November 2000 - Nr. 11
Dick reports...
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Well, it is November again, which means the carnival season is starting. A little taste of what is to come was experienced at the recent "Frühschoppen" at the dance studio of the "Treue Husaren, Mississauga". Most of the members of the THM showed up, some guest from Hamilton and one from Oakville were also present – but where were the rest of them? Wilfried Küsters, THM president, had notified all the carnival societies by mail, invited at least four members (more is ok too), asked them in his letter to please phone whether they will attend or not – one way or the other – and almost none did have the common courtesy to phone! Why not?
Of
course some may have to travel a ways, but here is what they missed: Food
for about 70 guests including beef tartar, huge hot dogs, delicious potato
salad, veggies and dip, cold cuts of all sorts, bread and buns, coffee,
cakes and other deserts, beers and assorted stronger beverages (incl. the
fabulous new ‘Winkelhausen’ Brandy and an ice-cold ‘Korn’),
camaraderie and good old-fashioned ‘Gemütlichkeit’.
After
this event I dropped in on the Hansa Haus, where the Hansa Choir hosted an
afternoon for all their friends - in the huge hall. More friends could have
been accommodated. Well, at least there was plenty of room on the dance
floor. Albert did a terrific job of entertaining the guests and the choir’s
renditions were also heartily applauded. This was also the first time that I
tasted the famous "Zwiebelkuchen" (Onion cake) and found it quite
palatable.
A
week later – and eagerly awaited for one year – the Almrausch Dancers
hosted the annual "Mexican Night" at the Hansa Haus. It was a ‘sold
out’ affair - it usually is – and a great number of the guests were
Mexicans. They had bought their tickets several months in advance already
and really appeared to enjoy this combination of Mexican music and dance,
and the German hospitality, food and "Gemütlichkeit".
The band was the "Acapulco Loco" (loco = crazy)
and the "Viva Mexico Dancers" entertained the guest with Mexican
folk dances. This was greatly appreciated by the audience and the general
mood was fantastic, to say the least. The band played all those Mexican
favourites that we all no so well. "Cielito Linda, Cucaracha" etc.
It
wasn’t the easiest style of music to dance to – for our staid Europeans
– but they managed. The dance floor was always crowded. A good sign and a
good measure of the success of this event.
The
Hansa kitchen had risen to the occasion and provided an excellent Chili and
Nachos,. I tried the chilli, it was quite tasty, although I would have liked
it to be a little spicier. But when you cook for the public you cannot take
chances – which I understand and appreciate.
A little later on that evening I went to the St. Peter & Paul Hall in
Scarborough, where the Bayern Club held its annual Oktoberfest. The event
was well attended and the Matt Lebar Ensemble – and their fabulously rich
repertoire – entertained the guests with all the sounds that they so
appreciated.
The
feature entertainers were the Loreley Dancers, from Oshawa, with some of the
well-known "Schuhplattler" routines that are part and parcel of
any Oktoberfest event.
The hall and foyer had been re-decorated – a little more on the elegant side - which prohibited the installation of the Bavarian type of decoration we remember from the past. But that didn’t seem to matter to the attending public at all.
The tables had white linen tablecloths on them and the appearance of the hall was still quite festive – even without the usual décor.
Unfortunately, my favourite place, the "Sekt Bar" had also fallen by the wayside. But I wasn’t the only one who mourned its passing that evening.
A new caterer had been tried out who provided excellent food even though the service was a little on the slow side. There just isn’t any substitute for a buffet at events like this, since almost everyone wants to eat before they start to dance. But Lein’s Catering Service was unable to come to this function and a substitute had to be found.
But all in all it was a successful function – I know,
because all the pretzels were sold this year!
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