Zoar hosts guest speakers at Maifest

The Free Speaker Series at Historic Zoar Village will welcome Ernest Thode and Kathleen M. Fernandez on Saturday, May 11.

Starting at 11 a.m., Thode will present “Navigating German Genealogy: Researching Alsatian, Swiss and German Heritage.” Thode has a master’s degree in German studies from Stanford University. He has been a teacher, German translator, genealogist and librarian and is the author of the “German-English Genealogy Dictionary.”

Fernandez, former site manager, will speak at 1 p.m. on “The Separatists’ Decision to Form a Communal Society.” Fernandez has been intrigued by the German religious separatists who settled the village of Zoar since she began working there in 1975. Her first book, “A Singular People: Images of Zoar,” won the Distinguished Publication Award from the Communal Studies Association in 2004. Her newest book, “Zoar – The Story of an Intentional Community,” is scheduled for release soon.

Both speakers will present in the Zoar Church at 142 Fifth St. The Speaker Series is part of the village’s German Maifest Festival, taking place that day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.