We Are Making It To “Schmeckfest” in Lustre, Montana

Most Montanans have never been to Lustre, Montana much less "Schmeckfest." It is what they call the middle of nowhere Northeastern Montana. And Schmeckfest is supposed to be a great time.

You could be driving through Glasgow, Wolf Point, Opheim, or Scobey and still never go to Lustre. I was there for a Valley County spelling bee as a 4th or 5th grader back in the late 80s. I'm sure I went to Schmeckfest as a kid as well.

This year, we are finally making it to Schmeckfest in Lustre, Montana. As I previously mentioned, we are headed to the KATQ Radio Farm Expo in Plentywood for a live broadcast this Friday morning. Thankfully, Schmeckfest is this Friday night in Lustre so we can head there right after the Farm Expo in Plentywood. (By the way, we will have some more exciting news to share about our visits in NE Montana later this week...stay tuned)

Last year, we caught up with Bill Reddig as Lustre Christian was playing in their first ever Class C State tourney. We tell you more about Lustre and Schmeckfest.

Here's part of our chat. Click here for the whole story from last year.

Where is Lustre?

Bill Reddig: We are out in the middle of nowhere. We're  north of Wolf Point- about 40 miles, and we're from North of Glasgow- around 60, a little under 60 miles. So we're close to Canada and not far from North Dakota.

 

What is Schmeckfest?

Friday night (2023) was the 58th Annual Festival of German Tasting, or Schmeckfest, in the tiny Northeastern Montana town of Lustre. It is the big fundraiser for the Lustre Christian School featuring all sorts of baked goods, German sausages, piroshky, and more.

Is Lustre like an island of Germans in a sea of Scandinavians?

Bill Reddig: 1915-1916 a bunch of German Mennonites moved into this area and homesteaded. They ended up starting a school, Lustre Bible Academy in 1928. And then it became accredited 4 year high school in 1948, and it was changed to Lustre Christian High School.

The Christian school and community has a great reputation. Right now students from all over the world are boarding at Lustre Christian and spending the school year in a very remote corner of an already remote Northeastern Montana.

Bill Reddig: It is the school and the churches that hold this community together. We have all the schools- communities around us that have ended up closing, which is pretty sad- schools I played against. And this Christian School, boarding school, has kept our community together. It keeps us basically unified. End goal is to reach these kids. They come from all over the US and the world- and tell them about the gospel and also just to give them a great education and a great future for life ahead.