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    LANDESVERBAND  

  NEWSLETTER AND MAGAZINE 

DONAUSCHWABEN EVENTS

02/24/13

October November December   2008    Volume 3 Number 4

Verein der Kerneier in Chicago

feierten ihr 70. Jubiläum,

verbunden mit dem jährlichen Schlachtfest

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

NOVEMBER  2008

Forwarded From Carpathia Donauschwaben

 Weinlese Fest

By Chris Pesta

    The traditions of the homeland were recreated on October 25 as Carpathia held its annual Weinlesefest celebrating the harvesting of the grapes. Carpathia held its first Weinlesefest in 1915 at the Concordia Hall in which the hall was decorated to look like a Weinberg (Grape vineyard). Not to be outdone, Carpathia Hall was decorated with a hanging trellis of grape vines, grapes, and pretzels. In the back corner of the hall, a jail was in place to lock up those who stole the grapes and pretzels while dancing to the music played by Enzian. Guests from the Cleveland Donauschwaben and Chicago Aids Society were in attendance. The Carpathia dance groups performed during the band breaks as well. Special thank you goes out to Dan Tisch for providing the grape vines. The Carpathia Board thanks everyone involved to help make this event a huge success.

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

OCTOBER  2008

    In April of 2007 at the yearly Dachverband meeting, Landesjugendleiterin Ingrid Dorr proposed at our Jugend meeting, that we should try to begin an annual camp or meeting of the Jugend other than the Landestrachtenfest held during Labor Day weekend. Immediately I thought, St Louis could do this!!!   We have Donau-Park which would be a perfect camp setting and this would be a perfect opportunity to show other cities what the St. Louis Donauschwaben have to offer. This Jugendtreffen (youth gathering) was to promote friendship among the Jugend and give them a better understanding of their Donauschwaben heritage and traditions in an atmosphere of fun and camaraderie. And so it began on Thursday, June 26th with the arrival of our first group, and ended Sunday

morning, June 29th, with long and sad farewells for everyone.

Donnerstag/Thursday:

Check-in

    Check-in started at noon with St. Louis Jugend arriving and setting up camp. Together they set up tents throughout the lawn between the lodge and pavilion, leaving room between their tents for a visitor’s tent to be set up. Around 1:00pm Chicago arrived with Cincinnatti and Cleveland following thereafter. First each group was directed to the lodge for registration, which consisted of a packet including two name badges, an itinerary of the weekend and a zip-lock bag of a certain color &/or shape of bead. From there our youth helped everyone set up their tents and get settled in. Each tent was adorned with a name of a Donauschwaben city. In-between tent setup and dinner, the youth played a few mixer games.   The bead bags received at registration was meant for a bead

exchange. The theory was to make sure that you met everyone by exchanging your bead for theirs and then stringing them onto a wire (included), making sure that you received a bead from everyone. Dinner, and every other event, was announced

by the ringing of the Alpenglocke. Dinner included Brats/hot dogs, potato salad, sauerkraut and chips. The evening closed

with a ‘toasty’ bonfire, Gus’s Pretzels, tasty ’smores and a little singing along accompanied by accordion music from

Frank and Monika Schiro.

Freitag/Friday:

‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ sightseeing

    Early Friday morning, the Alpenglocke rang at 6:15 to signal the first crew of Jugend to assemble at the vans for the first run to the YMCA for showers. Breakfast and clean up followed the showers and by 8:30 we were off to our ‘Meet me in St Louis’ sightseeing trip. First stop was to the Gateway to the West - the St. Louis Arch. All of us were able to go up to the top of the Arch as a group and the kids were absolutely thrilled to be able to see the sights. Next stop at noon was the Deutsche Kulturverein Halle for lunch. There we gave everyone a ‘taste of St Louis’ with a variety of St. Louis style Cecil Whittaker’s pizza, toasted ravioli and salad. After lunch everyone toured the facilities and then it was off to Anheuser Busch’s-Grant’s Farm. We entered the park and boarded the tram that took us around the park and we were able to see elk, deer, buffalo, cattle, mountain goats, and ostrich. Then we exited the tram by the Tiergarten, where many of the Jugend and adults got to feed the baby goats. Many sat and watched the elephant show, where some of the others just roamed around to see the other animals and exhibits. We all met at the front entrance by 3:30pm and headed towards the stables to see the famous Clydesdale horses and then to our cars to leave. Hot and tired we returned to ‘Camp Donau’ and had some down-time before dinner was served. A little slip’nslide and a few water balloon fights cooled off many of us, while others played corn toss and volleyball. Dinner was served by 6:00 pm with another ‘taste of St. Louis’: BBQ pork steaks, grilled corn on the cob, pork and beans, tossed salad and Ted Drewes frozen custard. By 7:30pm the kids were dancing and singing to the tunes of Ron Morrison’s live band: “Jack the Cat”. (It’s amazing that the kids mostly danced polkas to the rock ‘n roll music!) By 11:30pm, lights out was announced and we headed to our tents very tired from a long day of fun.   Weatherwise all was well except this particular Friday night, the winds picked up and spotted showers were in the forecast. Luckily there was only a short period of rain (not drenching) but most of the night the winds blew quite strongly and disrupted much of our sleep. (No tornados reported – just

strong winds.)

Samstag/Saturday:

Donauschwaben-Tag

(to promote awareness and the upholding of

Donauschwaben traditions,culture,food and dance.)

    After a long and windy night, our Saturday started a little later than usual and our shower runs to the YMCA began around 7:30am. By 9:00am, the Alpenglocke rang, and all of the Jugend assembled by the kitchen to learn how to make Goulash. At registration we had assigned each of the Jugend to a group represented by a color and each group had a St. Louis youth assigned as a lead person. There were five groups, each assembling around their own table with ingredients and recipe waiting. And the cooking began! Everyone had a job and took turns at chopping onions, browning the onions and beef, stirring the pot, etc. By 10:00 the Goulash was simmering on the stove and again the Jugend were divided into groups.   Three groups stayed in the kitchen to make Spätzle, while the

other two groups reported to the pavilion to learn two new Donauschwaben dances. … and the Goulash simmered!   

    Lunch at noon: Sub-sandwiches or peanut butter & jelly, raw veggies with ranch dip, chips and fresh fruit were served under the pavilion. At 1:00 pm the Alpenglocke rang to gather everyone to the pavilion and our history lesson began. Mr. Joseph Simon, our historian and Cultural Representative, gave a presentation on the history of the Kirchweih which included pictures of traditional Kirchweihtracht and festivities. After Mr. Simon’s presentation we had another guest speaker: Mrs. Elizabeth B. Walter, artist and author of Barefoot in the Rubble.   First, Mrs. Walter gave us a sneak peak of some of the pictures that she has illustrated for her new book about the Kirchweih.   Then she continued to entertain us with excerpt from her book, Barefoot in the Rubble, and explained what life was for her when she was only four years old and lived through the Ethnic Cleansing after World War II. She gave us some insight on how our Donauschwaben heritage came to be. Afterwards Mrs. Walter had a book signing for whoever was interested in

purchasing her book. … and the Goulash simmered!

