Past to Present

The City Beautification Committee is an established committee of the City of Frankenmuth. The committee was established through city resolution in 1955 and has fostered Frankenmuth’s beautiful heritage for over sixty years. 

From petunia-lined curbs and community entrance signs to hundreds of American flags and hundreds of thousands of holiday lights, the committee has grown to provide a four-season beauty from north to south, and east to west.

 wally bronner

 Charter Member
Wally Bronner, Bronners CHRISTMAS Wonderland Originator and Charter Member of the City Beautification Committee.

Wally Bronner, charter member of the Frankenmuth CBC, continuously served the community until his death in 2009. Bronner loved to say that no man stood taller than when he bent down to pick up a piece of trash. An inspiration to his family, the people with whom he worked, his business peers, his neighbors and his customers, no one stood taller than Wally Bronner in the eyes of the CBC committee. He inspired us with his passion to maintain a beautiful community just as he inspired his company to unparalleled success. Wally's vision for this committee was single in purpose - striving for beauty in all things.

Bronner was not only the architect of many of the Christmas decorations on display throughout town, but the many fund-raising campaigns and special projects completed by the CBC over the years. With his wife Irene and the Bronner Family Foundation, Bronner established a challenge grant to seed the endowment fund to continue beautification efforts for the long-term. He continues to be missed, but his personal mark will forever keep Frankenmuth beautiful.

"Thank you, Wally, for your tireless attention to detail ... for that has helped Frankenmuth shine for all these years."

2021-2022 Committee Members
Twenty Members appointed by the Mayor and City Council comprise the CBC Board of Trustees. Current members are: Mary Galsterer (Chair), Michael Southgate (V-Chair), Herb Zeilinger (Secretary), Jared List (Treasurer), Sue Bierlein, Dietrich Bronner, Mara Hetzner, Judy Hiles,  Kris Lewis, Kevin Maurer, Cindy May, Andrea Muller, Verna VanDevelde, Ruth Wallace, Al Weiss, Mary Lou Wilson, and Linda Woodle. 

Ex-Officio members also serve the board, advising on their areas of expertise. They include City Manager Bridget Smith, DPW Superintendent Randy Braeutigam, DDA Executive Director Dan Hopp, Frankenmuth Chamber & CVB President Jamie Furbush, Contractor Scott Anderson and greenspace Advisor, Eugene Hopp. City Council Member includes Beth Reindel.

CBC Picture 2022

Committee openings are posted yearly. Applications to serve can be received from Frankenmuth City Clerk (pkerns@frankenmuthcity.com) or downloaded from the City’s website at http://frankenmuthcity.com/city_application.htm.

2022 Standing Committees
Activity of the CBC is guided by a variety of standing committees including: Executive, Nominating, Fundraising/Special Events, Publicity, Landscape, Christmas, Keep Michigan Beautiful (KMB), Budget and Endowment Fund.

 Meetings
 The Board meets regularly in Fall and Spring. Additional meetings are called by the chair pending activity. Sub-committees meet in anticipation of committee activity. The CBC is a public agency and meetings are posted and open to the public.

Future
The committee is actively pursuing research on replacing banners for the city streets and updating the Cass River bank "Peace on Earth" / Willkommen letters.