By Kristine Kern, Review Staff Writer
Traditions are a way for families to remain connected to each other and their heritage. Most families have traditions whether they recognize them or not. It isn’t until we are sitting around reminiscing and the conversation so often starts with “remember every (Christmas, summer etc.) we would always . . . ” there is your tradition.
The Lorang family has a tradition of making venison sausage that they are now passing down to the fifth generation. Kevin Lorang, son of Ruth and the late Marvin Lorang, tells that their grandpa John, Marv’s father, was a man of many of trades and talents. One of those trades was butchering. Hunting, fishing and eating were favorite past times . He learned the Luxemburger art of making use of the whole animal from his father John Lorang Sr., making traditional German delicacies like head cheese and venison and blood sausage. Marv’s family remembers him telling of when he was young there were no deer around Lismore or even Nobles County for that matter. They guess from the stories Marv told that the white tailed deer herds started moving into the area in the early 1950’s. John would travel with friends and family in the fall to go deer hunting. Returning from a hunting trip with friend Orville Hebig in 1959 the pair stopped at a place called Mule Creek Junction, Wyoming. Marv’s son Kevin writes “as the story goes they helped a rancher, Sam Rennard, fix an old “Wisconsin” engine. This led to a friendship between the Lorang family and the Rennards that continues to this day! Nearly every year since then there has been a hunting party of Lorangs headed to Wyoming in the fall. Sometimes the harvest would be put on hold so the guys could make the trip!” Marv began going along on these trips after he got out of the service in 1961. He didn’t miss a trip for over 50 years. Kevin remembers this was one of his favorite places in the world.
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