    The Alpenglocke again rang at 3:00pm to announce the exchanging of groups – the two groups that had danced, now reported to the kitchen to make Spätzle and the other three groups to the pavilion to learn the two new Donauschwaben

dances. ... and the Goulash simmered!

    The Spätzle making proceeded the same as the making the Goulash, as each group had a recipe, lead person and lots of adult helpers. Dinner consisted of the wonderful Goulash and Spätzle everyone made, along with green beans, bakery bread and apple or cherry strudel. It was a sight to see how fast they all ran when the Goulash dinner bell rang. …and the Goulash was gone! 

    By 7:00pm the pavilion was ready to rock ‘n roll to the sounds of D.J. Eddie Tullius. However, before the music began, we incorporated a few trivia games with prizes – one for Donauschwaben trivia and the other St Louis trivia (from the Arch & Grant’s Farm they should have learned on our sightseeing tour). We also invented a new game for our Jugend to play. This game was called: tag the Donauschwaben – coming from a Jugend translation of the german words: Tag der Donauschwaben. We had a lot of laughs and quite a few winners. “D.J. Eddie” played music that the Jugend picked out which ranged from rock music to German music to line

dances. Everyone had a great time! As the evening drew to an end, we had a spectacular fireworks display put on by some

of our Jugend, with beautiful music accompaniment that ooh’d and aah’d everyone in the camp.

Sonntag/Sunday:

Auf Wiedersehen

    7:00am - Breakfast served: pancakes with syrup &/or strawberries, fresh fruit, cereal, coffee, juice and milk. Quickly we helped everyone break down camp. The visiting cities had at least 5-10 hours of driving back home and wanted to leave early morning. With the last ring of the Alpenglocke, farewells were said to everyone with the anticipation of seeing each other at the next year’s Jugendfreundschaftslager.

    On the behalf of the Jugendlager committee we would like to thank the Deutsche Kulturverein for hosting this first-time event. Also, special thanks to the following groups and people who helped make this Jugendfreundschaftslager a success:

    OurJugendlager-Parentscommittee: John Pappert, Moni Lorenz, Ruthie & John Vanderpluym, John Unterreiner, Birgit

Sterzl-McMullen, Pete & Linda Heddell, Kathy & Matt Stark, Ann & Ron Morrison, Gaye & Mark McMullen, Terry Ficken

and Herbert Lorenz.

Member helpers: Annerose Klotz, Ray & Ann Vonderhaar, Monika & Frank Schiro and Ralph Hofarth

Youth Organizations: German Culural Society of St Louis Jugendgruppe: A special thank you for all your help!

Chicago Donauschwaben Society: Chaperone: Lara Kuechel and Jugend

Cincinnati Donauschwaben Society:

Chaperones: Debi and Ed Tullius and their Jugend

Cleveland Donauschwaben Society: Chaperones: Ingrid Dorr, Landesjugendleiterin, Margot Maurer and their Jugend

Donauschwaben Historians: Joseph Simon, DKV Cultural Representative Elizabeth Walter, artist and author of Barefoot in the Rubble

    It was an honor for me to be able to help host this first Jugendfreundschaftslager in St.Louis and appreciate everyone that came to my aid in making this a wonderful success.   Hopefully this will help bring a closer friendship and understanding of our Donauschwaben heritage and culture to the youth that follow in our footsteps.

Dankeschön!

Rosemarie Ficken

Jugendleiterin, St. Louis

Go To This Link

in the Jugendseiten Section

For Pictures of this Event

http://donauschwaben-usa.org/2008_jugendfreundschaftslager.htm

It is sad news to report that there will be no German Heritage Festival this year. Times have changed and so must the festival.

For 34 years, the festival has entertained the German community throughout the New Jersey area, with live performances from Germany and showcasing local talent right in our own backyard. It also has featured food from favorite German vendors and crafts.

The German Heritage Council of New Jersey, is a non – profit organization, that dedicated itself to produce one day a year, in which the German people of New Jersey, and the surrounding areas, could celebrate their German heritage. Those attending came from near and far. Some came from as far away as Ohio, Maryland and even Canada. They could enjoy vendors selling everything German from Tracht to Steins to music and more. They also enjoyed authentic German food, provided by local restaurants and delis. Among other activities were German youth soccer games, and dancing provided by local German club dance groups.

The festival started out with many other ethnic groups (Polish, Irish, etc.). In 1974, the festival began showcasing local talent only. These included dance groups and bands. In the end we were one of a handful that remained, let alone constantly turn a profit. The money generated from these festivals was always given back to the German community by way of donations to various German cultural programs and student scholarships. While it may have begun under the leadership of others, the one you all know is Ted Hierl. He began as Program Chair, then Vice Chair. Later in 1985, he was voted General Chairman and has worked tirelessly ever since to bring over the best talent possible. Under his stewardship, our festival grew in size and exposure and became known all over Germany. The performers from Germany started coming over in 1977. Just to name a few: Freddy Breck, Marianne & Michael, Freddy Quinn, Tony Marshall, Vico Torriani, Heintje Simons, Fred Bertelmann, Jantje Smit, Stefanie Hertel mit Vater Eberhard, Stefan Mross, Original Naabtal Duo, Alpentrio Tirol, Big Band der Bundeswehr, Bianca, and may others. But there was one guest that kept getting welcomed back time and again- that was Heino! He came to the PNC Arts Center for an unbelievable 7 times and was the only one to sell out. I remember the time his plane was late coming in and he arrived at the Arts Center by helicopter- what an entrance!

Our Trenton Donauschwaben club got involved from the beginning days of the festival. Our kitchen staff would work tirelessly, baking kuchen, strudel, and the like, weeks before the festival, getting ready for the big event.  The day of the event everyone lent a helping hand, from youngest of young to oldest of ah….wisest to wise! It started early in the morning for the club, by loading up the vehicles with all of our goodies and supplies by 6:00 a.m. for the drive up. Once there, the setup usually went on without a hitch and a crowd waited anxiously for us to start selling the pastries. The club had a very good reputation and was well known by the regular attendees. They could always count on us for good food and drink. I was always asked if the Donauschwaben were coming back.

I also recall the early days of when the Donauschwaben dance group would perform on what was called “the mall”. The crowd of people was sometimes overwhelming. The dance group was also honored one year with the privilege of performing, on the main stage. The tradition continued into last year with the combined dancers from our Donauschwaben club dancers and our sister club in Philadelphia. Job well done.

