October 2009 Volume 4, Number 10
Monats Blatt
Vorstand
(Board of Directors)
President: Ron Evans (830-626-8157)
Vice-President and P.E.: Aloisia Chinchilla (830-625-3230)
Secretary: Diane Moltz (830-620-6787)
Treasurer: Karola LeMieux (830-899-4453)
Director of PR: Mary Irwin (830-620-0369)
Director of Publications: Tom Sears (830-626-2425)
In dieser Ausgabe
(In This Issue)
Messages from Ron;
Fun Time for All; Birthdays; Member News;Tips Worth Knowing; Witze;
Remaining Events 2009;
Botschaften von Ron
October Meeting
The next meeting of the German American Society will be October 6th at the Elk’s Lodge, located on Seguin St. across from the Chamber of Commerce/Civic Center.
The meeting room will open at 6:00 PM for Visiting and Refreshments. The meeting will start at 7:00. We have several important items to discuss: Wurstfest, October Fest, Weihnachtsmarkt, Christmas Dinner/Party, Wassailfest, Maskenball, and Nomination of Society Officers for 2010.
Also, due to Wurstfest, we will have our November meeting on October 27th. We have so much going on for the rest of the year be sure and attend.
Reminder
We have name tags for all members. They work very well if you have a memory like I do. When you come in, look on the table by the door and get your name tag, they are in alphabetical order. This will help us as we meet new friends. If you do not have a name tag on the table, please tell Tom or Ron so that we can get you one made. When the meeting is over and you are ready to leave, drop your name tag in the box (it is labeled) by the door, and we will bring the name tags back to the next meeting. In the past we have found that if you take it home you forget it for the next meeting. We will bring the name tags to each meeting.
Steuben Society
Prince Solms Von Braunfels Unit
Members of the New Braunfels German American Society founded the Prince Solms Von Braunfels Unit 1845 of the Steuben Society in January 2008. We will have a short meeting at 6:00 PM, at the Elks Lodge prior to the German American Society meeting. All members of The Steuben Society are invited to our meeting and all of our activities. The Steuben Society is the oldest German American society in America, and our support helps continue our German Heritage in this country. If you would like to join the Prince Solms Von Braunfels Unit, please see Ron Evans or Richard Ordorfer.
Bus Trip to October Fest at Beethoven in San Antonio
IT IS A DONE DEAL. We currently have 56 people signed up, and a waiting list. If you have not paid yet then you must pay prior to the start of the meeting or you seat will go to one of those on the waiting list. Karola will be collecting prior to the meeting. If you cannot attend the meeting, call Karola LeMieux concerning payment. We are looking forward to a great time. If you have already paid but will miss the October meeting we will leave from in front of the “old Luby building”, in front of Kohl’s at 5:00 pm on October 10th. We expect great food and music.
Bus Trip to Weihnachtsmarkt
We will have a sign-up sheet for the bus trip to Fredericksburg for the Weihnachtsmarkt. This will be on December 5th. Be sure and sign-up early, don’t be left out of this fun event.
Items for Vote
Two items have been presented to the Board and will be voted on by the Members at the October Meeting:
1. Motion to join the Mid-Texas Symphony. This is a local cultural organization in New Braunfels. Cost to be determined: Minimum is $25.00.
2. Motion to exempt German American Officers from paying dues while they are in their elected position. This would only partially aid in covering the numerous additional expenses they incur while in office.
Wurstfest Clean-up
We will have a sign-up sheet for Wurstfest Clean-up. We need to clean the booth before we start bringing in items to display. A time will be announced at the meeting.
Christmas Party
Our Christmas party will be on December 1 the Elk’s Lodge. Further information will be forth coming.
Nomination of new Officers
In the past we would have nomination and voting for officers in December. We changed that to January so we would not mess up our Christmas Dinner/Party. However, when we got to January a member of the Society would make a motion to keep all officers in their present position for another year. This has gone on for 3 years with little or no change to the officers.
The by-laws state that the President would be replaced by the Vice-President (President Elect). This would allow new ideas to surface and allow involvement from several members of the Society in a leadership role.
In talking to the other officers, some indicated they would like to see someone new fill their position so that we would have the advantage of some new ideas. David Schoenvogel has volunteered to head a Nomination Committee and he would like assistance from other members, so please see David if you are interested.
County Fair Parade
The Comal County Fair Parade was Friday, the 25th of September. We took 2nd place again!
Rudy Seidel volunteered the use of his trailer for our float. Several members, headed up by Lou Streitenberger and Don Knippa, decorated the float. The Theme was German Heritage Past, Present and Future. Again this year we wanted to let the citizens of New Braunfels know that “This is a German Town and we are proud of it!”
