Page 1 - 2026 Jan-Feb GC

A NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GERMAN-AMERICANS OF UPSTATE NEW YORK
AUSTRIA • GERMANY • LIECHTENSTEIN • SWITZERLAND
Vol. 14 No. 1 January - February 2026

This Buffalo Christmas market

was rooted in German traditions

By Amber Healy
or five weekends a year, from
before Thanksgiving until
Fjust before Christmas, the
parking lot next to Hofbrauhaus in
GERMAN CULTURAL AWARD HONOREES, friends and present- downtown Buffalo turns into a little
ers gathered at Hofbräuhaus in Buffalo. Additional photos on page 6. taste of Germany, as the bar and
Timm, Friends of Concordia restaurant bring the German tradi-
tion of outdoor Christmas markets
to Buffalo.
Cemetery receive WNY series of local vendors sharing their
The Christkindlmarkt features a
gift ideas, from Polish pottery and
German Cultural Awards hand-carved wooden bowls and
trees (sustainably made from trees
laine Timm and the Friends Award to Elaine Timm as the win- raised in Western New York) to coming downtown as part of their
of Concordia Cemetery ner in the individual category and to Christmas tradition and looking in
German candies and ornaments and
Egroup were recognized Nov. the Friends of Concordia Cemetery a little bit of everything in between, the windows (on Main Street in
13 at the 2025 WNY German Cul- for the organization award. Buffalo),” Arnold said. “I wanted to
from baked goods and olive oils to
tural Awards ceremony at Hofbräu- Timm was recognized for her handcrafted knives and gnomes. recreate that tradition, where people
haus on Scott Street in Buffalo in involvement in the Das Haus Ger- would come in from all over the
Each Friday, Saturday and Sun-
recognition of their dedication to man Museum of Wheatfield. day, a Christmas tree made of suburbs downtown to celebrate
preserving and celebrating their Wyrobek said Timm’s role in wooden barrels is lit, along with the Christmas and start getting the
German heritage, helping people to experience a little ceremonial lighting of Feuerzan- Christmas spirit. When we started
Mary Lou Wyrobek on behalf of of the life their ancestors knew, a the Hofbrauhaus, it was a perfect
genblowe, a traditional German
Buffalo Standard Printing publisher little of the way they helped build flaming punch. opportunity to kind of use that as a
of the German Citizen newspaper, WNY, a little of what they trea- vehicle to get this thing started.”
“We are probably the number
presented the German Cultural sured, enriched and grounded West- one European original market in German Christmas markets are
Continued on page 4 Western New York. We started this set up in the same fashion as the
Christkindlmarkt: Each vendor has
five years ago and then there are
a booth — “In Europe they call
others starting around us,” said Bob them stalls,” Hamels said —
Hamels, the event and banquet co- Ed Arnold and his daughter
stocked with their wares, sometimes
ordinator and an investor at with a table in front, selling gifts, Ashley.
Hofbrauhaus Buffalo. He can be
treats and special holiday items, all
found in a bright yellow HiViz jack- within a centralized location, allow-
et, moving quickly around the mar-
ing for people to visit all the vendors
ket, making sure everything is while taking the sights and sounds
running smoothly.
of the season.
Organizers of other markets, “The difference, pretty much,
like the ones at the Richardson
between the European ones and ours
Complex and this year’s newest edi- are a lot of theirs are canvas,” he
tion in Lancaster, often call Hamels
explained, whereas the ones at
and his business partner, Ed Arnold, Hofbrauhaus are more rigid struc-
ANNUAL GERMAN MASS at for a little advice on setting up their tures to withstand the snow and
St. Louis Church in Buffalo at- markets, as Hofbrauhaus has estab- strong winds.
tracted over 400 individuals as it lished a new standard for a success- He estimates an average of
launched Christmas festivities on ful event. 30,000 to 40,000 people visit the
Nov. 30, 2025, the First Sunday of This year, there are 60 vendors Chriskindlmarkt every year during
Advent. The concelebrants were participating in the Christkindl- the five weekends it’s open; hours Kelly & Peggy Hamels.
Rev. Daniel Jamros, S.J. of Cani- markt, some setting up shop all five are Friday from 4-8 p.m., Saturday
sius College, and Rev. Jacek Ma- weekends while others rotate from 12-8 p.m. and Sunday from
zur. Music was provided by through. Some of the vendors have
12-5 p.m. Dec. 19 through 21 was
members of the German-Ameri- been participating since the Christ- be the final weekend.
can Musicians, directed by Tim kindlmarkt opened in late 2020, the
“I like to see the crowds of peo-
Lyon and the St. Louis Choir di- first year Hofbrauhaus was in busi- ple walking around, having fun,”
rected by Frank Scinta. A recep- ness.
said Arnold, co-owner of Hofbrau-
tion catered by Gerhard Braun in “When I originally became an haus. “I love to see the little kids,
the church social room followed investor and owner, we talked about the parents with their kids, wander-
the Mass. it. It was one of our plans,” Hamels ing around and getting excited when
A growing list of supporters said. “We put it together and made they see Santa or the Grinch or dif-
helped to underwrite and support it happen.” ferent things going on here.”
the German Mass this year, in- “For years, my friend and I Another favorite item from the
cluding Matthew Collard, the would talk about bringing a Christ- Christkindlmarkt is the small porce-
Honorary German Consul; mas market to Buffalo, and my aunt lain mug, specially designed and
Günther Schneider; the James and my mother always talked about
made for Hofbrauhaus each year,
McGoldrick Family; Robert
Photos by Martin Ederer for the hot chocolate or Glühwein, a
Shepherd in honor of Frank Wai- Ken Korn.
hot mulled wine. “They’ve become
land and the Auslanders Band;
collectors items,” Arnold said “I have imported all kinds of
the Joseph M. Sorg Foundation of
proudly. ornaments, candles, cookies, cakes,
St. Louis Church; and the Mari-
The market also partners with smokers, pyramids, nutcrackers, ev-
lyn Gohr McTaggert Reveal
about a dozen different charitable erything,” she said.
Fund.
organizations through the course of The smokers are hand-carved
the five weekends for various fund- structures – houses or churches or
raisers or gift giveaways, all to little men with pipes – that are used
make the holidays a little more spe- to hold incense cones and channel
cial in the City of Good Neighbors. the cone’s smoke in a decorative
It’s also a bit of a family affair, manner to appear like a fireplace or
as Arnold had his son and daughter a man smoking a pipe.
working at the market on Black Fri- While not of German heritage
day and Hamels’ wife, Peggy herself, Peggy Hamels said she’s
Hamels, selling items imported grown to love the market and the
from Germany as one of the mar-
ket’s vendors. Continued on page 2