As time went on, things changed. Ted put in longer hours, trying to bring the best talents year after year-this was getting more difficult. The year after Sept 11th, few wanted to fly. As the dollar was falling, the prices kept going up. The State was thinking of doing away with the stage show, but without the stage show, we would become just another October fest. So the committee voted, as a whole, to not have a German Heritage Festival this year, but keep the options open for the future. It is with sadness that I thank everyone on the Heritage committee for a job well done over these past 34 years. I have had the honor and privilege to serve on the committee since about 1990 with these outstanding men and women from across New Jersey. The committee never had a home, but was always welcomed at the various clubs to meet. It was amazing to see all the hard work accomplished by so few.

Reprinted with Permission

Trenton Donauschwaben

127 Route 156, Yardville, NJ 08620

Reprinted with Permission

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

OCTOBER 2008

Die Donauschwaben Cleveland 

Feierten 

das 50jährige Bestehen ihrer Organisation

von Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

    Als im Jahre 1958 beherzte Männer und Frauen die Vereinigung der Donauschwaben in Cleveland gründeten, ahnte noch niemand wie umfangreich diese Organisation im Laufe der Jahre sein würde. Heute haben wir allen Grund in dankbarer Anerkennung unserer Gründer zu gedenken die dieses Werk begonnen und mit Hilfe der vielen Mitglieder vollbracht haben.

    Mit Stolz und Genugtuung feierten wir in unserem Deutsch-Amerikanischen Kulturzentrum der Donauschwaben bereits im April 2008 den Schwabenball der Jugend, im Juni den Tag der Donauchwaben mit der Einweihung unserer neuen stattlichen Fahne und nun am 9. August 2008 das eigentliche 50. Jubiläumsfest. Der Holzersaal war festlich geschmückt, wie es sich für einen "Galaabend" gebührt, mit Weiss und Gold überzogenen Tischen und Stühlen, von der Decke hingen Girlanden – alles war geschmackvoll dekoriert.

    In der Vorhalle hatten Frauen auf langen Tischen, schon nach Jahren geordnet, allerlei Erinnerungen ausgebreitet, Transparente mit vielen Bildern und wichtigen Daten versehen waren ebenfalls zu bestaunen, sowie Programmhefte usw. der vielen Veranstaltungen. Die Kinder auf den alten Fotos sind heute Erwachsene deren Kinder und Enkelkinder z.Teil aktive Mitglieder sind. "Wie jung wir damals waren", meinten einige. Ein Grund, dass man den Vera0ntwortlichen für ihren Idealismus, ihren Weitblick und ihre Ausdauer danken muss, die den nachfolgenden Generationen hier im fremden Land eine Heimat geschaffen haben.

    Wenn man bedenkt, dass wir, die Erlebnisgeneration erst ein paar Jahre in Amerika waren, uns noch einleben mussten und die englische Sprache noch kaum beherrschten als die Vereinigung gegründet wurde, muss man wirklich dankbar sein, dass es uns gelang diesen Meilenstein zu erreichen.

    Nach dem gut schmeckenden Festessen, von Chef Weiss und seinen Helferinnen zubereitet fing das Programm an. Hilde Hornung, Vorstandsmitglied und Kulturreferentin des Landesverbandes und Ingrid Dorr, erste Vizepräsidentin und Landesjugendleiterin eröffneten das Programm indem sie die Gäste und Ehrengäste vorstellten. Sie berichteten vom ersten Tanz, der am 9. August 1958, genau vor 50 Jahren im Banater Club stattfand. Sie erwähnten die Namen der Präsidenten die die Geschicke unserer Organisation bisher leiteten, Anton Rumpf, Franz Awender, Fred Wintergerst, Josef Holzer, Robert Filippi und seit 2007 Franz Rimpf. Sie erwähnten, dass unsere Vereinigung im Banater Club zuerst aufgenommen wurde, wo die Gruppen: Sportc lub, Jugendgruppe, Blaskapelle, Frauengruppe, die Märchenstunde aus der sich später der Kindergarten und die deutsche Schule entwickelte und nach und nach die anderen Gruppen ihre Veranstaltungen abhielten. Frau Katharina Ritzman war die Gründerin mehrer Gruppen und ist trotz ihres hohen Alters noch sehr mit den Donauschwaben verbunden. Natürlich wurde die Notwendigkeit nach der Suche einen geeigneten Grundstücks erwähnt, der Ankauf des Grundstücks und die Baugeschichte auf dem Lenaupark erwähnt, die Fertigstellung und Eröffnung unseres schönen geräumigen Heimes wurde später von Ehrenpräsident Franz Awender und Ehrenpräsident und Geschäftsführer Josef Holzer besprochen. Die Umbennenung zum D.A. Kulturzentrum der Donauschwaben und die Namen der Präsidenten der Vereinigung, die für das Geschäftliche verantwortlich sind, wurden erwähnt. Robert Filippi, der von Josef Holzer im Jahre 1997 die Präsidentdenschaft übernommen hatte, berichtete über Ereignisse und Begebenheiten während seiner 10 jährigen Tätigkeit. Zuletzt sprach Franz Rimpf, der seit 2007 das Regent führt über die Gegenwart und sprach seine Hoffnung für die Zukunft aus indem er seinen Dank an alle übermittelte, die mithelfen, dass alles seinen gewohnten Weg auch weiterhin gehen kann.

    Tim Cornett, seit mehreren Jahren Präsident der Vereinigung und Pete Szeltner, zweiter Vize-Präsident des Kulturzentrums erhoben ihre Gläser (der eine mit Bier, der andere mit Wein) zum Toast als Dank führ die Vergangenheit und ein Prosit für die Zukunft. Dann meldeten sich noch Präsident Josef Geiser des Deutschen Vamilienvereins Akron, Gary Kucinich, Bruder des Congressmannes Dennis Kucinich, Helen Schatschneider, Präsidentin des Stadtverbandes und Elisabeth Filippi als Vertreterin des Banater Chores um Grussworte zu übermitteln bzw. Plaketten zu überreichen. Auch ein treuer Freund unserer Organisation, Herr August Pust sprach seine Glückwünsche aus und wünschte weiterhin Erfolg.

    Als die ersten Klänge der Kapelle "Musik Express" ertönten (es sind Hans Gutwein, Roland Pfeiffer und Willie Pfaff) war auch schon die Tanzfläche besetzt, warscheinlich hatten die Tanzlustigen schon darauf gewartet. In der Pause traten die Mitglieder der D.S. Jugendgruppe auf (Leiterin Margot Maurer) um die Feier mit ihren graziösen Wiener Walzern zu verschönern.

    Die grosse Skulptur aus klarem Eis muss unbedingt erwähnt werden, die mit dem Donauschwaben Wappen innen verziert und mit der Zahl 50 oben ausgehauen war.

