Liederkranz - About The Hall

The Club was formed on October 31, 1870 and incorporated November 7, 1870. It presently has the distinction of being the oldest club in Grand Island.

The Club was organized as a singing society to promote singing, music, drama, art, and literature. The German name Liederkranz means "Song Wreath" or "Circle of Song."

The Union Pacific Railroad donated two lots of the present site for the original frame building costing $3,275.00. This building was replaced with the present one in 1911 at a cost of $61,757.84. It is one of the few buildings in Grand Island to be registered with the Nebraska State Historical Society and on the National Register of Historic Places.

Both buildings served as the primary community meeting place for many years for events such as the signing of peace treaties with the Indians, carnivals, revivals, political conventions, and commercial meetings.

The paintings displayed in the Dining and Centennial rooms, depicting the history of the Liederkranz, were presented to the Club by the Grand Island Sketch Club at the completion of the 1969 major remodeling program.

The Liederkranz has always been recognized as a leader in civic programs throughout its history and we continue this tradition by making our facilities available to charitable organizations for their fundraisers.

The Liederkranz remains a family club. Our facilities include a dining room, lounge, bowling alley, meeting hall, ballroom, and enclosed courtyard.

The Liederkranz is owned by the Membership and governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees who are elected by the Membership. The Club has a hired manager, Alice Johnson, but some of the day-to-day operations are managed by a group of volunteers. Many of the people who serve you are volunteers. If you would like to volunteer (a good way to meet people), please contact Alice Johnson or Fred and Gloria Otradovsky.

Current Board members are:
     President: Carl Mayhew
     Vice-President: Ken Santin
     Secretary: Sue Mayhew
     Bob Engel
     Sandy Yarns
     Dave Murray
     Larry Ballweg
     Louise Miller
     Frank Hochstetler

The paid staff consists of:
     Berta Douglas (wedding & events coordinator, cook)
     Trisha Ruhl (Berta's assistant)
     Denis Rist II (cook, maintenance)
     Gay McGee (waitress, food preparation)
     Kim West (food preparation, dishwasher, cleaning)
     Jeannee Mueller, Brad Fossberg, Jim Iverson, Steve Spencer, Geoff & Sherry Cyboron, and others
The rest of the folks you see behind the bar and the cash register, serving, cleaning, etc. are usually volunteers.