Day care operator hopes to make event an annual affair

By GAYLE WEBER

gweber@dailynews.net

With each piece of his tissue paper lantern complete, 2-year-old Connor Brull screamed "lantern" at the top of his lungs.

To say he was excited was an understatement. And most of the children making lanterns were too.

"Let's go light it up," 5-year-old Ben Pahls said as soon as he finished constructing his lantern.

Brull and Pahls were part of a group of about 10 children who were accompanied by their families at Lanternfest Friday night at Cottonwood Star day care in Hays.

The children who attend day care at Cottonwood Star, including Brull, had been learning about the traditional German festival in the days leading up to it and had learned a song to celebrate it.

"He sings the songs at home so he really likes it," Jami Brull said of her son.

After all the lanterns were complete, the children paraded them around Gwyn Schmidtberger's yard, singing the "lantern song," though most children only joined in for the repetitive "la-bimmel, la-bammel, la-boom" part.

"This is what they do in Germany," said Schmidtberger, who runs Cottonwood Star. "Sing a song and walk through the neighborhood."

Lanternfest was intended to celebrate St. Martin, who was known for his generosity of spirit. The lanterns symbolized the light he brought into people's lives.

Schmidtberger also put on a skit about St. Martin, who is traditionally honored with a feast around Nov. 11 each year. The feast signals the first practical day of winter in Germany.

For those attending Lanternfest, though, the feast consisted of apple cider, popcorn and one of the popular events -- making caramel apples.

Six-year-old Jace Wentling still was chomping on his after the event, just waiting until he could take his lantern home.

"I'm going to put it on my porch," Wentling said.

Schmidtberger hopes to make the Lanternfest an annual event.