    Das Komitee für das schöne Festbuch hat eine enorme Arbeit geleistet, an der Spitze unsere Artistin Margot Maurer und Frau Mina Rimpf, die Gattin unseres Präsidenten Franz Rimpf. Sie haben sich den Lob der Gemeinschaft verdient. Mit den vielen Berichten in deutscher und englischer Sprache und die vielen schönen Bildern von einst und jetzt, ist das Buch als Erinnerung an die Gründer und deren Mitarbeiter sowie als Nachschlagewerk für die nächsten Generationen gedacht und fand sofort guten Absatz.

    Bis zur mitternächtlichen Sperrstunde wurde noch tüchtig gefeiert, denn es hiess: "So jung kommen wir nicht mehr zusammen!"

P.S.

Das Festbuch mit harten Deckeln enhält 265 Seiten und kann im Büro des Kulturzentrums der Donauschwaben 7370 Columbia Rd. Olmsted Twp 44138 Tel 440-235-2646 gekauft werden. Bei Verschickungen zum Preis von $10.00 bitte Verpackung und Postgebühren von $5.00 dazu rechnen für die USA and $22.00 für das Ausland.

Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

Ice Sculpture                                    Josef Holzer, Ehrenprasident

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

OCTOBER  2008

50th Donauschwaben Day

Adds New Flag Dedication

To Its Celebration

Submitted By Marie Spaan

    The sun shone brightly with beautiful blue skies overlooking Lenau Park (Donauschwaben's German-American Cultural Center, Olmsted Township. Ohio) and it's many participant as they gathered to celebrate the 50th Donauschwaben Day.

    The Blaskapelle under the direction of Band President Roger Radke was the background during [he dinner hours where goulash and sausage dinners were available and freshly baked "Krapfen" were the popular dessert of the day.

    Promptly at 2 p.m. the groups and honored guests lined up for the "Aufmarsch" and the colorful parade approached the outdoor memorial gar­den. The Blaskapelle, Banater Chore and officers look part in the memorial program with Father Michael Franz of St. Stephens Catholic Church and Pastor Horst Hoyer of Immanuel Lutheran Church conducting the reli­gious service.

    The outdoor activities were con­cluded when members of the Youth Group placed flowers at the site of the memorial.

    Cultural Center President Franz Rimpf opened the indoor segment of the program with a hearty welcome, and turned to podium over to the day’s hosts - Kultur Referent des Landesverbandes North America and Cultural Center Board Member Hilda Hornung and 1st Vice President of the Cultural Center Board, Ingrid Dorr. The American, German, Austrian and Donauschwaben anthems were sung and a moment of silence was held hon­oring the deceased members though the years.

    The introduction of guests included: Diana Thimmig, Honorary German Consulate of Cleveland, who just recently was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C; August Pust, Director Emeritus of Multicultural and International Relations for the State of Ohio, recent recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor; Father Michael Franz, Pastor Horst Hoyer, Dr. Joseph Wendel -German Radio host WCPN & WCSB; Cultural Center Ehren President Joseph Holzer and his wife Fanny; Donauschwaben Society President Tim Cornell and his wife Cindy; former Cultural Center President Robert Filippi and his wife Liz; and S.T.V. Bavaria Schuhplattler President Kenny Ott, who was instrumental in securing the new flag.

    One of the highlights of every Donauschwaben Day celebration has been the German School graduation and this year was no exception with eight students receiving their diplomas. Mrs. Edith Hebrank, German School Principal and Mrs. Renate Elber,

    German Teacher, made the presenta­tion speeches and announced the grad­uating students as Cultural Center President Franz Rimpf handed out the diplomas to the following: Claire Beargie, Brian Bilstein, Erik Fogwell, Mitchell Moran, Matt Schwarz, Joey Simonis, Patrice Sullivan and Andreas •Thellmann. A $100 scholarship award was presented to Andreas Thellmann for outstanding effort.

    A High School German Test con­ducted by the American Association of Teachers of German was given to our students and medals were awarded to the following students who scored higher than 90%: Nicholas Boros, Patricc Sullivan, Keve Pigniczky and Samuel Bocchicchio. Students who scored more than 70% on this test and did excellent work during the school year were also recognized.

    Congratulations to all of these stu­dents - the whole German community can be proud of their accomplishments". We hope to see more of these young people taking an active role in the activities of our many German groups.

    At this time on the program our flags and groups were lined up for the Flag Dedication (Fahnenweihe) and our hosts Hilda and Ingrid made the introductions. As the band led into a marching step the old flag was carried in by Robert Gutwein. Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Holzer and Mr. Franz Awender attended it. Mrs. Holzer was one of the original "Fahnenmutter" - the other was the late Mrs. Helen Awender.

    The old flag represented the original Donauschwaben Club and when it became worn to the point where repairs were noticeable - it was decided to have a new flag made.

    As Ingrid Dorr explained, since the "whole club" is based upon "we" not "I", the flag is the symbol of this thought, and the new flag was designed with this in mind.

    Thanks to Margot Maurer and her design expertise, as well as Ingrid and the committee who worked on this important project, the flag has turned out to be a beautiful and noteworthy representation of the Cleveland Donauschwaben Organization.

    The new flag, with proper fanfare, was brought in by the official Flag Bearer Tim Cornet! and Color Guard Robert Filippi. Accompanied by the new Fahnenmutter Margot Maurer and Liz Filippi.

    The Dedication Committee wanted to make sure that all the groups and people in the club were somehow included symbolically, so next in the parade were a group of people repre­senting the areas from which settlement regions our Donauschwaben came, namely: Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia with its provinces Southwest Hungarian Central Mountains, the Schwäbische Türkei (Dunantul), Sathmar, Slavonia, Syrmia, Batschka and the Banat..

    Following this group in the parade were the representatives (Presidents, etc.) from every group in the Donauschwaben organization, including the "TSV Bavaria" Schuhplattler.

    The ceremony continued with each "regional European person" touching the flag (with gloved hands) as it went by them. Each "group" leader hooked a Schleife on the flag (ribbon with the name of their group) to the flag as they were called up to approach it. Father Franz and Pastor Hoyer bestowed their bless­ings on the beautiful new addition, as well as, their future good wishes, and the flag then became the official new symbol of the Donauschwaben German-American Cultural Center of Greater Cleveland and their groups.

    Both old and new flags were parad­ed around the dance floor, pictures were taken and the flags were placed in the flag holders.

    The program continued with the Banater Choir performing under the direction of Andrea E. Ball singing "Glocken der Heimat".

