Issue link: http://frankenmuthcvb.uberflip.com/i/1071467
1 9 7 7 1 9 9 1 1 9 9 8 -2 0 0 2 2 0 0 8 Bronner's three stores combined and moved under one new roof on a 45-acre site south of town aptly addressed "25 Christmas Lane." Bronner's continues to experience blessings and growth nearly doubling in size in 1991. In 1992, Bronner's proudly sees completion of a replica of the Silent Night Chapel, a project dear to Wally's heart since his visit to the Stille Nacht Kapelle in Oberndorf, Austria, in 1976. Wally & Irene transfer leadership of the CHRISTmas Wonderland in 1998 to the second generation but remain an active part of the business. In 2002, another major expansion opened bringing the building size to 5.5 football fields. Wally Bronner, often referred to as "Mr. Christmas," passes but leaves behind a legacy that his family proudly carries on of sharing CHRISTmas daily. Why Chicken? The family style chicken dinners served today, were served first by the Fischer family at Fischer's Hotel (now the Bavarian Inn Restaurant.) Before he passed, Leonard Zehnder shared a story with his nephew Al Zehnder of Zehnder's of Frankenmuth about the why and how of those world famous chicken dinners. Before the process of mass production, the price of chicken rivaled that of beef, veal or pork and was reserved for Sunday dinner or special occasions and, in the time of Herbert Hoover, promised prosperity. "Then why serve all the food in large platters?" Al asked. Leonard recalled that back then, working in agriculture was a popular profession and the women of the family would serve the field workers large dishes that they passed around at big tables. And that's how families ate back then as well. In the William Zehnder, Sr. family of six boys and two girls, ten were sitting at the table at a time, so it made sense to serve everything on platters and share! Simple ideas that bring friends and family around a table to share a platter of food and make memories still has a place in our fast paced world. Take a step back in time with Zehnder's or Bavarian Inn. | 17 1-800-FUN-TOWN