Around lunch and dinnertime at Jasper, Indiana’s The Schnitzelbank, the chimes of 16 pitched bronze bells ring out from the renovated glockenspiel tower. Then the show starts as four animated figures perform the “Schnitzelbank Song” and “Bier Barrel Polka.”
“If their food is not ready, people will run out to see it,” says Alan Hanselman, who, with his sister Gail Hettinger, owns The Schnitzelbank’s restaurant, catering operations, KlubHaus61, and the local Hampton Inn. Their parents, Larry and Betty, opened the original restaurant in 1961.
A glockenspiel — which translates to “bells play” in German — traditionally is a percussion instrument with some similarities to a xylophone. The mechanical clock tower incorporates bronze bells, while animated figurines and songs tell the history or folklore of a region.
Hanselman’s father, Larry, was inspired by a glockenspiel tower in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Cincinnati, Ohio-based The Verdin Company constructed one for The Schnitzelbank in 1988.
“We were having a lot of trouble with the old one. The movements didn’t work anymore,” Hanselman — who oversees the restaurant — says, adding that the updates also are “a dedication to my father.”
Updates to the 37-year-old attraction took three years to complete and were unveiled July 24. Charleston, South Carolina-based Bell Foundry Christoph took on renovations, bringing in a specialist from Germany. The result is a refreshed look, an additional performance, and two new figurines, plus improved sound. Using an app on his cell phone, “I can be in Florida and set it off with my phone,” Hanselman says. “When we first got it running again, the place was nuts. We’ve gotten a lot of good feedback.”
After the bells chime daily at 11 a.m. and 12, 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8 p.m. Eastern Time — even when the restaurant is closed most Sundays — musical performances begin two minutes later. They feature a conductor and a ginger-haired “beer-drinking man” who are original to the glockenspiel tower, plus a new man and woman sitting on barrels and holding pints. A nutcracker rings its own small bronze bell, and a rooster at the top calls out the accordion-driven “Chicken Dance” above a Roman-numeral clock outlined in gold. “The ‘Chicken Dance’ song is a crowd favorite. People dance along,” Hanselman says, but the glockenspiel also can be customized for special events. The only time it turns off is during cold weather, especially ice.
Patrons also can pretend they’re at Germany’s Oktoberfest celebrations all year long by posing for a photo with a painting of a German family cheering in the streets. (Hint: Say “Prost!” for the camera.) While visitors always have been drawn to the glockenspiel, Hanselman hopes that the new look will drive more enthusiasm. “We’ve already got people driving two hours,” he says.
