VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

MARCH  2011

JESSICA THOMAS FUNDRAISER 2011

 

Forwarded by Carpathia Donauschwaben 

EVENT FOR APRIL 3RD---PLAN NOW !!!

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VISITING AUTHOR-ARTICLE

JANUARY 2011

AMERICAN AID SOCIETY

KIRCHWEIH

Forwarded by American Aid Society, Chicago

           The annual Kirchweih took place on a very beautiful, warm and rain free Saturday in October 2010. The atmosphere inside was very fall like. Erika Scheffrahn had decorated the hall and all the tables in the fall colors, yellowish and brownish. The tables were set side-by-side to form squares that seat 10 guests. She wanted to try a different look since the Kirchweih could accommodate this seating arrangement. There was a mixed reaction to this setup style, yet it still looked all so beautiful. The program opened with the first march of Kinder- and Jugendgruppe combined. Ingrid Lisauskas sang the national anthem and, as usual, she did a magnificent job. Vice President Siggy Henz acted as the master of ceremony. President Stein welcomed all the guests and introduced Eckhardt Blaumueller, President of the Donauschwaben, Mike Walter, Karlsdorfer President, Joe Schneider, Kerneir President, Nick Leicht, President of the Antioch Club, Helen Meiszner, President of the Germania Womens Club, and Helga Blaumueller from the Eintracht.

          The Kindergruppe proceeded with their program. At the end, a boy’s name was drawn from a hat and the winner was Timothy O'Reilly who gave the Strauß to his partner, Kirsten Lengfelder. They all had a terrific time as the smiling faces indicated on their march out. At 10 PM, the Jugendgruppe marched in to auction off the Strauß. Erik Lisauskas took over the auctioneering after Siggy Henz said the Kirchweih poem. After a wild bidding spree by children, youth, and adults, Nick Balcerak came away as the winner. He presented his partner, Nicole Anetsberger, with the Strauß. At the end of the evening the Balcerak and Anetsberger families provided a delicious breakfast to the youth and to all those guests who were still present. The party lasted well beyond midnight.

     We want to express our sincere "Thank You" to Nick and Helen Fritz, Mary Mihalovich, Rosi Istl, and the Gablers for donating the Rosmarein used for the Straußes and decorations for the evening. Thank you to all our workers on this evening. We especially want to thank all the guests who attended this Kirchweihfest.

	2010 AAS Kirchweih

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

JANUARY  2011

2010 GERMAN HUNGARIAN KIRCHWEIH

Forwarded From UGH

Traditional German Hungarian Kirchweih

Sunday November 7th, 2010

          The Club’s Kirchweih was a success as usual and was a great day to combine, our rich cultural and soccer traditions. Before the start of our most important event, the German Hungarians kicked off the second round game of the EPSA Open Cup against, what better an opponent then the Donauschwaben Philadelphia, a club that shares our culture. In the second half with a 0-0 score, the members of the cultural group who are SuperFans of the team rushed inside to perform their first Kirchweih Stickel and polka. The group danced wonderfully and many of the dancers marched off the dance floor and right out the door to see the end of the game. They cheered when hearing the news that while they polka’d around the hall; the German Hungarians scored a goal, making a 1-0 game!

          Although, many of the girls in the Kirchweih group, dislike the event because of the layers and layers of tracht they have to wear, seeing them is one of the most beautiful sights you can see at the German Hungarians.

          A wonderful buffet dinner, prepared by Heidi Weyershaeuser, was served. The buffet included Stuffed Pork, Sauerbraten, and Stuffed Cabbage. The Kirchweih group performed three sets of dancing throughout the evening. The second was a folk dance set. Dances performed in this set included: Klapptanz, Come Let us Be Joyful, and Lustiger zu Dritt. The third set of dancing the group performed, the traditional Stickel and the Buwe said a “spruch” (speech). Alex Blank, Werner Fricker III, Michael Fricker, Danny Galgon, and Eddie Galgon, said the “spruch”, and then the raffle began for the Hat, the shawl, and the lucky Strauss. This year the Strauss was won by Erika Witt, who was overjoyed at the idea and is currently planning her party! The dancers danced with the Strauss and its winner, who then marched the group out until next years Kirchweih.

