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Summarized by Rosemary Pollock
German TV show on Quincy Illinois May Include Nauvoo
Quincy IL Herald-Whig 18May00 D1
By Ann Pierceall: Herald-Whig Staff Writer
QUINCY, ILLINOIS -- Quincy, Illinois will be the stage for millions
of potential television viewers when a German news magazine takes an
up-close and personal look at the rich German heritage, culture and
quality of life in the city of Quincy. The one-hour program, titled
"Heimat in der Ferne" (Home Away From Home), will air in September
and be hosted by Dagmar Berghoff, a popular German news anchor. It
will feature local music and entertainment. "We've been interested in
the German heritage. We've been amazed at what we've seen," said
executive producer Martin Wohlfarth. He says the show may also look
at nearby Nauvoo, Illinois.
"For our episode, we're primarily interested in first-generation
Germans," he said. This would involve immigrants who settled in
Quincy during the 1940's and 50's and still speak German. Wohlfarth
and program writer Stephanie Maier and Platin Orchestra manager Josef
Hesse have been curious about Quincy's German connections.
"We said we have to see this. I hadn't expected the architecture to
be so interesting," he said. "In between, there's the personal
stories of the German people," he said. They will focus on the lives
of four or five German speaking families. Specifically, "what
brought them over here and whether they found a home away from home,
because that's the title."
The Quincy Convention &Visitors Bureau and WGEM-TV have assisted the
15 member production crew during its visit. The filming will take
place from July 1 -10. "Outside the flood of '93 and the president's
visit, this is probably the biggest stage we could play on," said Leo
Henning, general manager of WGEM-TV.
"It's a mixture between touristic information of the country, the
entertainment aspect with the music, and of course, the German
heritage (viewers) see that make the show popular," Wohlfarth said.
The show will be broadcast throughout Germany and via satellite to
all of northern Europe.
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