WHAT A FEST!!! Great weather, great crowds, and a great effort from everyone who worked in our food, pastry, and souvenir stands allowed us to have a very successful year. Dan and Linda Wehr, the booth Chairpersons, will be sharing the results with us at a later date. We do want to especially thank Dan and Linda for all their time and effort in chairing the booths this year. They have done a super job in planning, organizing, ordering food, drinks, and souvenirs and scheduling the workers. Kudos to you, Dan & Linda!

And a big THANK YOU to all who worked in our booths this year. Without your help we could not have the success that we do. It is very refreshing to see so many of you working in the booths and having fun at the same time. A special thanks goes to the booth set up and tear down folks including those who contributed trucks and trailers. Thanks to the Ackerman’s for handling the float arrangements again this year and thanks to all who rode on the float in the parade – a lot of nice compliments on our entry. I also want to acknowledge all the individuals who have helped in the past but for whatever reason were unable to help this year. Your past contributions are certainly remembered and greatly appreciated.

Just a little reminder that a large portion of the proceeds we earn during the Strassenfest go to some very worthy causes, including scholarships to students studying German language in college, assistance to exchange students traveling to Germany and funding of the Jasper Deutscher Verein (German Club) Endowment Fund which has a purpose of maintaining and enhancing our German Heritage. Your hard work does enable us to do some very important things for our heritage.

Lastly, our club picnic is coming up on Saturday, September 20^th at the Jasper Outdoor Recreation Club. Matt Hilger is in charge of this event and promises us great food and great entertainment. Please see Matt’s comments in the "Upcoming Events" section of this newsletter. Plan to join us at this year’s picnic. So many of you work at the booths and are unable to make it to the picnic. We would love to see you come this year to enjoy some of the fruits of your labor and to join in the camaraderie.

Date: Saturday, September 20
Time: 5:15 Welcome
5:30 Dinner
6:15 Brief Meeting / Strassenfest Summary
7:00 Entertainment
Place: Jasper Outdoor Recreation

Please join us for our annual German Club Picnic at the Jasper Outdoor Recreation to celebrate another successful Jasper Strassenfest, and to also recognize the efforts of everyone throughout the year.

For this year’s menu Jerry Lechner will roast a pig for us. Thank you Jerry for doing this. He will be starting his work at 6 a.m. at the Jasper Outdoor Recreation.

Members with last names beginning A-J are asked to bring a dessert and members with last names beginning K-Z are asked to bring a salad or vegetable.

The main attraction at this year’s picnic will be the Doppel Adler Musikanten, Fritz Martin and Ken Curtin, from Indianapolis, IN.

This should be a lot of fun, and hopefully you all have some strength left after the Strassenfest to dance some polkas and waltzes with the Doppel Adler Musikanten.

A special Invitation goes to all Jasper High School German Exchange Students and their parents and any of your friends.

Bring your own beer steins. We will be serving Bob & Betty Sunderman Picnic Pilsner this year. The club will also provide soft drinks.

Please take time at the picnic to sign up for the German American Day Celebration on October 6th, 2003, where we will be recognizing the German Heritage Award recipient(s).

We are looking forward to seeing you there.

Date: Monday, October 6th
Time: Social Hour (Cash Bar) 6:00 pm
German Buffet 6:30 pm
Proclamation 7:15 pm
Presentation of the 2003 German Heritage Award 7:30 pm
Essay Presentations 7:45 pm

Place: Schnitzelbank Restaurant

Cost: $10.00 per person

The annual German Heritage Award will be presented to an individual or group who has contributed generously his/her or their time, talents or resources to maintaining, improving or building upon our German roots in Dubois County. Sister Cities of Jasper and the Jasper Partnership Commission created the award in 1999. The Jasper Deutscher Verein is sponsoring the award.

Past recipients are Mary Jo Meuser, Claude and Martina Eckert, Dave Buehler and Linus and Sally Lechner.

An essay contest open to all high school seniors in the four county school corporations is being held this year. The essay topic is "What German Heritage Means to Me." A winner from each school corporation will be named, and the four winners will read their essays at the dinner. Each winner will be awarded a $250 scholarship. The German American Bank is the financial sponsor of the essay contest. Additional information on the essay contest will be available to the students at their high schools or can be obtained by calling 482-4821. Entries must be postmarked by September 18^th.

On Saturday, October 4^th, at the 5:00 pm Mass at Holy Family in Jasper, we invite you to participate in Fr. Boeglin’s anniversary celebration of 25 years in the priesthood. We will begin with Mass, followed by a buffet meal from 6:30 to 7:30 pm in the Holy Family School cafeteria. The Parish asks that you make reservations for the meal in order to enable us to prepare a proper amount of food and drink. There will be a free-will offering to help defray the cost of the food and drink.

There will be a public reception in the school from 7:30 to 10:00 pm. We have secured the Germania Maennerchor Rhein Valley Brass Band to play in the gym at the same time. We ask that you come prepared to dance in your socks on the hardwood gym floor, or bring tennis shoes to protect the floor.