          The music by the Heimatklaenge Orchestra entertained the attending, and many danced to the end of the night.

          Our Kirchweih is the most important event we hold; it is the most traditional; and it is often the most fun.

BUWE, WAS HAM’R HEIT?

KIRCHWEIH!

VISITING AUTHOR-ARTICLE

JANUARY 2011

AMERICAN AID SOCIETY

SCHLACHTFEST

Forwarded by American Aid Society, Chicago

          Our annual Schlachtfest on Sunday, November 7, 2010, was a huge success. The weather was absolutely beautiful. It was also the day the clock was moved back an hour and some guests had forgotten to do that and showed up as early as 10:30 AM. Almost all of our guests were pretty prompt and were well ahead of our 1 O'clock serving time. We began with the singing of the national anthem at 1:05, sung by Ingrid Lisauskas (U.S. and German anthems) and with the dinner prayer given to us by Father Ron.

          The Jugendgruppe then began with the serving of the appetizers of Leberwurst, Schwartelmagen, Grieben, Krautsalat, and bread. During this part of the afternoon, the PHENIX provided the dinner music. The Jugendgruppe did all the serving and cleaning the tables. They did it like professionals with a smile and pleasing manners. After the appetizers, the main meal of Gulasch, Sarma, Bratwurst and all the trimmings were quickly served. The important thing for all our guests was that everything was served hot. Thanks to our kitchen staff. Throughout this part of the afternoon, the Kindergruppe sold raffles for the beautiful baskets and other prizes made by some of the mothers from the Kindergruppe. Some of the boys from the Jugendgruppe had to help the winners carry the baskets to the tables since most basket were quite heavy. Each basket was worth between $50 to $100. Almost all of the items were donated. Mr. Franz Dochnal made a Kuckuck clock. The Schlachtfest raffle always is a big hit with our guests.

          After the main meal, the tables were cleared for coffee and dessert. The ladies of our organization baked and donated a great variety of the most delicious cookies. They tasted out of this world. A much deserved "Thank You" for all your effort in making the dessert. They were immensely enjoyed by all. During the dessert time. Vice President Sigfried Henz introduced President Stein who proceeded to greet all the guests, introduced all the presidents from the various organization, especially Erich Himmel from the German Day Association and Prince Joseph I and Princess Debbie. Reinhardt Richter from the Rheinischer Verein, Armin Homann from Deutschland Echo and Helga Blaumueller from the Eintracht. Prince Joseph presented President and Mrs. Stein with his special Karnival metals of "Peace in the German Community".

          Finally, a sincere "thanks" to all our workers that helped the day before and during the Fest, the Jugendgruppe for serving, the Kindergruppe for putting together the raffles, and all our guests for supporting the organization throughout the year. It was a great afternoon spent with friends.

	2010 AAS Schlachtfest

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

JANUARY  2011

CARPATHIA KIRCHWEIH 2010

 

Forwarded by Carpathia Donauschwaben 

          Kirchweih is always a big crowd pleaser and this year was no exception. There were many new faces, the usual faces and a lot of the faces we haven’t seen in a while. We even had a table of hunters’ widows. The evening began with the Masters of Ceremonies, Robert Schwalbe, introducing the out of town guests in attendance as well as the board of directors of Carpathia that were present. Rob then asked Honorary President Franz Pelvay to address the audience about the tradition and custom of Kirchweih. What would a Kirchwieh in Detroit be without some heartfelt words from Mr. Pelvay? Believe me he did not disappoint us. Now we know the meaning of the flowers in the boy’s hats.

          Rob then acknowledged the two (sort of) out of town dance groups, Milwaukee and three young men from Cleveland. He did a great job emceeing the entire evening.