For more photos, click on:
http://newbraunfelsgermanamericansociety.com/site/category/image-galleries/2009-10
Maskenball 2010
Again this year we are going to partner with the Elk’s Lodge for Maskenball. It will be on February 13th, so mark your calendars. Again we have Kevin, Robert and Group to play. Further information will be forth coming.
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Spaßzeit für Alle!
(Fun Time For All!)
At the September meeting, we had a very enlightening speaker, Ms. Rosa Williams, who spoke to our GAS group regarding her personal experiences as a holocaust survivor. Hearing these recounts is rarely ever pleasant, but they are stories that we need to hear to help us understand the horrible situations that many people endured. The speaker's topic was not intended to be depressing, but informative and educational from the standpoint of a first hand witness. The harsh conditions in which she lived for a time are very foreign to our current generation, and this is a history lesson that modern people need to hear.
On a more positive upbeat note, at the next meeting in October, you will have the chance to win money! We will be playing card bingo, so be sure that you attend. You can't win if you're not there!
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Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag
(Happy Birthday)
Member birthdays in October
Roy Knippa 10/4
Bernice Friesenhahn 10/6
Lester Wetzig 10/10
James Fero 10/17
Monroe Weyel 10/27
Karola LeMieux 10/30
We will have a box and a stack of 3x5 cards available. Please let us know your birthday so that we can wish you Happy Birthday, too!
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Mitglieder Nachrichten
Lillian Wunderlich, friend and long time member of our German American Society, passed away on the 25th of September. Our deepest sympathies to her family!
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Wissenwert Hinweis
(Tip worth knowing)
Trennen Sie Ihre Bananen auseinander, wenn Sie nach Hause vom Markt kommen. Wenn Sie sie angeschlossen am Stamm lassen, reifen sie schneller.
(Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.)
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Witze
Work accident? Forgot anniversary!
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Ein Hund kam in eine Metzgerei und stahl einen Braten. Glücklicherweise erkannte der Metzger den Hund als den eines Nachbarn, einem Anwalt.
Der Metzger rief den Anwalt an und sagte: "Wenn dein Hund einen Braten aus meiner Metzgerei stiehlt, bist du dann für die Kosten verantwortlich?"
Der Anwalt erwiderte: "Natürlich. Wieviel kostet das Fleisch?" - "30 Franken."
Ein paar Tage später erhielt der Metzger einen Scheck über 30 Franken mit der Post. Angeheftet war eine Rechnung mit folgendem Text: "Rechtsauskunft: 350 Franken."
(A dog came into a butcher shop and took a roast. The butcher luckily recognized the dog as that of a neighbor, a lawyer.
The butcher called the lawyer and said, „When your dog takes a roast from my butcher shop, are you then responsible for the cost?”
The Lawyer replied, “Naturally. How much did the meat cost?”
“30 Franks.”
A few days later the butcher received in the mail a check for 30 Franks. Attached was a bill with the following text: “Legal information: 350 Franks.”)
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Der Onkel erkundigt sich nach dem Erfolg seiner drei Neffen in der Schule.
"Ich bin der Erste im Rechnen", sagt Rudi.
"Ich bin der Erste im Schreiben", sagt Rolf.
"Und ich", fügt Klaus schließlich hinzu, "bin der Erste an der Tür, wenn die Schule aus ist."
(The uncle inquired how his three nephews were doing in school.
“I’m first in calculating!” said Rudi.
“I’m first in writing!” said Rolf.
“And I”, said Klaus finally, “am first at the door when school is out!”)
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Fragt der Zöllner an der Grenze: "Haben Sie was zu verzollen?"
"Nein."
"Und was haben Sie da in der Flasche unter Ihrem Arm?"
"Wunderwasser, wissen Sie ich komme gerade aus Lourdes."
Der Zöllner entkorkt die Flasche, riecht daran und meint: "Aber das ist doch Cognac?!"
"Das ist ja ein Wunder - schon wieder ein Wunder!"
(The customs officer on the border asked, “Do you have anything to declare?“
“No.”
“And what do you have in the bottle under your arm?”
“Miracle water, you know I just came from Lourdes.”
The customs office uncorked the bottle, smelled it and said, ”But that is cognac!”
“That is a miracle…..already a miracle!”)
Remaining Events
For 2009
October 6: General Meeting at Elks Lodge
October 10: Bus Trip to Beethoven
October 27: November General Meeting at Elks Lodge
October 30 - November 8: Wurstfest (Come help sell in our NEW Booth.)
December 1: General Meeting and Christmas Party at Elks Lodge
December 3: Wassailfest (We will be selling Schweinskoteletten)
December 5: Bus Trip to Fredericksburg Weihnachtsmarkt
Suggestions for additional trips would be greatly appreciated.