Edition 2015-05 - Germania Verein, Inc.

Germania Nachrichten
Newsletter of the
Germania Verein
the German-American
Club of San Jose
September / October 2015
President’s Message
Sometimes it is even hard to plan for something one year ahead, but
if I asked you to share your plan or vision for the Germania Verein in
five years, could you constructively share your thoughts and opinions
with me or one of the board members? If you are the leadership of an
Abteilung or a member of an Abteilung I urge you to discuss a five year
plan and voluntarily share with the Board your plans for continued
membership and growth or status quo so that we can include your ideas
in a masterplan for the Germania.
Our Verein needs a plan and a common vision for the coming decade and
we need to evolve in a direction that makes sense for our current charter
and purpose or we need to change to become something different or
new that fits better with our current way of life. What will the Germania
look like in five or ten years? This is a positive-facing discussion and this is
not a doomsday discussion. Every negative that is brought up requires a
positive solution to counteract that trend. We should all be looking now
for solutions and good ideas for the future of our Germania Verein so
that when the time comes we can influence and control our future. We
need to plan for longevity for Verein and Abteilungs.
The German Heritage Soccer night (October 3 at Avaya Stadium) is one event
sponsored by the Germania Verein that tells the Bay Area that we have
a German Club in San Jose. This addresses our need for new members
and promoting ourselves to the community and tells San Jose that we
exist. You must know that many people, even of German decent, do not
know that we have a long-standing German Club in San Jose. Support
and attend every Verein and Abteilung event that you can and bring
a new friend or relative so that maybe they will become interested in
membership and future participation. Support our upcoming events:
August 16 Wiener Cafe; September 12 Oktoberfest; October 24 Fall Dance;
December Christmas Concert; next year Karneval Dance, so that we have a
product to offer new and existing members.
2015 Calendar
September
4 Membership Meeting
12 Oktoberfest
October
2 Membership Meeting
24 Fall Dance
November
6 Membership Meeting
December
1 Kaffeeklatsch Christmas
Lunch
5 Membership Meeting /
Christmas Luncheon
13 Choir Christmas Concert
Please be part of the discussion so the Germania
Verein can take a direction that is agreeable to you.
It is no secret that there are certain Bylaw triggers in
place that if our membership should drop below 10
members, then assets are transferred or donated, and
while this could happen in 20 years, with a marketing
plan in place and a sense of purpose clearly defined,
our Verein will remain viable for many, many more
years to come.
I look forward to further discussion with each and
every one of you and if you have email I prefer you
send your comments to [email protected]
until we can speak in person.
LONG LIVE GERMANIA!
Albert Zimmermann
Upcoming Events
Oktoberfest
Date: Saturday, September 12, 2015
Time: Doors open at 12 noon
Dinner: Dinner with sausages, sauerkraut,
potato salad, and cake
Entertainment: Music entertainment starting 2 pm
Tickets: $35/person, Checks to be made out to
Carnival Group
Information & Tickets: Georg & Frieda at 408.448.5084
Fall Dance
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2015
Time: Doors open at 1 pm
Dinner: Kale or Red Cabbage with smoked pork
chops, sausage, potatoes, dessert and coffee
Music: Bill Blythe starting 2 pm
Admission: $35 for members $38 for non-members
Information & Tickets: Georg Breitling at 408.448.5084
or any Schützengroup member
2
Department News
Birthdays
Schützen
Choir
e recently celebrated the annual King’s
ball. King Stephen made this function a very
special occasion. His girls added a royal touch
worthy for a king. Being entertained with good food,
drinks and pleasant company made for us a perfect
afternoon.
More than thirty singers and
family members attended the
choir’s popular summer picnic,
held at the Elderton’s on a
pleasant Sunday afternoon in
early August. As usual, Dittmer
Bubert perfectly grilled a
selection of sausages from his well-known Mountain
View gourmet meats store and everyone exchanged
all the latest news over a variety of beers and wines.
The next Schützen function in San Jose will be the Fall
dance. More details on the front page.
The regular meetings and target shooting are on the
last Sunday of the month starting at 11 AM.
Guests are welcome to attend and try out their
shooting skills.
Gut Schuß, Werner Springer
Language
Come and join our “Stammtisch” if you want to
practice your German. We meet every other Wednesday
at Hardy’s in Sunnyvale between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. For
more info call me at 408.210.9491.
Albert Zimmermann
Carnival
Our carnival group is still on
summer break. Our new season
starts in October and we will then keep
you up-to-date again. In the meantime, d o n ’ t
forget to join us at the Germania Oktoberfest which
is hosted by our group. See details on the front page.
Alaaf and Helau, Klaus Vorrath
On Sunday August 16, we appeared at the Club’s
annual Wiener Café event, singing several popular
Viennese tunes to a Germania Hall filled with an
audience dressed in fine Viennese turn-of-thecentury costumes.
On September 15 we will start our weekly rehearsals
again in preparation for our very popular Christmas
Concert. September would be a great time for any
new singers, male or female, young or old, at any level
of musical or German language proficiency, to join us
at Germania Hall every Tuesday evening at 7:30 PM. You
can get more information about joining the choir
from Edith 408.379.6540 or me 408.997.3309.
We will meet on September 17 and October 15. Interested
players, experienced or not, are welcome to join us
every third Thursday, at 7:30 pm, in our upstairs lounge.
Gut Blatt, Klaus Glimski
Kaffeeklatsch
e had a nice get together in August and
I hope we will see many of you at the next
meetings, now that it gets a little cooler. Our
next meetings will be on September 8 and October 13.