    A very large and proud Kindergruppe, the young girls sporting their brand new Dirndl’s performed with a song and several dances under the leadership of Helga Schlothauer and Ingrid Dorr. The Jugendgruppe followed with several colorful dances under the leadership of Margot Maurer and Henry Ludwig. The size and pride of these groups who completed the program were a joy to behold and their proud parents and families were of course on hand to encourage and support them!

    We will be watching for the new flag to make its appearance at the many coming events in the club’s 50^th Anniversary Celebration the first of which will be the Gala Dinner Dance to be held Saturday, August 9^th, which incidentally will mark exactly 50 years (August 9^th, 1958) that the first Anniversary Dinner Dance was held.

Fahnenmütter Margot Maurer and Elisabeth Filippi

Franz Rimpf, Franziska Holzer, Josef Holzer, Elisabeth Filippi, Robert Filippi, Margot Maurer, Franz Awender, Ingrid Dorr, Pete Szeltner

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

OCTOBER 2008

2008

Landestrachtenfest der Donauschwaben USA & Kanada

von Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

Translation by Hans Kopp

    August 29. 30. 31^st, the Donauschwaben of North America and Canada observed their Landestrachtenfest at the German American Cultural Center (Lenau Park) on the premises of the Donauschwaben in Cleveland, Ohio. The large tent which was used for the 3-day Summer-Oktoberfest did remain standing and now served again for the activities of this Festival.

    Indeed, the first guests arrived from Germany, Austria, Australia and other cities of the USA and Canada already during the beginning of the week and the guests of honor; “the directors of the Weltdachverband” were welcomed and treated royal by the host. Since the meeting of the Weltdachverband Organization of the Donauschwaben was planned for Thursday. The additional days our guests’ had to their disposal due to the early arrival here were opportune times to tour the city of Cleveland on Tuesday and the Amish country on Wednesday.

    As we learned from Mr. Josef Jerger Chairmen of the Weltdachverband of several years, the Annual General Meeting ran very harmoniously. Mr. Jerger retired as the head of the organization and Mr. Bernhard Krastl Vorsitzender of the Banater Swabians in Germany was elected the new chairperson. Congratulations to him and his newly elected board of directors.

    The Landestrachtenfest actually started already on Friday evening with the well known and customary “Kameradschaftsabend” in the Holzer Hall and the tent outside with a band playing for the guest pleasure,

    On Saturday buses and private cars arrived from out of town, loaded with hundreds of young people, children, their parents and group leaders. Already in the early afternoon workshops for our youth groups as well as children’s groups were held which were interesting and informative for everyone taking part.  

    The official opening of the festivities took place in the exhibit facilities of the Donauschwaben on the lower level sports complex. Franz Rimpf, president of the Donauschwaben in Cleveland had the honor doing so, followed by the recital of a poem from our homeland by Helga Schlothauer. After the conclusion of the poem the women group joined by all women presented two songs. Now the festivities and the Heimat exhibit was official open and it gave the guests an opportunity to see the many beautiful Trachten, dolls in Trachten and artifacts from our homeland. It appeared that many people were involved to give this exhibit a cross section of the many arts from of our ancestors of long ago.

    The parade and “Die Grosse Kundgebung” (huge revelation) was next on the agenda. All the participants in the parade met behind main building. Ingrid Dorr, the first vice-president of Donauschwaben, Cleveland and the National Youth Leader of the Donauschwaben-USA had a big surprise in store for everyone. A real “schwowischer Wagen” a Swabian wagon on which we saw Karoline Lindenmaier, Jakob Gayer and children in Trachten seated, leading the parade around the lake to the soccer field accompanied by the sound of the brass bands from St. Louis and Cleveland. The wagon was followed by the honorary guest and the many groups from the USA and Canada.

    After the honorary guests were seated in the grand stands of the field, the various youth groups took their positions on the soccer field with their flags and signs from their organizations they proudly carried to the field. The bands played the national anthems of Canada, Germany, Austria, Australia and the United States and finally the anthem of the Donauschwaben presented by Michelle Esper.

    President Rimpf extended his greetings with hearty words to everyone in particular to the honorary guest from afar, which he introduced. First he introduced the guest speaker Mr. Wolfgang Drautz, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany from the Consulates in Chicago. Then Robert Filippi (10 Jahre President in Cleveland und Vice-President of the Weltdachverbandes) who had the honor to introduce the newly elected officers of the Weltdachverband.  The are: Bernhard Krastl President (Deutschland);  Josef Jerger Vize President (Deutschland); Dipl. Ing. Alexander May Vice-President (Austria); Dipl. Ing. Hans Supritz (President of the Donauschwaben of the Federal Republic of Germany); Henriette Mojem Secretary of the Haus der Donauschwaben (Deutschland); Stefan Ihas Jugend- und Trachtengruppenleiter (Deutschland) as well as other personalities:

    Among other Donauschwaben personalities present were; Hermann and Marianne Lammli, Australia); Helmut Berner, President of the  Sathmarer Schwaben (Germany); Barbara Fetzer (Germany); Johann Kehlbach (Germany); Father Peter Zillich (Germany), Leo Mayer, president of the Donauschwaben-USA; Maria Abt, women group leader of the Donauschwaben-USA, Hilde Hornung, cultural adviser of the Donauschwaben-USA, Mike Talan sport group leader of the Donauschwaben-USA; Ingrid Dorr, youth group leader of the Donauschwaben-USA; Erin Sucher, children group leader of the Donauschwaben-USA; honorary presidents of the Donauschwaben-USA Theo Junker and Adam Medel. In addition there were: Hans Schaadt, President of the Donauschwaben-Canada; Jennifer Offak, youth leader of the Donauschwaben-Canada. There were 12 city groups from the USA and 2 city groups from Canada and one German-Hungarian dance group from Babarc, Hungary with their leader Eva Treitz in attendance.

    During the breaks the children and youth groups had the opportunity to rehearse the dances they would present to the general public and the dance competitions, a tri-annual event for our youth dance groups whose defending champion is the youth dance group from Cleveland.

    The festivities of the day ended with the customary lantern parade of the children around the lake. Ingrid Dorr, Helga Schlothauer, Erika Rounds and other mothers of the children groups had made lanterns from paper, in which a light bulb was placed to illuminate the lake during their march. The children had a lot of fun marching around the lake while the adults enjoyed watching the spectacle.

    The Sunday began with an ecumenical church service at 10:30am in the large tent. The entrance song was recited by the Banater Chorus: “Praise to the lord” conducted by Andrea Ball. The Cleveland Donauschwaben Kindergruppe sang two songs and the Banater choir also recited several songs by Schubert.

    The church services were held by Father Peter Zillich from Regensburg, Germany, as well as Pastor Horst Hoyer and Michael Franz of Cleveland who all held church service before on such occasions at the park. The sermon was held by Father Zillich who held church services previously during the Kirchweihfest in Cleveland. The Gospel was read by Pastor Hoyer of the Lutheran Immanuel Church and Father Franz of the Catholic St Stephan Church.

