
History and Cologne Glad Days Committee
History of Glad Days
Back in 2001 a group of concerned residents of Cologne and the surrounding townships formed a committee to do something to promote and enhance Cologne's sense of community. The committee started a civic celebration to be held the last weekend of July and called it "Glad Days."
The goals for this celebration were (1) to have a community gathering to bring together the life-long residents of the area and those who have recently moved into the community, (2) to reflect on the history of Cologne and share it with the new residents, and (3) to encourage residents to take pride in the community and work to make it more attractive.
The theme of "Glad Days" was chosen because Glad is slang for the Gladiolus Flower. In the forties, fifties and sixties the Lins family of Cologne were hybridizers of Gladiolus and Peony flowers. The family was nationally known and won many awards for their fine work. Sharing the history with the community was the focus of our first Glad celebration.
Focusing on the flower "Gladiolus" encourages people to plant flowers and spruce up their yards and surrounding area. We hope this attitude will be reflected in the care and up-keep of their homes. "Glad" is what we are as we celebrate this community event.
Today we have many sponsors that help us fund the celebration, and the Cologne Fire Department Relief Association and Cologne Lions Club have been the leaders in covering the cost of our festival.
Over the years we've grown our festival. In 2006 we celebrated the city's 125th year. Since then, we've added "days" including events on Thursday and Friday as well as Saturday.
We hope you will help us celebrate this wonderful festival! If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please do not hesitate to contact us!
2020 Glad Days Committee
Betsy Pysick - President/Co-Chair/Facebook
Tom Schmitz - Vice-President/Bar
Paula Gort - Treasurer/Co-Chair/Website
Taylor Gort - Secretary
Charlotte Sandeen - Vendors/Kids Fest
Damon Klein - Tractor Cruise
Daryl Traver - Bar
Jim Mesik - Tractor Skills
Jonathan Henschen - Tractors
Matt Lein - City Representative
Mike Smith - Wine Tasting
Nate Pysick - Tractor Skills
Roger Storms - Flower Contest
Sarah Bruss - City Representative/Touch A Truck
Scott Rynerson - Amazing Race/Kids Fun Run
Stacy Jensen - BBQ Contest
Toby Worm - Fire Department Representative
Tom Stuewe - Amazing Race/Kids Fun Run
Austin Pysick - Boys Baseball
Ryan Kirby & Sarah Hammers - Men's Softball