August 2002 - Nr. 8
Dick reports...
Burgenländer Picnic
About 1000 people were again attracted to the annual "Anna Picknick" – called in honour of St. Anna, whose day is actually the 25th of July.
Quite
a number of "Annas" were present at the picnic and eight of them posed for a
photo opportunity, in front of the stage – including Anna Gubasta who is
well known for her dedicated work at the "Donauschwaben" Club in Toronto.
The
weather was almost ideal - warm, but with a slight cloud cover that
prevented the sun from doing damage to sensitive skin. However, that did not
prevent the younger visitors from having a great time in the pool or from
enjoying other fun-facilities.
After the traditional church service at 11:00 a.m. food was the next item on the agenda. Delicious "Schnitzels", Krainer sausages, Hot Dogs, Potato Salad, Sauerkraut and more were consumed in copious quantities. After the bar opened the visitors finally had a chance to re-hydrate with well-cooled beverages. The beer of choice: Austrian "Gösser", of course.
Kudos
are in order for all the volunteers that slaved over hot stoves in the
cookhouse, the kitchen, the bar and many other tasks, to make this event
another unmitigated success and an event to remember.
The
ladies had also baked numerous delicious cookies and other pastry that was
offered to the guests for dessert at a nominal price. Nobody that I know of
had objections to any of the prices charged since the proceeds – after
expenses – went to a charity.
Then
the "Golden Keys" from Kitchener, after the national anthem, started playing
from their rich repertoire of well-known and treasured dance music. It did
not take long for the concrete apron in front of the stage to fill up. It
stayed that way all the rest of the day, although it was a little difficult
to execute the perfect waltz on concrete.
At one time even Gretel Schauer was coerced into singing a
couple of songs that reminded many of the guests of the home they had left
long ago. What a wonderful voice she has!
A
great surprise was in store for Joseph and Margit Find. Their son Harry had
staged an anniversary "Special" to celebrate their 50th wedding
anniversary and their 50 years in Canada. They had no idea – the surprise
was perfect. Great job, Harry!
Some
of the guests had come from as far as Koblenz in Germany and confessed that
they are having a ball at this picnic.
For many this event was an opportunity to meet friends and
acquaintances that they do not often see, or even to find new friends to
share this experience with.
Enztäler Musikanten at the Hansa Haus
Over 300 people had gathered in the great hall of the Hansa
Haus to enjoy the performances of the Enztäler Musikanten and the Banater "Trachtentanzgruppe
Leimen".
It was refreshing to listen to the sounds of the old "Heimat" and to see the wonderful "Trachten" – especially of the ladies – from the old Banat Region in eastern Europe.
These costumes are so strikingly different from the ones we
are used to seeing at the Danube-Swabian Club, even though they originate
from the same area.
The group that visited the Hansa Club last Wednesday was
founded ten years ago (in October) and consists of 8 couples of whom 5
couples are presently on a tour of North America. They all hail from the
area around Heidelberg, Mannheim, Karlsruhe and Leimen – where they
congregate to practice those wonderful dances.
CD’s
of the band were also available at the entrance to the hall, but I didn’t
see too many people forking over 20 bucks for any of the four different
selections offered for sale.
When I arrived at seven o’clock – the time they said the
doors would open – it was already almost impossible to get a seat. The
parking lot was nearly full, which is always a good indicator of the
popularity of the event being staged. Luckily I found a seat and proceeded
to put the flyers for our Lake Ontario Cruise – in September (see ad) – on
every table. Since the performances were scheduled for eight o’clock, the
visitors had plenty of time to partake of the delicious food from the club’s
kitchen, and to study our flyer (!)
I am still wondering why so many guests showed up on a
Wednesday evening, but then over 400 guests attended the performances of the
same group the next evening – to great acclaim - at the Danube-Swabian Club.
It sure helps to advertise!
Randfichten at the Donauschwaben
Another great group that performed at the Danube-Swabian
Club last Saturday were the "Randfichten". Three talented artist – two
accordions and a guitar – entertained about 400 guests in the great hall of
the club. They had even brought a cameraperson ( an attractive young lady)
and an other assistant along from the MDR (Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk) to tape
the performances that will be aired in Germany on the 8th of this
month. The group hails from Saxony - near Chemnitz and Zwickau – and had
picked the name for their group "Randfichten" from the special fir-trees (Fichten)
in managed forests in Germany that are planted at the edge (Rand) of the
forest and feature branches that are only growing on one side of the tree.
Who would have thought!
Introduced by Radio Herz and Toni Baumann, the likeable
group had immediately established great rapport with the audience who
willingly followed all the suggestions by the band for
audience-participation.
As a special treat the band played "Happy Birthday" – in
English and German – for Joe Wallner, the founder of the "Steirerbund" who
celebrated his 80th birthday that evening at the club.
Excellent food was plentiful both at the buffet and in the
restaurant, where those guests ate that didn’t want to stand in line at the
buffet table.
CD’s and other souvenirs were available in the foyer of the
club, both by the visitors and Radio Herz. It was a memorable evening and we
wish this wonderful group a lot of success in the future.
- - -
Unfortunately I am also the bearer of sad news. Albert K.
Perl, the well-known - Canadian born – Hamilton attorney has passed on.
Albert was substantially involved in making the Germania Club in Hamilton
the successful venture it has since become.
A great deal of information was made available to us by Eugene F. Rapp, from Pensions International in Hamilton – for which we are very grateful.
Albert’s untiring efforts earned him the honorary presidency in 1967 already, when he was also chairman of the committee for the 100th anniversary of the Germania Club.
His achievements regarding the German presence in Hamilton are too many to properly pay tribute to in the scope of this report. Witness to his popularity was the fact that about 200 mourners attended a commemorative service held at the Germania Club in Hamilton.
Our condolences go out to his wife Ute and the rest of the family. Albert will be missed.
As always,
Dick Altermann
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