          The new royalty, Victoria Schwager and Robert Thomas led the Einmarsch of the Kirchweih Strauss followed by the dance groups. We had Milwaukee, Cleveland, Carpathia Kinder and Middle, Carpathia Youth and Carpathia Kulture groups entertain for us. They all did an excellent job.

          The crowd especially liked the return of the Boom Polka. That’s the dance where Rob Schwalbe “acts” as a dance instructor but as his group is practicing very hard, he’s having a little dinner and drink but does find time to bang the drum. Very entertaining Rob! The Milwaukee group did an outstanding performance with only four couples. We really appreciate all the out-of-towner’s who made this trip to our club, and the performers who learned the dances that day. Very impressive.

          The band also was from out-of-town. We had the pleasure of the Hank Haller band from Cleveland, Ohio. The dance floor was packed from the beginning to the very end of the evening.

          Most people associate the number 13 as bad luck but not this Saturday the 13th. We had 7 birthday celebrations! The band announced and called up, Kate Lingerfelt, Ilona Schwager, Chris Pesta, Lori Sikorski, Bob Hammer, Franz Dosenberger and a very special 90 year old, our own very dear, Mr. Franz Pelvay. The audience sang and wished Happy Birthday to all of them.

          The strauss raffle was saved until later in the evening. We like to keep our guest as long as we can. Kurt Seiberling and George Schleis took turns entertaining us on the mic. It was a tough job trying to keep up with all the money being waved up in the air, but they did very well. The crowd was entertained in between the raffle breaks by the male dancers from the all the groups. The pyramid was attempted but this year, not successfully. Everyone’s getting bigger I guess. Kurt was cracking jokes with a lot of the patrons, one being Helmut Egger. Kurt asked “Hey Helmut, what, did the wife give you an extra $5 this evening?” Well guess who won the Strauss??? Helmut Egger!!!!! With Liane being in Florida, he yelled “Who am I going to dance with?” Well, before he could get the words out of his mouth, his beautiful granddaughters, Victoria and Elizabeth, were at his side. It was a very touching moment.

By Ruth & Kurt Seiberling

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

JANUARY  2011

CARPATHIA WEINLESEFEST

 

Forwarded by Carpathia Donauschwaben 

          Once again, Carpathia celebrated Weinlesefest in October, which has proven to be a club favorite for the younger generation. What makes this event so special for the kids? Kindergruppe’s Evan Schleis and Johnny Tisch offer some insight:

 

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

JANUARY  2011

CHICAGO DS FOOD PANTRY DONATION

 

Forwarded by Chicago Donauschwaben

 

 

 

          Traditionally, December is a month when the young members of the Society of the Danube Swabians meet to practice singing German Christmas carols and brush up on the folkdances that they will perform at various functions throughout the upcoming year. This year, the Society of the Danube Swabians invited Debra Walusiak, Executive Director of the Des Plaines Food Pantry and Self-Help Closet to join them for their annual Christmas party, held on December 10 at the group’s facility at 625 Seegers Road, Des Plaines. Walusiak was presented with a check in the amount of $3,000 at the get-together. In addition to the monetary donation given to the Food Pantry, each child and teen from the Society’s children and youth folkdance groups brought non-perishable food items and wrapped gifts for families who are experiencing a time of need this holiday season.

 

          This is the seventh year that the Society of the Danube Swabians has sent sizeable donations to the Des Plaines Food Pantry and Self-Help Closet. Close to 700 pieces of non-perishable food was collected at the Christmas party, along with a dozen family gifts and more than 81 wrapped presents that many of the children chose themselves to give to boys and girls their own age who may not otherwise receive a gift this holiday. The Board of Directors of the Society are very proud of its children and teens, because they understand that many families are having a difficult time putting food on the table this year.

 

          Although the Christmas season brings in the greatest quantities of food items, the Society of the Danube Swabians has large red bins set out in its vestibule year-round to collect non-perishable food items for the Des Plaines Food Pantry. Volunteers transport the donations to the Food Pantry on a regular basis. The next push for the on-going collection effort will happen in February. The Society has found that non-perishable supplies at the Food Pantry fall to a very low level during this month.

