March 2003 - Nr. 3
Dick reports...
I
t’s a Family Thing!…this "Lachfest" by the Szauter Family. You cannot really
translate this into "Laugh Fest" but it is the closest thing to a comedic
variety show that I can imagine. I can still remember the first Lachfest, at
the Danube Swabian Club some time ago.
You
may recall Sybille writing about it last October already. It was great
entertainment then and now it has evolved to a degree where it would be
welcome entertainment throughout North America.
The various skids are of course done in English – which we all understand by now – the material comes from well-known sources in the entertainment industry and has been adopted and adapted for suitability in venues like the Danube Swabians Club, the Hansa Haus and other similar ones.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The lip-synching was flawless, which means that all the songs had to be learned by the participants – and so was the choreography. The costumes were fabulous and mainly homemade, but immediately recognisable and identifiable with the actors or situations portrayed. Some scenes were from the ‘King and I’; ‘Mary Poppins’; the ‘Three Tenors’; ‘West Side Story’; ‘Sound of Music’; ‘Sony and Cher’; ‘Gigi’and many, many others. One really outstanding performance was Annie Scully as flapper from the 20’s with ‘Ma, he’s making eyes at me’. Ingrid Szauter herself - as Carol Burnett - performed the closing act with ‘So long’. And it was fun, fun, and fun! Somebody even said: "selten so gelacht!"
The audience was in stitches almost continuously. I noticed one lady who had tears streaming down her face from laughing so hard. I should also mention that the house was sold out and the Hansa kitchen even ran out of ‘Goulash’ early in the evening. A good indication that people were happy – not only with the performance, but also with the food.
Narrhalla ’58 goes "West"
…in
spirit anyway. The theme of this year’s annual costume ball was "Steel City
Hoe-Down" and the response by the visitors was overwhelming. I have never
seen so many cowboy hats or Stetsons and ‘western’ garb in one place except
maybe at the Calgary Stampede. Even the food that was offered in the
upstairs ‘Chuck Wagon’ lounge had a western "flavour":
Pan-fried
Texas Longhorn ‘Schnitzel’; ‘Smoking Guns’ BBQ Chicken and Baked Beans;
Mama’s ‘Yee-Haw’ chilli and Nachos (an excellent choice prepared by Heidi
Frank herself!) were offered at very, very reasonable prices.
The
"Bareback Riders" played Country & Western style tunes that were easy to
dance to. A number of members and students of the Hamilton-based "Danceline
Studios" demonstrated "Line-dancing" and invited the audience to
participate. Many enthusiastically responded to this invitation and some
even got the hang of it after a few tries. (www.dancelinestudios.com)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The
Narrhalla Junior Guard also performed a well-received show dance that fit
the overall ‘western’ theme.
Some
of the visitors came from Kitchener with the reigning ‘Royalty’ Prince
Richard and Princess Kerstin – plus Hofstaat -, Narragonia, Brantford had
sent a delegation that even included a wannabe ‘David Crocket’ – complete
with racoon hat and six-shooter – Ascendia, Hamilton participated for the
first time at this venue and the "Treue Husaren, Mississauga" showed up with
a large retinue of wonderful fools. Great support! There were more
distinguished guests that were introduced by Albert Kergl in his initial
address, but too many to list here.
I felt that this was an experiment that didn’t fail and is probably worth repeating. When the word gets around of how much fun some of the people had, you might even get a larger audience the next time – even though this event was well attended already.
Ascendia - still "ascending"
The
recent costume ball by the K. G. Ascendia, Hamilton – at the Continental
Austrian Club – was a well-attended – actually a ‘sold out’- event. Two
royal couples were present: Prince Richard and Princess Kerstin from the
Narrenzunft, Kitchener and Prince Timothy and Princess Karen from the K. G.
Downriver, Detroit. This couple had arrived from Detroit in the morning
already, to make sure that nothing interferes with their attendance at this
event. That’s what I call dedication!
Addresses
by the president of the BDKK – Armin Hellmann – and the president of the KG
Ascendia officially opened the festivities with well-chosen words of
welcome.
The
Narragonia, Brantford Seniors performed a wonderful show dance – no
guard-dance since it is too close to Manöverball – but the "very Junior"
dance guard from the host group performed a guard-dance in their new
uniforms. I
t
needs a little work yet, but it is a good start in any case. They also
functioned as "Honour Guards" to escort the attending VIPs from table to
stage and back. Tradition, tradition, tradition!