    The readings were done by Edwin Moore, Pastor Hoyer and Father Franz. Father Peter Zillich knew how to conduct his sermon as usual which was going through the hearts of the parishioners. He emphasized encouragement to the believers, not to forget God and their native country. Of course father Zillich is an established accordionist and brought forth his accordion and sang the lyrics he wrote especially for his Donauschwaben parishioners throughout the world. He set the poem to music which was not only very fitting for the occasion, but also hearth worming in particular to those who were born in the old country.

    A poem by Nikolaus Franzen (Hatzfeld, Cleveland) “An die Donauschwaben” interpreted by the chorus who joined framing the poem with a melody. The presentation of the offertory gifts to the altar were done by Cleveland Donauschwaben honorary president and general manager at Lenau Park, Sepp Holzer and his wife Franziska. Several women were honored in joining passing out the Holy Communion.

    In addition, the new flag of the Donauschwaben was blessed by all 3 priests. With the song: “Nun danket alle Gott” (now we all thank God) all joined in a procession to the memorial garden led by the priests and the children groups in ther national Trachten for a short commemorative observation of our departed loved ones.

    After the conclusion of the services, food, the kitchen prepared; Bratwurst, Schnitzel, Sauerkraut among other well tasting Donauschwaben Kuchen tediously prepared by chef Steve Weiss an his staff. The guests were served quickly and efficiently by the many hands in the kitchen and the bar, which was welcomed by all. There is no question; everyone in the kitchen and the bar had to hustle to fill the orders, since these scenes repeated throughout the day.

    The program in the afternoon was continued by the “Tanzgruppe” Babarc from Hungary in the Holzer Hall in which an audience of more than 1,000 were fitted by removing all the tables normally in the hall. The group from Babarc impressed with their well balanced, highly synchronized movements and accurate execution of several Donauschwaben dances and a presentation of a Donauschwaben wedding as many from our older generation remember it from old home towns. Needless to say their performance earned a standing ovations several times during their perfomance.

    After the presentation by the dance group from Babarc, Mr. Hans Supritz chairperson of the Donauschwaben in the Federal Republic of Germany took the opportunity to address the Landsleute and youth groups who had prepared their dances during the last three years for the dance competitions of the Dr. Jakob Awender Wander-Kulturpreis of the Donauschwaben of North America a program which was under the direction of the Landesjugendleiterin Ingrid Dorr.

    The Holzer Halle would be closed during the competitions so that the youth dancer, as well as the audience would not be disturbed during the presentations of their performances. The audience was instructed to hold back their applause till the end of the 15 minute performance allotted for each group. The stellar performances of each group, and they were all winning performances one can say, were the highlight of the long weekend. The work of the youth dancers and their directors of the highly precise performances done to perfection created a welcome difficult task for the judges to establish a winner. In the spectator’s eyes, however they were all winners. The standing ovations after each performance were laud and long and can not be appreciated enough if you did not see the presentations. Congratulations to every participant.  

    The following Donauschwäbischen youth dance groups were participating in this event: The Donauschwaben from Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, The American Aid Society of Chicago, Akron, Cincinnati, Detroit, and from Toronto, Canada. The judges’ scoring system is strictly by points and the winner is determined by the group with the highest points. The winners were announced under visible tension and excitement on the dance floor by all youth dancers and audience alike. The 1^st place price went to the American Aid Society of German Descendants from Chicago. The 2^nd place price went to Cleveland and thee 3^rd place price to Milwaukee. The cheers after the announcement, we never witnessed nor experienced in the Holzer Hall. It seamed as though it would shake the building to its foundation.

    Other Donauschwaben groups performing not mentioned above, who opted not to participate in competition were the groups of the St. Louis German Cultural Association, the United Donauschwaben of Philadelphia and Trenton, the friends from Rochester, N.Y. and  the Donauschwaben from the city of New York.

    According to reports the celebration went on long into the night before one had to depart on the buses for a long journey home. It is certain that the Landestrachtenfest in Cleveland and its memorable days will stay in the memories of many for year

Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

Wagon leading parade to soccer field

Heimatausstellung

Babarc Tanzgruppe

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

NOVEMBER 2008

Herbstprogram der Deutschen Sprachschule

Cleveland 

von Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

    Am 19. Oktober 2008 hat im Deutsch-Amerikanischen Kulturzentrum der Donauschwaben das Herbstprogramm der Deutschen Sprachschule stattgefunden.  Es begann mit einem wohlschmeckenden Mittagessen.  Die beiden Frauen Diane Beargie und Petra Sullivan organisierten mit ihren Helferinnen und Helfern den Ablauf der Veranstaltung.  Auch die Tombola wird von ihnen vorbereitet.  Als “Fundraiser” oder Benefizveranstaltung zur Auffrischung der  Kasse geplant, wird auch jährlich ein Programm der Schühlerinnen und Schüler vorgeführt, denn die Eltern und Grosseltern sehen ihre Kinder doch gerne auf der Bühne.

    Nach dem Essen wurden die Kinder aufgefordert sich auf die Stühle vor der Bühne zu setzen damit die Schulleiterin Frau Edith Hebrank die Anwesenden begrüssen konnte um sich für deren Beteiligung zu bedanken.   Sie konnte auch eine Namensänderung bekannt geben uzw. Die Interessengemeinschaft zur Pflege der deutschen Sprache soll in Zukunft schlicht als “Beirat” bezeichnet werden, wie die Generalversammlung vor einigen Monaten beschlossen hat.  Ausserdem bedankte sich Frau Hebrank bei der langjährigen Kassiererin, Frau Evelyn Klass für ihre Dienste, die aber leider nicht anwesend war um ihr Buchgeschenk entgegen zu nehmen.

    Vor einigen Monaten wurde der Schulleitung aus dem Nachlass von Frau Gertraud Huhn eine sehr grosszügige Summe überreicht, die nun als Stipendium mit dem Namen “Gustav und Gertraud Huhn Scholarship”  unter der Schirmherrschaft des Deutsch-Amerikanischen Kulturzentrums der Donauschwaben angelegt wurde und nur für schulische Zwecke verwendet wird.  Je ein Schüler bzw. eine Schülerin der 3 oberen Klassen und ein Schüler bzw. eine Schülerin der höchsten Klasse “Wahlthema  Deutsch” die alle vorgeschriebenen Kriterien erfüllen, erhalten ein Stipendium, welches das Schulgeld, den Mitgliedsbeitrag und die Unkosten für Schulbücher für ein Schuljahr einschliesst.