Anyone wishing to attend the evening’s celebration, please fill out the form provided below and send it to Holy Family, 950 Church Avenue, Jasper, IN 47546; or drop it off in the Sunday collection basket if you attend Mass there no later than Tuesday, September 23rd.

This event is co-sponsored and supported by Sander Catering, Schnitzelbank Catering, the Jasper Deutscher Verein, and Holy Family Parish.

NAME________________________________________

ADDRESS____________________________________

NUMBER OF ADULTS _______

CHILDREN (6 and younger) _______

President Verkamp thanked everyone who helped make the German Club family picnic a success. The Rev. George Muenich and the Rev. White lead the ecumenical church service.

John and Ruth Wibbels, Elmer and Marilyn Brames, Aaron and Rosie Campbell, and Dave and Rita Blessinger were thanked for their work. Roger Weisensteiner and his assistants were in charge of the barbecued chicken and chops.

The German Club won the trophy for first place in the Strassenfest parade. A discussion followed concerning the purchase of a curio cabinet to display the club’s trophies, awards and other memorabilia.

Ron Kieffner discussed the itinerary for the club’s trip to the Bauerhaus on Saturday, October 17. He also announced that the trip to Germany will be in September, 1988. Anyone interested in signing up for the trip can call him at 482-1773.

Last year the German Club subsidized a convocation for the Jasper High School and the Jasper Middle School. The club voted to appropriate $600 for these two programs again this year.

The date of the spring dance has been changed to April 30, 1988.

Eileen Schaber reported on the German-American Day held at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home on October 6. A video recording of the event accompanied her report.

Mary Jo Meuser introduced Sonya Huppe, an exchange student from Pfaffenweiler Germany. The group of students from the Jasper High School German Club who went to France on June 10 gave a talk on their experiences. Other students spoke on their trip to the Black Forest.

President Verkamp introduced Matt Hilger, who is from Germany and is now working in Jasper.

Anyone interested in everyday Germany classes can contact Bob Verkamp. Marilyn Nathan will teach the classes at VUJC beginning at 7p.m. December 1^st.

Anyone interested in the German Heritage can call President Verkamp to join the club. Members need not be German to join. Dues are $5 a couple per year.

In memory of Sally Lechner
Gary and Rita Egler
Mike and Pat Hochgesang

A group meets one half hour prior to the regular meeting to review conversational German skills.

All are invited to attend.

Sponsored by the Jasper Deutscher Verein and Sister Cities of Jasper, Inc.

A new feature of the 2003 Strassenfest was the Outdoor German Home Decorating/Lighting Contest. Winners of the contest were:

Most Original German Theme – Allan and Bonnie Gessner

Most Traditional German Theme – Bob and Charmaine Verkamp

Best use of Lights displaying a German Theme – Richard and Sara Pearson

Congratulations to all winners. They have been invited to our annual family picnic in September.

"Honoring those who promote our German Heritage"

The annual Jasper German Heritage Award is presented to an individual or group who has contributed generously his/her or their time, talents or resources to maintaining, improving or building upon our German roots in Dubois County. Sister Cities of Jasper and the Jasper Partnership Commission created the award in 1999. The Jasper Deutscher Verein is sponsoring the award.

This recognition is open to all people, not just residents of the City of Jasper, who give what they can in order to make a difference.

Because the efforts of these people are sometimes known only to a few, a nomination will recognize the work of those who generously support our German Heritage.

A committee, consisting of the Presidents of the Jasper Deutscher Verein, Sister Cities of Jasper and the Jasper Partnership Commission, will judge all nominations.

The Presidents at the Annual Jasper German American Day celebration will present this award.

How you can nominate:

The nominee must be an individual or group, nominated by any individual or group. Please submit the official form below (copy is accepted), along with the following:

1. A letter of up to one page listing your reasons for the nomination.

2. A biography, up to two pages, listing the service or efforts of the nominee.

3. Mail or deliver your nomination to:
   
   Jasper Deutscher Verein
   German Heritage Award
   P.O. Box 15
   Jasper, IN 45746-0015

Person Nominated Person Submitting Form

Nominee’s Name:____________________________ Nominator’s Name:_____________________________

Home Address:______________________________ Home Address:________________________________

City:__________________State:_____ZIP:________ City:__________________State:______ZIP:_________

Phone:___________________________________ Phone:________________________

Occupation:_______________________________ Relationship to nominee:_________________________

Nominee’s service is: voluntary / paid (circle one)

This picture and write-up appeared in the June 30^th edition of the Amerika Woche, a German newspaper published weekly in Washington, D.C. It was provided by Wolfgang Erhardt of Louisville, a member of the Jasper German Club.

Translation:

Hundreds of small rowboats accompany the main ship of the Corpus Christi procession over the Staffel Lake, new Garmish-Patenkirchen in Bavaria. Corpus Christi is the main or high celebration of he Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Pope Urban IV, urged in t he year 1264, to celebrate Corpus Christi on the second Thursday after Pentecost.

The sea procession is the only of its kind in all of Bavaria. Also, there is a tradition of the spreading of the flower carpet, as you can see here, in the village of Muhlenbach in the Black Forest. Banner carriers parade along a one-mile flower carpet, which is woven out of one million flower buds for congregation volunteers.