Burgenländer Picnic…
…at the Evening Bell Park was also an unexpected success.
Despite the fact that parking is a bit of a problem, about 900
members of the club and guests attended this annual event. This
year a new board of directors was in charge.
 Roy Perl had
stepped down and John Brunner had ascended to the presidency of
the club. But since some of the old directors were still on the
board to help out, John had no serious problems in mastering the
intricacies of the event.
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| The new Board of Directors |
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| Mass at the
church on top of the hill– celebrated by Father Karl
Hoeppe from St Patrick’s RC Church |
After the Mass at the church on top of the hill– celebrated by
Father Karl Hoeppe from St Patrick’s RC Church – the kitchen was
opened. Volunteers had labored since the early morning to get
the food ready; it was a really frictionless process to feed the
hungry crowd in the huge line-up inside the hall.
On the menu? Schnitzel, Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, Potato salad,
cake, cookie plates – same as last year – and of course Gösser
beer, soft drinks and coffee.
Some of the guests had come a long way – not only from the
Donauschwaben club, or the Hansa Haus. No, even from Austria!
 Paul Schneider (Radio Herz) had coerced the
“Flotten Oberkrainer” to visit
the picnic and entertain the guests. During a break by the
Golden Keys – practically the club’s ‘house band’ – these
talented guest-artists set up their own equipment and married it
to the existing equipment of the band.
 It worked fine, and they
could start with their type of entertainment. It was fabulous –
geared to the audience - and I was sorry that I had to miss
their gig at the Danube Swabian Club the preceding Friday.
Harry Biebrich, bandleader, keyboard and vocals, his wife
Apolonia, female vocals and the guitarist and vocals of Milan
Labohar produced a show that was simply outstanding! The crowd
on the dance floor just couldn’t get enough! It was the – albeit
unplanned - highlight of the afternoon.
 The Golden Keys, after
their break, then continued to keep the dance floor filled with
their seemingly inexhaustible variety if evergreens.
The weather was just perfect even though it seemed to want to
rain every so often, but only a few light sprinkles were noted
and did not keep the guests out of the pool, or from
participating in the games that Roy Perl was supervising on the
soccer field.
 Kudos to the many volunteers that made the picnic the success it
turned out to be! Thanks also to Heinz Hachenberg for being my
‘chauffeur’ again.
 One of the surprises – for me especially – was the presence of
some old friends that I had lost touch with over the years. Fred
and Eva Salb – Fred was one of the original members of the
Harmonie Brass Band (or ‘Fanfarenkorps’)– and Conrad Mieschke,
the gifted artist and painter. (His website: www.studioconrad.com
is worth a visit!)
As always
Dick Altermann
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