 

          The Society of the Danube Swabians is principally organized for charitable purposes.  Being that the founding members of the Society were poor German immigrants who had been given an opportunity to come to the United States for a better life, it became the mission of the Society to provide supervised program activities for the children, youth, and senior citizens of the community, as well as reaching out to the community at large.  Children from the ages of 3 to 13 can become members of the children’s folkdance group; young adults from 13 until 22 are able to join the youth folkdance group.

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

JANUARY  2011

2010 CHICAGO DS 50^th ROSENBALL

 

Forwarded by Chicago Donauschwaben

 

          On November 27, 2010, the Jugendgruppe and over 400 guests celebrated the 50^th anniversary of Rosenball. On behalf of myself, and the Jugendgruppe, it was a real honor to participate in this monumental occasion. 

          In the weeks leading up to Rosenball, the Jugend worked tirelessly in order to perfect the ten dances to be performed that night. Some of our older Jugend members even added a sixth part to Fledermaus-Quadrille.

During the last two practices before Rosenball, we were very thankful to welcome home our college students, and other gentlemen from the American Aid Society, and the Milwaukee Donauschwaben. Without them, it would be difficult to have a Rosenball!

          Finally, the night had arrived. After spending the entire day getting ready, the handsome gentlemen and elegant women arrived at 5 pm at the hall for the cocktail party. Our Rosenkoenigin Alexandra Kuechel and her family hosted the party. While enjoying appetizers and socializing, the couples exchanged boutonnières and corsages and shared a picture together. As guests began to arrive, the group picture was taken, and was followed by pictures of the Rosenball couples. Thank you to Mr. Fuentes for taking such great pictures!

          Dinner was served, and the program began later that evening at 8:30. The program began with the acknowledgment of all the dignitaries present that night. Next, all former Rosenkoenigin were honored. It was really special to see twenty-five former queens. It was neat to see how the crowns and sashes have changed over the years. After the presentation, our youth group leader, Frau Hauer, introduced each of the fifteen Rosenball couples. 

          Once all the couples were introduced, the dancing program began. Nervous and anxious, the Jugend stepped onto the floor and began the program. After a forty-five minute program, the Jugend waltzed off the floor and sat down to a delicious dinner. The applause we received was immense. It seemed that everyone truly enjoyed our performance. It was also a very special performance because the founder of the Polonaise, Frau Habschied was present, as well as former dance leader, Frau Evi Rill.

          After enjoying a delicious dinner, the Jugend boys began purchasing roses for their partners. The Jugend also began to exchange roses with each other. Then, other guests began to purchase roses. All 164 dozen roses were gone in record time, just about twenty minutes! Piles of roses began forming on tables around the hall. At eleven o’clock, the roses were counted to determine who had the most roses and become the next Rosenkoenigin.

          At 11:15, the Jugend marched up to hear the results. But first, Rosenkoenigin Alexandra Kuechel took her final dance with her partner Steven Mueller. She then gave her farewell speech and thanked everyone for a great year.

Finally, it was time to announce the results. Assistant Youth Group leader Frau Heidi Fuentes announced the winners. The second runner up was Stefanie Lorenz, the first runner up was Ingrid Laszlo, and the 50^th Rosenkoenigin was myself. I was crowned by Alexandra Kuechel, and accepted a bouquet of roses from my partner, Will Riess. Assistant Youth Leader Maria Toth read my biography.  What an honor to be the 50^th queen.   It was also a huge honor  and surprise to accept the hand-made rose crown from the first Rosenkoenigin, Frau Lampe-Viereckel. I was overwhelmed with emotion. It was such a wonderful act of kindness.

After accepting the crown, I shared a dance with my partner, President Blaumueller, my dad, both of my Opas, my uncle, and Prinz Manfred II. 