    Frau Karoline Lindenmaier, Vorsitzende des Schulausschusses hatte die Ehre die Tochter von Herrn und Frau Huhn, Frau Renate Wilk vorzustellen.  Ihr wurde die Urkunde des Stipendiums, ein Buch des 50jährigen Bestehens der Donauschwaben (damit sie den Werdegang der Schule verfolgen kann)  und ein Blumenstrauss überreicht und ihr und ihrem Mann, der auch anwesend war herzlich bedankt.  Dann hatte Frau Gerda Juhasz, Unterrichtsleiterin die Ehre die Gewinner verschiedener Prüfungen vorzustellen und ihnen ihre Zertifikate zu überreichen.

    Frau Astrid Julian, die zusammen mit Frau Samadelov das Schülerporgramm ausgearbeitet hatte, gab das Zeichen, dass sich die Kleinen der Kindergartengruppen sowie die Unterstufe auf die Bühne begeben sollen damit das Programm “Auf der deutschen Märchenstrasse”  beginnen konnte.  Sie sangen und spielten das Dornröschen Märchen und waren in ihren Kostümen herzig anzusehen.  Die Oberstufe präsentierte “Hansel und Gretel”, die sich im Wald verirrt hatten und zum Knusperhäuschen kamen.  Da muss unbedingt der Lehrer Martin Hebrank erwähnt werden, der ein raffiniertes Hexenhaus gebastelt hatte.  Drehte man das Haus um, war man in der Stube in dem der Backofen war und in den die Hexe auch bald hineingestossen wurde.  Alle Kinder sangen die passenden Lieder mit, die von Frau Anita Fieldstadt einstudiert worden waren.  Man muss allen Lehrkräften und Helferinnen herzlich gratulieren für ihren Idealismuss und ihre Geduld, die sie aufbringen um den Kindern die deutsche Sprache beizubringen.  Wir sind auch stolz auf alle Kinder, Eltern und Grosseltern!

Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

Hänsel und Gretel finden das Knusperhäuschen

DSS Cleveland 19. Oktober 2008

Dornröschen

DSS Cleveland 19. Oktober 2008

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

OCTOBER 2008

Bernhard Krastl beim Landestrachtenfest USA & Kanada im August 2008

von Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

(Auszug aus der Ansprache des neugewählten Vorsitzenden des Weltdachverbandes der Donauschwaben Bernhard Krastl beim Landestrachtenfest USA & Kanada im August 2008)

Sehr geehrter Herr General-Konsul!

Lieber Franz Rimpf, liebe Gäste und Freunde der Donauschwaben!

Herzlichen Dank für die Einladung im Namen der Delegation aus Deutschland.  Ich überbringe Grüsse und Glückwünsche der  Landsmannschaft der Banater Schwaben, der Donauschwaben und der Sathmarer Schwaben.

Die Sitzung des Weltdachverbandes hatte einen harmonischen Verlauf und eine Einigkeit in unseren Zielen.  Er erläuterte den Bau eines Gebäudes mit Fundament, Grundmauern, Stützmauern und Wänden und meinte, die Stützmauern und Wände seid Ihr, liebe Landsleute und wenn es euch nicht gibt, kann kein Dach existieren.  Daher darf ich Sie alle bitten, unterstützen Sie den Dachverband in seiner Arbeit! Er meinte,  unsere gemeinsamen Vorfahren haben das Fundament gebaut – sie waren aus Deutschland gerufen worden um die pannonische Tiefebene wirtschaftlich zu festigen.  Sie waren Bauern und Handwerker, die mit Fleiss und Ausdauer und viel Gemeinsinn blühende Landschaften aufgebaut haben --- Politische Intriegen und zwei Weltkriege – für die die Deutschen aus dem Donauraum bestimmt nicht verantwortlich waren haben dazu geführt, dass wir unsere Heimat verlassen mussten, denn keiner verlässt freiwillig Haus und Hof – was Generationen aufgebaut haben.

Wir müssen Geschehenes hinnehmen … Was wir wollen ist, dass unsere Geschichte so geschrieben wird wie sie wirklich war und nicht so wie sie manche darstellen möchten.

Die Donauschwaben sind über die ganze Welt zerstreut und haben es trotzdem geschafft diese Gemeinsamkeit zu erhalten.  Danken wir deshalb den Gründervätern, die diese Gemeinschaft aufgebaut haben – und denen die in unermüdlicher Arbeit daran weiterarbeiten.

Auch Frau Erika Steinbach Präsidentin des Verbandes der Vertriebenden sandte durch Herrn Krastl herzliche Grüsse aus Deutschland mit der Bitte, das kulturelle Erbe, welches in unseren Herzen weiterlebt an unsere Kinder und Enkelkinder weiterzugeben.

Bernhard Krastl

Robert Filippi und Bernhard Krastl

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

OCTOBER 2008

Wolfgang Drautz beim Landestrachtenfest

der Donauschwaben USA & Kanada in Cleveland Ohio

im Aug. 2008

von Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

(Auszüge aus der Festrede des Generalkonsuls der Bundesrepublik Deutschland Herrn Wolfgang Drautz beim Landestrachtenfest der Donauschwaben USA & Kanada in Cleveland Ohio im Aug. 2008)

Sehr geehrter Herr Rimpf,

Sehr geehrter Herr Präsident Krastl,

Liebe Donauschwaben, liebe Teilnehmer, liebe Gäste aus Deutschland, Kanada,

Australien und der weiten Welt.

Ehrenwerte Gäste, sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,

Zunächst möchte ich mich für die Einladung zum “Landestrachtenfest USA & Kanada” bedanken.  Auch für die freundliche Aufnahme, die Geschenke und Gastfreundschaft danke ich.  Ich bin gern in den Lenaupark gekommen.

Den Organisatoren und Teilnehmern gratuliere ich zu diesem grossen und wichtigen Ereignis der Donauschwaben.  Den gewählten Vertretern des Weltdachverbandes wünsche ich Glück und Erfolg bei ihrer Aufgabe.

Auch hier hat sich wieder gezeigt, dass die alten Tugenden der Donauschwaben Fleiss, Ordnungsliebe, Ausdauer, Verantwortungsbewusstsein, Zusammenhalt und harte Arbeit zu grossen Ergebnissen führen.

Die Trachtenfeste der Donauschwaben sind ein Kristallisationspunkt donauschwäbischer Brauchtumspflege.  Sie zeigen, dass die Donauschwaben ganz bewusst aus ihrer Geschichte und ihrer Tradition leben, und ihr kulturelles Erbe pflegen.

-         das Bemühen um die Weitergabe der deutschen Sprache an die nachfolgenden Generationen

-         die grosse Anzahl der im Kulturzentrum beheimateten Gruppen und die Bandbreite ihrer Aktivitäten.

