September 2002 - Nr. 9
Dick reports...
Surprise at the Donauschwaben Club
Something really unexpected happened at the Danube-Swabian Club on Friday, the 16th of August.
A
guest-band from Germany, "Die 3 Z’widern" was scheduled to perform. The hall
was full and expectations normal. Everyone expected to be entertained with
Bavarian "Wald- & Wiesenmusik", as usual - and commensurate with the $18.00
admission.
None
of the guests suspected what was about to happen after the Matt Lebar
Ensemble had played a few tunes to get the crowd in the mood.
Three
musicians with Lederhosen – obviously Bavarians – came on stage and started
the evening’s program with a few songs from the "Heimat" as expected. But
then all hell broke loose when they went into a well-rehearsed "stand-up"
comedy routine. One funny story or joke followed the other – the audience
was in stitches. These guys were fabulous. One of the jokes: "What is the
difference between an Austrian and a Turk?" Answer: "The Turk speaks a
better German!" And the jokes kept coming almost non-stop. In between they
played and sang the odd songs and then continued their funny routine.
Then
came the variety part of the program with celebrities like Frank Sinatra,
Zarah Leander, Nana Mouskouri and more, in more or less appropriate
costumes. It was so hilarious that some of the guests had tears in their
eyes from laughing. When I spoke to a number of them later, they admitted
that they had not expected to be blown away by this performance.
I asked the artists where the name comes from and was informed that they do exactly what people don’t expect. Loosely translated "Z’wieder" – it stems from "zuwider" – means things opposite, unexpected or contrary. And that it was! In spades!
The trio hails from the Chiemgau in Bavaria – where the well known Chiemsee and the "Herrenchiemsee Castle" are located – and consists of Hans Schuster (Vocals, Bass and Tuba or Trumpet ), Christian Tschaussnig (Vocals, Guitar and Sax) and Helmut Patermann (Vocals and Accordion) who also led the audience through the various skits that were performed. Their repertoire is quite versatile, from "Stubenmusi" to "Rock an Roll", to Evergreens and the latest hits. They have performed live all over the world and on cruises in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Since 1978 they performed about 300 times on Television including the "Musikantenstadl".
After the first part of the evening’s program, the Matt
Lebar Ensemble played music to dance by until the guest-artists returned for
a final performance and more of the same routines. What a surprise that
evening turned out to be. Great!
Who is who, at the Stritzl Party
Every year at this time Joe and Maria Stritzl open the gates of their farm to visitors from around the country – and from all walks of life. A strolling Mariachi Band greets and entertains the hundreds of visitors in the beginning of the afternoon, sometimes with the help of Matt Lebar and Peter Beck, to get the guests into a party-mood. Gallons of German beer and white and red wines were freely flowing, a real necessity since the day was warm and sunny, plus plenty of soft drinks of course.
Entertainment was provided by the "3 Z’widern" – mentioned above – Manni Daum and the Matt Lebar Ensemble. Never a dull moment! Manni Daum, by the way, also runs a restaurant and lounge in Fort Myers, Florida. I’ve been told by a usually reliable source that this is the place to go when you are in the ‘hood down there. (3 foot Bratwurst on Mondays, or the biggest Schnitzel in America on Wednesdays, all for $9.95 for example) and while we are on the subject of food, the catering by Lein’s Delicatessen was a culinary experience not to be missed. The early buffet was fantastic in its variety and the dinner delicious in the evening. Kudos to the Stritzls and the many helpers who toiled behind the scenes to make sure that the party was a success. Great job again, thanks!
And who was who? Well, everybody that’s anybody – plus their
friends. Great party!
Kartoffelpuffer (Potato Pancakes) rule!
At
least they ruled at the "Husarenpicknick" at the Claireville Conservation
area on Saturday the 24th of August. Over 120 guests arrived to
join the KG Treue Husaren Mississauga, complete with whatever children they
could get a hold off. The pancake fry has always been designed as a stopgap
before the BBQ was started and to relieve hunger pangs in those so
afflicted. But there must have been many since the line-up never stopped and
only the fact that the meat was ready to go on the Barbie – and the fact
that the potatoes were gone – stopped this run on the grill. Some of the
people that had never experienced this culinary delight, were ecstatic and
went back for seconds (and thirds!). Thanks, Trudy and Giesbert, for your
dedication to this worthy annual cause.
Then it was time for the "real" food. Sausages, pork chops, hamburgers, were next on the grill, and the visitors lined up again. The meaty fare was accompanied by potato salad, sauerkraut and all the condiments one could imagine. It took some time to get rid of all the food, but they managed!
And
the kids had a ball too. The main attraction was the air-cushion trampoline
and some of the kids reserved space on it before it was even fully inflated.
Another
attraction was the fishpond where you could fish for plastic fishes with a
magnet on a bamboo pole. The youngsters kept taking turns and kept fishing
for hours – totally absorbed and fascinated.
A
boat race with plastic boats that you had to race by winding up a line on a
spool, got rewarded with medals for the winner. Unfortunately there were
more winners than metals. However tootsie-rolls and lollypops took up the
slack and made the kids happy as well. (I don’t know about the parents
though).
Guests
had come from all the major carnival societies in the area including
Hamilton and Kitchener and I am not going to list them here (I might forget
one and really be in the dog house!) Neither am I going to mention the
Bushman’s and Arno’s traditional Margaritas.
The "tombola" and the raffle proved to be a huge success and the tickets were quickly sold out and the prizes collected.
A light cloud cover assured an ideal climate for this event that ended with the traditional hayride in the evening. Of course we had a huge tent rented in case of inclement weather.
I still remember a few years ago when it was raining cats and dogs and there were poodles everywhere - but we still had a ball.
This year was the largest picnic the THM society had ever staged. Great Job! I am already looking forward to the pancakes next year.
As always
Dick Altermann
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