Solomon Rust is hosting a follow-up session on revitalizing the exchange program between Germany and Jackson County.

“Call-Out to Travel or Host: Jackson County & Germany Exchange Program” is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at Schwätzer’s German Restaurant, 113 Indianapolis Ave., Seymour.

The program is limited to 25 travelers to tour their German roots in 2024 and 25 hosts to house German visitors in 2026.

Plans to formalize a Jackson County German-American Club will be discussed, too.

In the 1800s, hundreds of Germans from the village of Venne embarked on a long journey across land and sea to reach Jackson County, where they would then call home. Venne is a small town near Osnabrück in the northern part of Germany that has around 3,100 inhabitants today.

An exchange program started in the 1990s and continued for more than a decade under the direction of the late Udo Thörner, who researched the Venne immigrants and published his findings in the book “Venne in America.”

For a video of the July information session, visit youtu.be/Xca7MzFjWR4.

For information about the upcoming meeting, contact Rust at 812-498-5554 or [email protected].