Joe
Lindlau’s "Golden Two" performed very well during the Mardi-Gras parts of
the ceremony, (Einmarsch etc.) all ‘three’ of them! They also kept the dance
floor full during the rest of the evening with a wonderful repertoire of
dance-music.
The club’s kitchen provided some delicious food for the hungry and the bar had an admirable selection of beers and other beverages – at the proper temperature – on hand.
The food service was also excellent since the table numbers were recorded when the food was ordered – eliminating any mistakes!
Costume balls during Mardi-Gras (or Carnival) are always an opportunity for the guests to let their hair down and wildly exercise dormant creativity. This event was no exception. However we noticed that the Narrhalla 58 now has an "Admiral" in its retinue. Exactly what the Hamilton Coast Guard needed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unfortunately the KG Treue Husaren – both Mississauga and Toronto – didn’t all make it because of the weather and a few people – me included – left early to beat the snow home. I am glad I did because traffic conditions were not very good on the way back to Toronto.
Unfortunately I missed the sketch the hosts put on – the theme of it was: "The Bells of Rome" – a usually reliable source told me that it was hilarious and that the audience thanked them with a "rocket" after the performance. Maybe I will catch it the next time. Well, that may not be until the First of November 2003 when they open the "Carnival" season at the same "Continental Austrian Club".
It was gratifying to see so much support for this relatively young group that shows that it is being accepted in the Mardi-Gras community here in Ontario.
Mardi Gras at Hansa
Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Crazy Ladies in Kitchener but I did cover the last costume ball of the season at the Hansa Haus and the KG Hansa. Angelica Kaltz provided a whole new set of "uniforms" for the group. (That girl is wasting her time on costumes for carnival – she should design fashion.)
Close
to 250 guests attended this function including a group from Germany. They
felt that this event was not all that different from smaller local functions
in Germany since the Harmonie Brass played the same music that they know
from back home. They also enthustically applauded the ‘Funky Solo’ and the
‘show dances’ by the Treue Husaren, Mississauga - Dance Guard.
Food and drink from the Hansa Kitchen and the ‘Adler Bar’ was at its best, as usual.
Both
‘Treue Husaren’ societies sent representatives to this event, with
Mississauga also providing the dance guard entertainment. It is gratifying
to see the two groups talking to each other again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Also,
thanks to Albert Dittgen for providing musical entertainment before the
official start of the event, to get the guests into the mood. He sure plays
a mean accordion.
Our representative on site, Herwig Wandschneider, will cover City Hall takeover in Kitchener on ‘Rose Monday’. Read about it in our next issue, as well as about the events that are happening after we go to press. I hope you attended the various "Herring Feasts", on Ash Wednesday – at the various locations.
Then comes the long suffering during the spring, summer and fall until we meet again in November.
Kindermaskenball at the Donauschwaben
Why
should only grown-ups have fun at carnival? The Danube-Swabian Club
introduced a carnival-type atmosphere by inviting the member’s children and
grandchildren to participate in a Sunday afternoon of fun, games, face
painting, cookies, soft drinks and more fun.
About
50 youngsters had congregated in a great assortment of costumes, some very
creative and original. It was apparent that the children were very proud of
their own costumes, but they also enquired from their peers who they were
supposed to be – if it wasn’t obvious – and who helped them to make the
costumes. I am sure some of them – and some of the parents - picked up ideas
for costumes suitable for next year’s event.
After
the children had marched in to the great hall and formed a large circle, the
recently elected president of the Danube-Swabian Club, Brigitte Wecker,
welcomed the children and other guests. After the youngsters had danced the
"Chicken Dance" and settled in a large circle on the floor in front of the
stage Nicole Hudson walked among them and asked each child to identify
itself and explain the costume.
She
and other members of the club’s Youth Group were a great help in organizing
and guiding the various activities. Rachel Szauter for instance, dressed as
an angel, painted beautiful fantasy faces.
Günter Sanders, - known to us as a bandleader - had brought his wife and granddaughter. He mentioned that for him the idea behind the event is to familiarize the children with their ethnic background and their roots. I think this point of view has a lot of merit and should be explored by those who are looking for ways to keep our culture and the clubs alive and functioning.
As always,
Dick Altermann
Comments to: dick@echoworld.com