Dass das Kulturzentrum sich zu einer solch grossen, gefestigten Organisation entwickeln würde, war am 15. Mai 1958, bei der  konstituierenden Sitzung der Donauschwäbischen Vereinigung im Banater Club natürlich noch nicht abzusehen.  Besondere Erwähnung und Würdigung verdient das Bemühen um den Erhalt der deutschen Sprache.  Seit ihrer Gründung 1960 wird die deutsche Sprache in Wort und Schrift in der Sprachschule auch an kommende Generationen weitergegeben.  Wenn heute in der Schule ehemalige Schüler unterrichten, zeigt dies, dass die Weitergabe gelungen ist.

Überhaupt haben es die Donauschwaben in Cleveland geschafft, durch weise Führung, durch Einbeziehung der Familien und insbesonders der Jugend den richtigen Weg in die Zukunft zu beschreiten.  Sport, Sprachschule, Musik, Tanz und andere Aktivitäten sind auch für die Jugendlichen attraktiv geblieben.  Viele andere Organisationen der Deutsch-Amerikaner sind daran gescheitert, für Nachwuchs zu sorgen und werden leider verschwinden.

Insbesonderer Dank an die Frauen, die meist die harte Arbeit machen! 

-         Wir wissen:  hinter jedem erfolgreichen Mann steht eine starke Frau!

Ich möchte den Organisatoren, den vielen freiwilligen Helfern und den Teilnehmern nochmals zur Ausrichtung dieses Festes Dank und Glückwunsch aussprechen.

In die Zukunft gerichtet habe ich nur eine Bitte:

Seid einig!  Haltet zusammen!  Und pflegt die Jugend!  Dann wird es noch lange Donauschwaben geben mit ihrer Freundschaft, ihrer Kultur und der gute Geist und die guten Tugenden der  Donauschwaben werden weiterleben.

….. Sie haben zum Erfolg Ihres neuen Heimatlandes, USA beigetragen und Sie haben auch zur Festigung der deutsch-amerikanischen Freundschaft beigetragen.  Dafür danke ich Ihen!

                                                                                Wolfgang Drautz

Wolfgang Drautz

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

OCTOBER 2008

Sommer-Oktoberfest auf dem Lenaupark

in Cleveland, Ohio

von Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

    Schon seit Wochen zeigt das elektronische Reklamenschild der Donauschwaben an der Columbia Road in Olmsted Township das Sommer-Oktoberfest an welches am 15.16.17. August 2008 stattfand.  Tage vorher konnte man schon beobachten wie das grosse Zelt aufgestellt wurde, die elektrischen Leitungen für die Beleuchtung usw. angebracht sowie die Tische und Stühle aufgestellt wurden.  Die Tanzfläche wurde befestigt und das Podium für die Musiker aufgebaut.  Ein Lieferwagen nach dem anderen sah man einfahren und die Insassen der vorüberfahrenden Autos wussten dass bei den Donauschwaben wieder allerhand los sein wird.

    Am Freitag, abends um 6 Uhr war die Eröffnung unseres Sommer-Oktoberfestes, welches jährlich den Auftakt der Oktoberfeste der umliegenden Vereine bzw. Clubs anderer Nationalitäten darstellt.  Das Anzapfen des ersten Bierfasses wird mit Spannung von den Besuchern erwartet, denn das erste Bier soll angeblich am besten schmecken.   Anstatt bekannte Persönlichkeiten des öffentlichen Lebens mit dem zeremoniellen Anzapfen zu beehren, wurden unsere Ehrenpräsidenten Franz Awender  und Josef Holzer sowie der jetzige Präsident Franz Rimpf gebeten dieses Amt zu übernehmen, weil es doch das 50jährige Bestehen unserer Organisation ist.  Es waren allerdings verschiedene Persönlichkeiten des öffentlichen Lebens anwesend wie:  Ohio Senator George Voinovich mit Gattin, Judge Sikora und andere Vertreter.

    Für die Unterhaltung sorgten:  Der Deutsche Musikverein Präsidentin (Christine Roppelt, Dirigent Fred Ziwich) der mit flotten Weisen gute Stimmung unter die Besucher brachte.  Die donauschwäbische Jugendgruppe (Leiterin Margot Maurer) mit ihren zackigen Volkstänzen sind immer beliebt.  Dann kam Fred Ziwich mit seiner bekannten “Internationalen Soundmaschine” dran, zur Belustigung aller.

    Am Samstag fing der Jubel um 4 Uhr nachmittags an mit den Melodien des Joe Wendel Orchesters.  Die flotten Tänzer des Schuhplattler und Trachtenvereins Bavaria traten danach auf und ernteten viel Applaus.  Präsident ist Kenny Ott, der Vorplattler ist Erich Hetzel.  Natürlich war auch Hank Haller, der in Cleveland bekannte und beliebte Musiker mit seiner Band anwesend.  Unser Fotograf Peter Sartschev machte nicht nur viele Aufnahmen, er fungierte auch als Ansager.

    Am Sonntag, mittags um 12 Uhr war es wieder der Deutsche Musikverein der mit bekannten Weisen Schwung unter das Zelt brachte.  Die donauschwäbische Kindergruppe (Leiterin Ingrid Dorr und Gesangsleiterin Helga Schlothauer) unterhielten die Besucher mit lustigen Tänzen.  Sie gefallen allen besonders gut weil sie so niedlich anzusehen sind.  Die D.S. Jugendgruppe trat einige Male auf und zeigte ihr Können mit Schwung und guter Laune.  Auch die Kapelle “Musik  Express” spielte die beliebten Melodien und erfreute die Tanzlustigen.

    Die einen kommen des guten Essens zuliebe zu diesen Festen, welches von Chef  Steve Weiss und seinen fleissigen Helfern zubereitet wird, die anderen vielleicht auch wegen des deutschen Biers, aber alle geniessen die “Gemütlichkeit” ein Wort das alle Amerikaner kennen.  Das Wetter war an den drei Tagen wie gewünscht – obwohl wir ja notwendig Regen gebraucht hätten, war das sonnige Wetter doch günstig, denn “wenn’s heiss ist schmeckt ein kaltes Bier besser!” sagen die Durstigen.

    Die Veranstalter danken den freiwilligen Helferinnen und Helfern und freuen sich über  die grosse Besucherzahl.

    Somit haben die Clevelander Donauschwaben die Generalprobe gut bestanden und sehen mit Erwartung dem grossen Landestrachtenfest  am 29.30.31 August entgegen.

    Also dann “Auf Wiedersehn” im Lenaupark in Cleveland!

Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

Franz Awender und Sepp Holzer

Left to Right_ Ingrid Dorr_Franz Awender_Franz Rimpf_Sepp Holzer_Senator and Mrs Voinovich

August Pust_Bill Miller_Judge Sikora

Cleveland Jugendgruppe

Cleveland Kindergruppe