What is the value of a red rose? For the members of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Manheim, it's priceless.

On Dec. 4, 1772, Baron Henry William Stiegel and his wife, Elizabeth Holz Stiegel, conveyed property to fellow Lutherans to build a church in exchange for an annual rent payment of one red rose. The celebration and rose payment, originally called the Feast of Roses, became a tradition, and each year on the second Sunday of June, the Lutheran congregation pays the rent of one red rose to a selected Stiegel descendant.

This year's Festival of the Red Rose will be held on Sunday, June 13, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the church, 2 S. Hazel St.

"It's a nice way to celebrate the legacy of Baron Stiegel and his gift," said Linda Keiffer, chair of the festival committee. Because the festival could not be held last year due to the pandemic, roses will be presented this year to two Stiegel heirs. Stephanie Stover Carroll will represent the Henry William Stiegel family for the year 2020. Her sister, Stacy Stover Prince, will accept the red rose payment for the year 2021. The sisters were born and raised in Arlington County, Va. Carroll currently resides in Media, and Prince currently resides in Kensington, Md. Prince graduated from Purdue University and is currently a special education paraeducator with the Montgomery County Public Schools. Both women are ninth-generation descendants of Henry William and Elizabeth Holz Stiegel.

Attorney J.D. Young Jr. from Young & Young Attorneys at Law in Manheim will serve as the legal representative for the presentation of the roses. "We have a rent book that they will sign, and we need to have an attorney present to witness this rental payment because it's considered a legal transaction," Keiffer noted.

Church members have helped to make tracking down Stiegel heirs easier over the years, she said, including a former pastor who completed extensive genealogy research in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the late Millicent Cooper, who completed genealogy research in the 1990s.

The recipients of the roses are presented the flowers in a towel embroidered locally with a red rose and the date and are also given a glass rose created by Stiegel Glassworks.

Keiffer said the event is a fun way to commemorate the church's history while enjoying time for socializing and fellowship. "Anybody is welcome to attend," she stated. "It's a really nice program for anyone who is interested in history and particularly the history of Manheim."

For more information about the Festival of the Red Rose, visit http://www.zionmanheim.com or contact the church office at 717-665-5880.