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This time we focus on the Hansa Haus in Brampton simply
because we attended two events there.
Easter Egg Hunt
 One of our favorite events is always the Easter egg hunt for the
children. In an odd way I always feel a bit like a kid myself
and I am overjoyed when at the end of the event someone hands me
a basket with Easter goodies, as Mrs. Gutwein
 did just before we
went home. It is almost as exciting as Christmas and receiving
an unexpected gift. I added it onto the beautiful Easter bakery
and eggs I had received from the nice folks at the Lesezirkel.
They sure know how to make me happy and I thank them!!
| Weiss-Blau Bayern Juniors |
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 I always think that Easter and Christmas are the two only events
when the grandparents can convince their children to come to the
club with their offspring to partake in the customs of the old
country. For
 anything else many of them are too busy with work
and raising their family. It appears that these two activities
please everyone and I hope we can keep it up for a long time.
| Doing crafts |
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There is nothing sweeter than watching the little ones getting
their faces painted or doing crafts, and searching for eggs. How
darling when one child finds a lot of eggs and another none and
then we can observe a sharing between the children. And when the
Easter Bunny comes to hand out the baskets to every child the
smiles are very big, mostly, but there are also a few instances
when there is fear, just like with Santa Claus.
| Children & the
Easter Bunny |
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It has to be said that the children are willing to work for
their treats. The many children in the Weiss-Blau Bayern
Schuhplattler group perform quite extensively before the Easter
Bunny hands out the rewards. Watching them it becomes clear that
they love dancing. Some of them are so small they can hardly
keep up with the bigger children, but want to be part of it
anyway. They try very hard and look adorable! Just look at the
pictures we took.
 All age groups, often 3 generations together
at one table, were there that Sunday before Easter, even some
teenagers made it and we want to thank them for their courage!
 Everyone was happy! The atmosphere was great with live music and
coffee and cakes for the grownups!
51st
Hansa Club Anniversary
 Another happy event was the 51st anniversary
dinner shortly after Easter. Being one after the big Five O last
year there were not as many politicians this year. As a matter
of fact our beloved Hurrican Hazel, Mayor of Mississauga, could
not make it at all. We were fortunate that Susan Fennell
 of
Brampton and an entourage could make it for a short while before
she had to dash off to other important evening events. However,
we spotted a lot of wonderful people that we do not always see
around, including Benno Mattes of Dell’s Pastry and Otto
Rosenmeier of Brandt Meats.
 The dinner was well cooked and well served and quite delicious.
Ample portions of meats with a classic gravy and vegetables and
potatoes pleased all after a fresh salad. The best, of course,
was the torte with café afterwards, I scrambled for a second
slice!
 Of course there was wine, a red one called Black Oak, which is
the restaurant brand of Reif Winery, was particularly tasty, but
then so are all their wines. The white wine was by Colio. Lou
Wegner, representative of Reif Winery in the greater GTA,
personally went around asking if everyone was happy with the red
wine. I only heard praise for this blend of grapes.
| Honouring of members |
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Honours to Carmen Harany |
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Besides dancing there were of course honours handed out in
gratitude and thanks for longstanding memberships. A special
Thank You went to Carmen Harany, who is the President of the
Weiss-Blau Junior Schuhplattler. Without her amazing affinity
 for children I do not think the kids would love dancing so much. She also plays some mean cowbells, as she demonstrated again
that night. The speed with which she handles those bells is
astounding, and I have never heard her make a mistake!
| Weiss-Blau Bayern
Seniors |
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 While the small children had danced at the beginning of the
evening, and the choir had welcomed everyone in song, it was the
older parts of the dance groups that entertained throughout the
evening. At one point members of the public were asked to
participate, and they did very well. Maybe they should swell the
ranks of the group on a regular basis!
| Audience
participation |
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| Almrausch Dancers |
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 Kitchener’s Golden Keys were there to play for everyone’s
dancing pleasure. These popular musicians certainly know how to
create the best mood for any festivity.
 Have you not been to a German Club lately! I can recommend it,
is good clean fun! The Hansa Haus is hosting a few folk fests
and I hope to see you there, as I am MCing one of them, namely
CARABRAM. Come join in the fun and participate and show that you
are proud of our heritage.
Until next time
Sybille Forster-Rentmeister
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