History

The history of the Oewerpetters

Already after end of the war in 1945 started „Aunt Herta" the songs and folk dances who had learned by her mother to maintain and transmit.
In 1971 she founded a wendlaendish folk dance and national costumes group. The dances and songs remind of the Wenden, a ethnic Slavic group which still led long an own way of life in this area. Together with her daughter undine she founded in 1976 the folk dance and national costumes group „De Oewerpetters".
This group originated as a youth group with pupils between 13 and 18 years. The first appearances took place in the same year before the parents of the youngsters and at village parties. The first „big show was at the harvest-party in Schnega, the Voergodendeelsdag (name of festival).

The first television appearance is to be owed to the wendländischen singer Carla Lodders in 1978. One travelled to the ZDF (Channel = Second German Television) to Mainz to represent the land Niedersachsen on the Germany-visit from the english Queen.
Invitations for other groups extended the sphere of activity after the border of a county and it origi- nated long-standing friendship. The participation in national costume festivals proved other contacts. In 1981 celebrated „De Oewerpetters her 5-year-old existence with a festival-procession on the multi- purpose-place in Lüchow. Besides, an additional child group was founded. Then at the age of 14 years the children can change to the „Big" Oewer- petters.
A new highlight was the television-show in 1982 in Lübeln and Hitzacker; for the ZDF in the broad- casting „If the music comes, with national Stars like Maria Hellwig, Helga Feddersen and Heino. It's followed the live broadcasting „Talk op Platt (talk in dialect) of the NDR (channel) in Hitzacker and the show „ZDF-Sunday-concert." All together are produced more than 26 television-shows till 1996. However, many other television-shows still follo- wed till 2009.

Indeed, the management of the group for a long time has gone over to her daughter Undine, but aunt Herta not still insist itself to play the accordion independently to her 80-th birthday in 1987. The songs, partly traditionally, partially from aunt Herta composed, tell stories of the wendlaendish everyday life in home dialect. Today belong to the group members in the age between 5 to 75 years.