 100+ publications on exhibit attributed to folklorist, Dr. Shoemaker.
Alan Keyser speaks for the Goschenhoppen Historians, and fondly remembers playing "haase" cards with Doc Shoemaker.
