September, 2004 - Nr. 9
Dick reports...
Hansa Haus Picnic
Well, it was an uneventful summer so far, often mainly due to the unseasonable weather. Many people didn’t even bother to go to the cottage as often this year, because of inclement weather.
The annual Hansa Haus picnic was an unqualified success this year. It had the largest attendance ever. Additional tables and chairs from the old clubhouse, and the tent that had served at a BBQ the previous evening, had to be pressed into service to accommodate the many visitors.
Mother Nature cooperated beautifully at the picnic. "Perfect weather" was the consensus.
It was gratifying to see that many visitors had brought children and grandchildren to the picnic who found plenty entertainment to keep them busy and content. The rope-pull was especially entertaining, since the loosing team would end up in a small kiddy-pool - filled with water. Other games were potato sack races; races with egg on a spoon – hilarious; water balloon toss – where most of them got wet; hula-hoop competitions and more. Yes, kids still play – that is before they discover computers!
Albert
Dittgen – the club’s resident one-man-band – had found some assistance in
Zbigniew Debrowski on the guitar and his son Bartosz who did a great job on
the keyboard. This gave Albert a chance to mingle with his friends every
once in a while, and have a break.
One
of the great attractions – on the culinary end – were the "Kartoffelpuffer",
the potato pancakes, always a crowd pleaser when served with applesauce and
sour cream.
But
there was also the usual fare such as Kasseler, Weiss- and Bratwurst with
potato salad and sauerkraut plus a garden salad. Corn on the cob was mainly
provided for the kids, but some of the adults indulged as well.
Having a good time
Need I mention that Boe Hladysh and Guy LaPlante had volunteered to run the bar – providing excellent cool beverages - to keep people from dehydrating?
The 50/50 Draw netted almost $400.00. 50% was enough to pay the band and the other 50% were a nice gift to the winner. Some prizes, contributed by various sponsors, were raffled off with the balance of the tickets. Well, if word gets around – and I am sure it will – next year might be even more successful!
Speaking of success, the Donauschwaben Club had record attendance at the last big event. It was Norbert Reif and his accomplished musicians, which entertained with a variety of music from "Classical Big Band" to "Happy Sounds". Norbert had also brought the "Derendinger Alphornbläser" along, always a favorite with any crowd since most people cannot understand how you can coax music out of one of those huge "Alphorn"-type trumpets. Well known in Germany, Robert and his musicians also entertained some of the 80,000 visitors on the "Stage by the Lake" at the Westfalenpark in Dortmund at the EDEKA Summer Festival – in July - with moderator Uwe Hübner.
Admission at the club was free but the voluntary contributions were substantial. Great show!
As always,
Dick Altermann
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