The Lord Mayor of Rothenburg, Germany experienced the merging of American and German heritage along with Arlington residents and visitors at the Texas Christkindl Market Saturday and Sunday.
As guests crowded the market to purchase authentic German cuisines, beverages and handmade goods, country music singer, Charla Corn, sang lyrics reminiscent of the market's southern setting.
"It's an unbelievable atmosphere," said Lord Mayor of Rothenburg Walter Hartl as he mingled with visitors. "This is a Christmas feeling."
Hartl went on to say he was pleasantly surprised by the market and enjoyed the friendliness of the people.
District 2 Councilwoman Sheri Capehart said the Texas Christkindl Market is the largest German Christmas market in the south, bringing in local and out-of-town visitors.
The market, which is in its fourth year, began as Capehart's idea to create a partnership between the Christmas market in Arlington and the market in Rothenburg, German, which is more than 500 years old.
Arlington is known for doing things first, and the city is on the leading edge of a new tradition, Capehart said.
"The partnership with Rothenburg is quite an honor," she said.
Ronnie Price, president & CEO of the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the market has done well and anticipated that roughly 100,000 or so people will visit the market this year.
"The experience the market creates for the visitors is its most significant aspect," Price said.
Plano resident Janet Hartkorn sat on a bench with a bag of goods from one of the market's shops, Käthe Wohlfahrt's Christmas Village. According to the North Texan, having a friend in Germany motivated her to go see what the Texas Christkindl Market was all about.
"Just being able to walk and see the stores side by side, and eat and drink while doing it, that's the most enjoyable experience at the market," she said.
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