The Swiss Historical Village on Saturday, August 15, 2015, hosted the 56th Annual Log Church Commemorative Service in the log church on the historical village grounds. This particular Saturday, the Saturday closest to August 15th, has been chosen as the weekend on which to commemorate the founding of New Glarus on August 15, 1845.

This service was first started in 1959 at the suggestion of then Swiss United Church of Christ minister, Fridolin B. Tschudy, who was a great-grandson of J.J. Tschudy, who served as the de facto minister of the first church until Reverend Wilhelm Streissguth arrived in New Glarus in 1850.

In recent years, ministers from a number of churches in the area have been asked to be the speaker at this yearly commemoration. Last year, Swiss United Church of Christ minister William Wineke spoke. This year the ministerial duties fell to Pastor Gene Talley, of the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church.

In his sermon, from the Book of Ruth, chapter 1, verse 1, Talley told the story of Naomi's journey from Bethlehem because of a famine. Talley stated that the story of Naomi is very similar to the founding of New Glarus as our ancestors left Switzerland because of a widespread famine in Europe.

Talley also told of those first settlers and their several day, 65-mile walk from Galena, Illinois, to what would become New Glarus. For Talley, a native of East Dubuque, Illinois, the first settler's ties to Galena was fascinating considering East Dubuque is just a few miles from Galena.

"When other earlier settlers saw this group of rough looking people walking through Southwest Wisconsin, they became frightened, and feared this band of Swiss immigrants who had come to America with nothing but the few items they could carry on their backs and the memories of the famine they were escaping from in Switzerland."

As an indication of how much New Glarus has evolved in its religious diversity, several years ago Father Ken Klink of Belleville performed the annual service. For many decades the Swiss of New Glarus looked down upon the Catholics. Much of this feeling came from the knowledge that most residents of Glarus, Switzerland, were Protestant.

Going to school in New Glarus in the 50s and into the early 60s, each class had one or perhaps two Catholic students. Today the classes are much more diverse. In some cases, the Catholic student would refer to her or himself as being the "token Catholic." Many of the third generation Swiss found it difficult to even say the word Catholic, instead saying, "they go to church in Belleville you know!"

The Maennerchor performed several songs during the 45-minute service, closing with the Swiss National Anthem.