October 2002 - Nr. 10
Dick reports...
Toy/Sci-Fi Show at the Hansa Haus
This was the second time that this show was staged by the
Men’s Auxiliary of the Hansa Club in Mississauga/Brampton. This year the
attendance was less than last year but sales were a lot better, I was told.
This
is always a fascinating exhibition – of the old and some new – for young and
old alike. Most of the visitors are serious collectors that specialize in
one particular type of item and travel from show to show to complete their
collection.
Toy
cars, Hot Wheels, Beanie Babies, Barbies, Dinky toys, Die Cast items, old
wind-up and tin toys, railway cars and accessories, Star War items, Smurfs,
dolls and more are on display and for sale.
From
9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. it was a Mecca for the initiates and for many
probably a nostalgic reminder of days gone by.
Oktoberfest ist wunderbar!
Hamilton
Oktoberfest, organized by Heinz Olesch – who also runs the "Singles" dances
in the Germania Club - had restricted this event to a simple fun-festivity.
A short introduction to the guests that filled the hall and balcony of the
Germania Club almost to capacity by Heinz, no speeches but lots of
opportunity to dance to the wonderful sounds of the Golden Keys from
Kitchener. It was "Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit" from beginning to end.
Schuhplattler
and folk-dance entertainment by the G.E.T.V Alpenland and the guest group
from the Schwaben Klub in Kitchener rounded out the program for the evening.
The more daring of the guests could visit the "Shooting Gallery" in the
basement to win flowers for their escorts and buy Oktoberfest souvenirs.
Smoking however is now restricted to the bar in the basement. (I think it is
redundant to mention that the bar was always busy).
No tapping of the traditional beer barrel this evening. That
traditional part of Oktoberfest is reserved for the "Steel City Oktoberfest"
on the 5th of October.
Oktoberfest at the Hansa Haus
On
my way back from Hamilton I dropped in on the Hansa Haus festivities in a
sold out hall. The rest of our team, Sybille and Rolf were already there
from the beginning and were quite taken with the variety and quality of the
available food – from roulades to pork hocks to steak tartar, including
Berliner Ballen, (the German version of yeast doughnuts), and entertainment
was provided by the folk dance groups that included the very talented "Bellringers"
again.
One
of the most honourable guest this evening was Mississauga’s - hopefully
eternal - Mayor Hazel MacCallion who told me "I always come when I am
invited". She is a great friend of "her Germans" and we love to see her at
these functions. Of course we realize that other commitments could prevent
her from following an invitation – that obviously goes with the territory.
Always
a favourite – and most likely the reason so many guests showed up on this
occasion – was the band. For many years now the Harmonie Brass
Show Band has entertained in our community and abroad and it is always a
pleasure to observe how well they handle the various requirements for the
various occasions. This evening was no exception.
More "Oktoberfest" Downtown
The
word got around: "Oktoberfest is wunderbar" and the people at Denison’s
Brewery on Victoria Street in Toronto acted on it. They had hired three
typical Bavarian musicians and Michael Hancock, the proprietor, tapped a
fresh keg for the occasion. Large "Oktoberfest" banners proclaimed that fact
to the guests.
The
atmosphere was great; many of the guests wore Bavarian hats and were into
the delicious Bavarian-style suds to celebrate Oktoberfest. The keg that was
tapped for this occasion was the first one of the freshly brewed Märzenbier
and is traditionally a little stronger in taste and alcohol content than the
other beers that are also available at Denison’s throughout the year. (But
brewed within the laws of Ontario)
Being
an in-house brewery they can offer various styles of beers to their
customers. Bockbier, Märzenbier and Maibock are traditional for the Spring
season. But the other beers – like the flagship "Royal Dunkel" (dark),
Bavarian Hell (light) and the "Weizen" or "Weißbier (wheat) are always
available all year around.
The
three restaurants on site offer a variety of delicious fare – appetizers,
soups, salads, pasta, sandwiches and entrees at very reasonable prices and
"Sauerbraten Meatballs" were on special this evening.
Michael Hancock was an engineer for the Molson brewery for about ten years and kept in touch with the "brewer prince", (Prince Luitpold of Bavaria – of the Wittelsbach royal line which ruled Bavaria from 1180 – 1918 and operates the Kaltenberg Castle Brewery in Fürstenfeldbruck near Munich) who was Michaels inspiration to bring Bavarian Beer to Toronto when they met in 1981.
So, don’t wait for special occasions – unless they are your
own – but visit Denison’s and the three restaurants any time of the year.
There is plenty of parking available around the corner.
Oktoberfest in Newmarket
Since the German Club in Newmarket no longer has a home, hosting the annual Oktoberfest is really the only event where they can again close ranks and do something together. It is indeed a sad story but not an unfamiliar one, as far as German Clubs are concerned.
However
the Ray Twinney Centre, on Eagle Street in Newmarket was set up and
decorated pretty much the same way it is set up every year. Beer-, Wine- and
Schnapps bar are in evidence again – and well visited I might add. The
souvenir booth hawks all kinds of goodies and souvenirs. The volunteers
manning the booth are really "Merchants of Memories" for the many visitors
of the Oktoberfest.
One major change was the fact that the food service was moved out of the hall and into an area by itself. Although everything was available as it was in the past I felt that it had lent more authenticity in previous years to the nature of the Oktoberfest, when the food service was in the hall itself. This year you couldn’t even smell the Bratwurst.
At
least they kept the Brezels and Beer Nuts in the hall where they had always
been.
The "Golden Keys" from Kitchener provided entertainment again and the general comment by the visitors was "Great Band"!
Klaus
Wehrenberg, his "Drehorgel" and his monkey greeted the visitors outside the
entrance to the hall. Well, the monkey was only a hand puppet but what is an
organ grinder – or "Leierkastenmann" - without a monkey and the kids loved
it anyway.
This particular organ was brought to Canada by Karl Heinz
Freitag – whom I knew quite well – at great expense, many years ago and has
seen service at many functions in Canada, not only at Oktoberfests, and in
the German community. It is still a living piece of nostalgia even now –
especially to "Berliners".
Next stop: Donauschwaben Club
This event was a rousing success with visitors seated in the
great hall, the restaurant area and the mezzanine upstairs. Well, not a
great surprise since two visiting bands were featured as
entertainment plus the Matt Lebar ensemble was scheduled to play dance music
after the other bands had finished the performances at eight o’clock.
The
"Three Zackels" and the "Edelweiss Buam" started the afternoon’s program
with melodies and songs from the "Heimat", back home. Apparently exactly
what the audience wanted, judging by the applause the artists received.
Wonderful food was available - right in the hall itself – and the delicious stuffed peppers seemed to be the all time favourites with most of the guests.
But
what is an Oktoberfest without the folk-dance groups? Well, the visitors
were not disappointed. The Donauschwaben youth group entertained with a
choice of folk-dances while the one group of musicians took a break to pack
up the equipment and the other group set up for the balance of the evening’s
dance music.
Great planning of seamless entertainment, something the Danube Swabian Club
is famous for.
All
in all, another successful event for the "Donauschwaben" and the dedicated
group of volunteers that made it all possible.
As always
Dick Altermann
Comments to: dick@echoworld.com
