In celebration of the 30th annual Deutsch Country Days, the Luxenhaus Farm, located outside of Marthasville, was filled this past weekend with vehicles and people from all parts of the country. The festival, dedicated to German history and heritage, showcased a little of everything, including wood carving demonstrations, music and food. Larry Grabner, who traveled over 300 miles from Iowa to attend the festival, said he was originally drawn to the event for multiple reasons. “I would like to sell a cow because I have a family of milk cows,” he said. “I have a little hidden agenda.” Having attended past festivals as a visitor, this year Grabner donned traditional German farming attire and herded the sheep he brought with him. “Really, I love to entertain kids and see the smile on their faces when they’re able to feed the sheep. “I’ve come twice as a visitor and I like the German language,” he added. “And since it’s Deutsch Country Days, I wanted to bring the German back.” After rattling off a few phrases in German to the surrounding crowd, Grabner asked a young girl if she would like to feed one of his sheep. She obliged. “That’s what I do,” he said, acknowledging the young girl’s laughter. Nearby, a crowd was gathering to see artisan Joe Dudenhoeffer craft woven basket handles. “I have to make them in advance and I like to see them dry out a minimum of three to five days,” he told the crowd. “I thank the good Lord every day that I get to work with this good Missouri wood.” Despite his experience and knowledge of creating the handles, Dudenhoeffer said he still considers himself a novice. “I consider myself to still be learning,” he said. “It’s a learning process for me. “I believe when I first got started, it was something in my genes,” Dudenhoeffer added. “I think each person wants to create something and I just hope I can teach part of what was given to me. I hope to keep the tradition going.” Those visitors interested in music were located further away to hear Janis Huff and her husband Spike play the hammered dulcimer and guitar. “I’ve been playing the hammered dulcimer for about eight years,” Janis said. “I bought it and I didn’t know what it was, but I fell in love with it. Now if I could only quit my day job.” The instrument was something many visitors had never seen. “It’s kind of rare to a lot of us,” Janis said. “I just enjoy playing for folks and handing them the hammers to let them play and acquaint them with the history of the instrument. I do love it.” Along the Osage Trail, 14-year-old visitor Pete Wurtz had just finished throwing axes at a large block of wood as part of a demonstration. “The ax throwing has definitely been my favorite part,” he said. “It’s just a different experience. I’ve never done it before. I would recommend it to anybody.” Staying consistent with the theme of hunting instruments, Washington resident Bob Drummond sat and fashioned arrowheads from the Cahokia and Shoshone Native American tribes. He explained to the crowd the strong points of the various-sized arrowheads. “I like educating people,” he said. “A lot of people don’t realize how these were created, but I like being able to explain how it was done and teach them more than anything else. “I’m able to show people the different tools that Native Americans used and how they’re different from modern tools. To me, that’s the most important thing.” After taking in a variety of demonstrations, many visitors felt there was no better way to end the day than with a plate of food. “It was very nice,” said St. Charles resident Jan Haldeman, as she sat and ate. “Everyone tells a story and it was very informative.”