March, 2005 - Nr. 3
Dick reports...
St. Valentine comes to the Donauschwaben
For the almost 300 guests in attendance, this was an evening that will be remembered for some time.
After
the customary address by Brigitte Wecker, the club’s president and the
introduction of Mrs. Schwemlein as MC, the fun really began.
It
started with Ulli Jeschke – the radio host from CHIN 100.7 FM – and the
distribution of "Canine Cash" lottery tickets. In order to win one of them
he asked for some very unusual items that people might have on them.
Flashlight, Subway Token, expired Credit Card, Toilet Paper, Picture of a
Mother-in-law, Pantyhose, Red Briefs or Boxer shorts, Red Brassiere (Yes,
Anna Gubasta came up with one – Lord knows where she got it), Foreign
Currency, broken Pencil, Banana, Orange or other fruit, a Mouth Organ – and
believe it or not, some one had one, and played "Amazing Grace" for the
guests – plus many other items, not normally found at an event of this
nature.
It
was riotous and the audience just loved it. It broke the ice and when the
"Golden Keys" started playing, the dance floor immediately filled up with
celebrants.
When
the band had an intermission "Cupid" showed up, complete with wings to
introduce another part of the program. Of course – you guessed it – it was
Ulli Jeschke again.
Five
ladies, from the audience, were asked to volunteer in an interesting
experiment. Their husbands were led outside of the hall and the ladies were
seated in front of the stage. Then the husbands were led into the hall –
blindfolded, of course – one at the time, to see if they could recognize
their own wives just by feeling their legs up to the knees. To make this
experiment really interesting, Mrs. Schwemlein had suggested including a man
into this parade of legs. His pant legs were rolled up and a silk stocking
was procured to dress his leg with it. Needless to say it was almost
impossible for the blindfolded husbands to
determine
which wife was his. Of the five husbands that tried, two actually picked
their own wives and another one of them was strongly convinced that the male
contestant was his wife! It was one of the most hilarious scenes ever staged
at the club. This proves that all it takes is a little imagination to turn
an ordinary dance event into an affair to remember.
I overheard one of the guests saying, "This was really great, I wonder what they will come up with next".
Two years ago Ulli Jeschke entertained at this event as "Lupercus"
– complete with Roman toga – and explained the origin of Valentine’s Day,
from its beginning in ancient Rome as "Lupercalia" and later as St.
Valentine’s Day, named after a martyred Christian monk. It was in the past
intended to celebrate the beginning of spring. But that was a thousand years
ago. Now it is celebrated on February 14th, each year. Spring
starts on the 21st of March!
Why the association with love and lovers is celebrated – or
how it got started - is still not quite clear. It remains one of the oldest
and most mystifying holidays worldwide.
"Kindermaskenball" at the Donauschwaben
This is always an eagerly awaited event – by the member’s children and grandchildren – and is hosted at the club by the club’s Youth Group.
Of
course the idea behind this event is to acquaint these youngsters with the
club and to instill appreciation for its existence and everything it has to
offer. It is a kind of planting the seeds for membership in the club.
It
is hoped that some of the youngsters will later join the Youth Group and
become members. This would ensure the continued existence of the club in the
future. It also familiarizes the kids with their roots, ethnic background
and culture.
About
35 costumed children, and their escorts – parents & grandparents – attended
this function. As they trickled into the hall there were immediately greeted
by Carrie Turman to make t
hem
feel welcome. Games and entertainments were also provided to keep them busy
until the official part of the afternoon’s event started. There were lots of
costumed helpers available to keep the kids occupied: A
Fairy Godmother – complete with wings (Elisé Scully), a juggling Clown
(Samuel Scully), the Princess & "Miss Danube 2005" (Rachel Seilern), a Scuba
Diver – looking for Nemo – (Annie Scully), a Witc
h
(Michelle Vincent), a Gypsy, (Megan Adams) Natasha Szauter as a Snowflake,
plus many, many more costumed helpers from the club’s Youth Group, and
helpers from the Donauschwaben Club.
In Costume
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Rosie
Kelman, the Youth Group’s president, Lina Forstner, president of t
he
Frauengruppe (Ladies Auxiliary) and Klara Rotter also contributed with
assistance that helped to keep the event flowing smoothly throughout the
afternoon.
Making their entrance
After marching into the hall, the youngsters settled down in a circle in front of the stage, Rachel Seilern interviewed each one of the participants and had them explain what they, or their costumes, represented. That also assured many amusing moments for the participants and the audience when the children tried to explain their different attires.
Interview with Rachel
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Afterwards, DJ Mike Nemeth who had been providing the background music now provided the dance music for the whole animated group.
Hot Dogs, Doughnuts and Lemonade provided fuel for the inner child. The self-service buffet provided Wiener Schnitzel or Cabbage Rolls for the numerous hungry guests.
Kudos
are due to the Youth Group and all the other participants that made this
event successful. Kudos are also due to the parents who created those many
ingenious and innovative costumes for the children.
As always
Dick Altermann
Comments to: dick@echoworld.com