Edith Meyer
Shakuntala Agarwal
Else Allmendinger
Ruth Angst
Christa Benson
Ilse Boldt
Helga Cihlar
Allan Dournaee
Elisabeth Felix
Irmgard Funk
Renee Hendriksz
Klara Kahlen
Guenter Knoop
Russell Kriegel
Viola Kuchlenz
Mathilde Lucht
Irene Marahrens
Stephen Nelson
Ute Nelson
James Raymond
Magdalena Schweiger
Susan Torngren
Heinz Wegener
Claudia Weller
William “Woody” Woodcock
Tanzgruppe (new)
New Tanzgruppe at Germania! If you are interested
in dancing at the Germania Verein, please phone
415.572.6490, email [email protected],
or come see us at our table at the Oktoberfest to chat,
learn more about our group, and sign-up.
Stephen Goth
Skat
September
Membership Meeting/Christmas Party
For the first time this year, the Germania Verein will
have a Christmas luncheon combined with the
membership meeting on “Saturday” December 5th at
11:00 am (not Friday evening)
Lunch, coffee and cake will be free to all members!
Reservations need to be made so that we have a
count. There will be some entertainment and a sing
along of the popular Christmas songs. More about
this in the next Germania Nachrichten
October
Robert Busse
Nora Elderton
Gerald Hunt
Aurel Keck
Herbert Knoesel
Ursula Knox
Edwin Long
Dennis Mueller
Werner Neumaier
Rita Osman
Martin Schimm
John Wehner
Andrea erle
Hugo Werle
Herbert Wolf
Peter Zakel
3
Club Contacts
Wiener Café Committee News
Germania Verein
The Wiener Cafe was a very nice
event and it happened on the
hottest day of the year which was
quite a distraction. But for the most
part everyone had a really good
attitude and enjoyed themselves
anyways. We honored our 25 and
50 year members:
261 North 2nd Street, San Jose, CA 95112
[email protected]  408.275.9308
www.germaniaverein.org
Board of Directors
President Albert Zimmerman  408.281.8949
Vice President Dennis Mueller 408.246.4644
Secretary Ute Nelson  408.241.2926
Treasurer Chris Rehmeyer  408.249.3047
Sunshine
Summer and vacation time
is coming to an end; our
Germania family members
are returning home,
hopefully to join us
at the upcoming events to
share their experiences and
friendship.
Our 25 year members are Wilhelm
and Marianne Grotheer, Siegfried
and Shirley Koch, Monika Naslund,
Hans and Ursula Scheelke, and The last few months have been very
Directors
Klaus Glimski  408.269.5091
Kay Weeks. 50 year members are difficult for several of our members.
Walter Harding  408.286.8989
Emil Heyler, Blanca Zimmermann, Our thoughts are with you, hoping from the bottom
Claudia Weller  408.997.2089
Eric and Ingrid Kohler, and Irene of our hearts for your healing of body and spirit.
Reinhard Wolf  408.847.3920
Marahrens.
Congratulations! “Sunshine” to all our Germania family members.
Unfortunately, not all honorees
The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes
Departments
were able to be present.
back to you.
Choir Manfred Trogisch  408.255.2118
The
Choir
performed
a
nice
Carnival Georg Breitling  408.448.5084
Jutta Kiel
‘Mini-Konzert’ for us which we all
Kaffeeklatsch Edith Meyer  408.379.6540
Language Albert Zimmermann  408.281.8949 enjoyed. Mark Bubert delighted
us as “Freddie Quinn” singing Membership
Shooting Georg Breitling  408.448.5084
those songs to strobe light effects.
Skat Klaus Glimski  408.269.5091
We would like to welcome our newest members Mark
Margaret Bubert supplied an array
Bubert and Gerhard Fritz. We are looking forward to
of hats for the ‘Hat Parade’.
Committees
seeing you at many of our events.
Aiello Albert Zimmerman  408.281.8949
A big “thank you” to Hildegard
Bar Marianne/Wilhelm Grotheer  408.253.5218 Wehner for organizing this Ute Nelson
Festivities Open Position
wonderful afternoon, and a big
Membership Ute Nelson  408.241.2926
“thank you” to the entire team for
Purchasing Open Position
all their hard work.
Refreshments Hildegard Wehner 
408.246.4644
Albert Zimmermann
Renovations Open Position
Sunshine Jutta Kiel  408.241.4132
Newsletter
Editor Susanne Ivarson  707.292.5470
[email protected]
German Pioneers
Learn about our German ancestors who have
contributed to this area since 1841. Visit
www.germanamericanpioneers.org or
contact Maria Brand at 408.270.4888.
Germania sponsors the German Heritage Soccer night.
October 3, 2015 at Avaya Stadium
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Portland Timbers
Professional soccer match
Ticket and T-shirt $30.
4
Department Choir Picnic
Meetings
Carnival
Every 2nd Monday of the month at 10a.m.
Choir
Every Tuesday at 7:30p.m.
Hiking
No hikes scheduled presently.
Kaffeeklatsch
Every 2nd Tuesday of the month at 12p.m.
Language Group
Stammtisch meets every other Wednesday.
Call for additional event dates.
Skat
Every 3rd Thursday of the month at 7:30p.m.
Schützen
Meetings are on the same day as
the target shooting which is the
last Sunday of the month at 11a.m.
Germania Verein, Inc.
261 North 2nd Street
San Jose, CA 95112
www.germaniaverein.org
Wiener Café