Advance ticket sales were down compared to past years and with more uncertainty coming from Wall Street every day, Hostkoetter worried visitors might keep their wallets shut or worse - stay away. Neither happened. In its 27th year, the two-day festival known for preserving living history and its German roots had a record-breaking year. Located on Highway O outside of Marthasville, Deutsch Country Days had an estimated 12,000 people attend this year's event. This year's attendance easily topped 1998 by about 1,600 visitors, said Hostkoetter, who added that the pleasant temperatures were a major reason for the large turnout. This year's crowd included visitors from as far away as California, Oklahoma and Arkansas. "It definitely was the best," Hostkoetter said. "It was packed. It was really good. The weather couldn't have been better. We sold out of everything." Hostkoetter and her husband, Bob, and numerous volunteers prepare the land at Luxenhaus Farm every fall to provide a glimpse of yesteryear of how early German settlers went out about everyday life. The simplicity of the old style sometimes is taken for granted, said visitor Earl Huber. From Knox City, located in the northern part of the state, Huber and his family drove nearly three hours to attend the event on Saturday. "I like these old things because it used to be the way they did things," he said. "Anymore, everything is done by push buttons. You've got to show (children) this isn't the way it's always been." From rope making to cooking over an open fire to using corn cobs for several purposes, volunteers and visitors were eager to exchange information of days gone by. "It shows people the past way of doing things that we all kind of forget about," said Hawk Point resident Tim Heger during a break from running a steam-powered sawmill. "It helped build the country. It's nice to look back every once in a while." One of the volunteers helping show visitors how stones were cut was Joe Walker. The St. Peters resident is stuck in an office during the week, but has spent six years volunteering at the farm. He began by performing carpentry work on some of the buildings, but later was talked into becoming a demonstrator. So on Saturday, he was showing off his skill. "People don't believe you can do it with hand tools," Walker said. "They think it can only be done with power tools. They are amazed you can do it." Next year's event has been scheduled for Oct. 17-18. While the Hostkoetters look for additional funding and backing, the farm and history behind the annual event won't be going away anytime soon. "It was amazing," Hostkoetter said. "The artisans were amazed. Everybody was really, really pleased. It's extremely rewarding."

Deutsch Country Days Founder: It Definitely Was the Best

This image was from the Deutsch Country Days in 2008.