          Looking back on this night, it was such an honor and a privilege to dance in the 50^th Rosenball. I am also very thankful to be the 50^th queen. I will try to do my best this year as I represent the Verein and the club. Thank-you so much for this opportunity. I will never forget this extraordinary night! 

By Elizabeth Hauer

 

	Jugendgruppe Chicago Donauschwaben
Wilma Lampe-Viereckel and Elizabeth Hauer
	Former Queens Chicago Donauschwaben

 

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

JANUARY  2011

CHICAGO DS SCHLACHTFEST 2010

 

Forwarded by Chicago Donauschwaben

VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE

JANUARY  2011

Vorweihnachtszeit und Advent

in Cleveland, Ohio

By Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)

          Der Dezember ist immer ein hektischer Monat im Deutsch-Amerikanischen Kulturzentrum der Donauschwaben.  Angefangen hat es bei uns eigentlich schon am Freitag, den 26. November 2010, der Tag nach dem staatlichen “Thanksgiving Day” (Erntedank) als die Frauengruppe vier Tage lang Weihnachtsplätzchen sowie Mohn- und Nussrollen zum Verkauf gebacken hat.

          Dann war eine Hochzeit für den 4. Dezember angesagt von zwei jungen Mitgliedern und das bedeutete, dass die Vorhalle und der grosse Holzersaal weihnachtlich geschmückt werden musste.  Wir hatten das Glück einen wunderschönen, grossen Tannenbaum von einem Mitglied zu erhalten, den fleissige Hände in einen herrlichen Christbaum verwandelten mit vielen Lichtern.

          Am 5. December hatte die Kindergruppe ihren alljährlichen “Brunch mit dem Weihnachtsmann”, wo die Kinder ihm ihre Wünsche fürs Weihnachtsfest zuflüstern und die Eltern viele Aufnahmen machen als Erinnerung.

          Am 11. Dezember fand das Weihnachtskonzert der Stars aus Deutschland statt, die in verschiedenen Städten in Amerika und Kanada auftreten und mit musikalischen Grüssen das deutsche Publikum erfreuen.  Fast täglich fanden Weihnachtsparties von Mitgliedern unserer Gruppen statt.

          Doch die gemeinsame Weihnachtsfeier aller Mitglieder ist doch unsere Familienfeier und wurde am Sonntagnachmittag den 19. Dezember abgehalten.  Man konnte viele Bekannte begrüssen, die mit ihren Kindern und Kindeskinder eintrafen, festlich gekleidet und strahlenden Gesichtern in Erwartung eine echte deutsche Weihnacht zu begehen.  Im Programm wirkten mit:  die Blaskapelle, die Deutsche Sprachschule (die Unterstufe mit Gedichtchen und Liedern, die Oberstufe mit einem  Krippenspiel),  die Kindergruppe, die Jugendgruppe, der Banater Chor und der Schuhplattler Chor.

          Die Frauengruppe bewirtete alle mit Kaffee und Weihnachtsgebäck, eine reichlich bestückte Tombola fand statt und der Heilige Nikolaus mit Stab und Bischofsmütze erfreute die Kinder mit Äpfeln und Schokolade.

          Am 27. Dezember wird noch die letzte Sitzung des Jahres stattfinden zu der alle Vorstandsmitglieder mit ihren Ehehälften sowie die Lehrkräfte und die freiwilligen Helfer(innen) eingeladen sind zu einem gemütlichen Beisammensein mit Essen und Glühwein zum Dank für die selbstlose Unterstützung während des Jahres.

          Dann wird der Holzersaal wieder für Silvesterfeier geschmückt um das alte Jahr verabschieden und das neue Jahr 2011  zu begrüssen.

          In der Hoffnung, dass es uns und Euch, liebe Leser Glück, Gesundheit und viel Erfolg bringen wird, schliesse ich diesen Bericht mit herzlichen Grüssen von den Donauschwaben in Cleveland.

Karoline Lindenmaier (Hetzel)