Fruit Column Restoration Capital Campaign
September 8 2026 |9130 Academy Road, Philadelphia, PA 19114
CANNSTATTER FRUIT COLUMN REFURBISHMENT
The Fruit Column (Fruchtsäule) is the defining symbol of the Cannstatter Volksfest-Verein. For more than 150 years, it has stood at the heart of our Labor Day Weekend Volksfest.
In many ways, it is our version of the Washington Monument. It is impossible to imagine our Volksfest without it.
Over the years, the column has evolved, with the current structure dating back more than 50 years. Through the decades, we have preserved it with repairs, restoration work, and fresh paint to keep it standing tall and proud.
Today, however, those measures are no longer enough.
The time has come to completely dismantle the column and rebuild it properly. This will be a major undertaking requiring significant craftsmanship, time, and financial investment to ensure the Fruit Column remains a centerpiece of our Volksfest for generations to come.
To help make this project possible, we will be launching a fundraising campaign in the coming months.
This effort carries special meaning this year, as we honor the legacy of Gustav Plankenhorn. For more than 50 years, Gustav was the creative heart behind the Fruit Column, a meticulous artist whose expectational talents shaped every panel and every painted detail that generations of Volksfest-goers have come to hold dear. He continued his diligent work, selecting the annual theme and touching up the paintwork each year, until he passed away this past October at the age of 95.
This first year without guidance will be a challenge, but we have every confidence that his daughter, Heidi Lancer, who has worked by his side for decades, is ready to take the reins. We hope that with the rebuild and the special theme we have planned for this year, that it will help continue his vision and legacy.
If the Fruit Column holds a special place in your heart, we invite you to support this effort and help preserve an important symbol of our heritage and community.
To help reach our $10,000 goal, we are proud to offer the following giving levels. Everyone who at the Supporter level and above will have their name displayed in front of the Fruit Column during the Volksfest - but every donation, at any level is deeply appreciated!
Contribution Levels:
Friend of the Fruit Column: $10
Supporter of the Fruit Column: $50
Preserver of the Fruit Column: $100
Guardian of the Fruit Column: $250
Gustav Plankenhorn's Inner Circle: $500