January 2005

December Meeting in Review

Jasper Deutscher Verein Has Annual Christmas Dinner and Program

The Jasper Deutscher Verein held its annual Christmas Dinner and Program at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 673 on Thursday, December 16 th.   Over 130 members were in attendance.   

Sharon Dilger and Rita Egler greeted guests as they arrived.

Dan Gutgsell, president of the Jasper Deutscher Verein, welcomed all present.   Father John Boeglin led the group in prayer.   Members then enjoyed a chicken and ham dinner.

Mr. Gutgsell reminded all present of the Jasper Deutscher Verein (German Club) German Heritage Endowment.   He noted that this is the perfect time of year to remember someone by giving a gift in honor of someone or in memory of someone to the Jasper Deutscher Verein (German Club) German Heritage Endowment.   This is a gift that keeps on giving by helping to preserve and maintain the German heritage.   Contribution envelopes are available at the welcoming table at each meeting or the contribution may be sent directly to the Dubois County Community Foundation, P. O. Box 269, Jasper, IN 47547-0269.  

Bob Dilger, Vice President, then introduced the program of the evening.   The performing arts students at Jasper High School under the direction of Stephanie Burns and Tina Luebbehusen gave a very lively and uplifting Christmas program with songs, skits, and readings.

After the performance, Mr. Dilger thanked the students and teachers for the program.

He also recognized members with birthdays and wedding anniversaries in December.

Mr. Dilger announced that the annual Wine-Beer Judging will take place on Friday, January 21st, at the Jasper Knights of Columbus Home.   Gathering will begin at 6:00pm.   Entries for Wine-Beer Judging should be entered by 6:30pm and the program with the Celebration Singers will begin at 7:00pm.   The club will provide refreshments and there will be a cash bar.   The February meeting will be held at the Dubois County Museum on Thursday, February 17 th.

Attendance prizes were won by Irene C. Eckerle, Joan Suhrheinrich, Vera Renner, Linda Rohleder, Shelley Whalen, Noah Whalen, Dave Prechtel, Ken Heim, Jim Fritch, and Bob Fleck.   Rita Corn won the half pot drawing.

The remainder of the evening was spent socializing.   Anyone wishing to learn more about the German Club or parents of students studying German in school are welcome to attend or visit the web site at www.jaspergermanclub.org.

 Upcoming Events – Mark Your Calendars!

January Meeting -- Wine & Cheese Tasting

The club will provide cheese, beer and soft drinks.   The K of C will have a bartender available for individuals who wish to purchase other drinks.

The January meeting will be our annual beer and wine tasting/judging gathering.   The categories remain unchanged as follows:

• Grape Wine
• Non-Grape / Other Wines
• Beer

Members will be allowed one entry in each category and certificates will be awarded for 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd place in the grape wine category and 1 st and 2 nd place in the non-grape / other wine and beer categories.

While the judges determine the winners in each category, the audience will be entertained with a performance by Larry Feldmeyer and the Celebration singers.   This group has performed at many different civic and church settings over the past few years.   They are very talented as all who have heard them agree.

Come prepared for a fascinating and fun evening!

February Deutscher Verein Meeting

Date:     Thursday, February 17, 2005

Place:    Dubois County Museum

Members will get an opportunity to view the exhibits and to learn more about upcoming plans/events at the Museum.   Stay tuned for more details in the next newsletter.

20 th Anniversary of Jasper-Pfaffenweiler Sister City Partnership

The Partnership Commission under the leadership of Mayor William Schmitt has made preliminary plans for our 20 th Sister City Anniversary celebration taking place during the Strassenfest 2005.

Pfaffenweiler has accepted the invitation given verbally to the community of Pfaffenweiler by Mayor William Schmitt in June of 2000 during his visit in the Snail Valley. A written invitation was sent by the City Hall in April of 2004.

Per a statement by Pfaffenweiler Buergermeister Fritz Gutgsell and his team consisting of Karin Horst, Joseph Waibel and Eddy Weeger, 35 people have already signed up for a bus tour ending in Jasper in August. Approximately another 15 people will travel independently to attend the anniversary celebration.

Pfaffenweiler’s plans are to have some Alpine Horn Players, a small Choir and a few stone carvers.   They will be flying into Chicago on July 30 th, spend some time in the Windy City and travel by bus down to Jasper on August 2 nd.

The following preliminary time frame has been set by the Japer Partnership Commission. They are currently meeting on a monthly basis to refine the schedule and plan the details.

The Dubois County Community Foundation awarded a grant to benefit the anniversary celebration. The Jasper Deutscher Verein and the Strassenfest Committee have provided the remaining funds.

We will keep you posted with more details evolving in the next few months.

Deutscher Verein and Sister City Golf Shirts

Deutscher Verein and Sister City Golf Shirts may be ordered and purchased at Jasper Embroidery, 310 Main Street, Jasper.   They can also embroider the American Flag and the German Flag on shirts.   What a great way to display your German heritage!!!  

Erinnerst Du Dich?
By Patti Goepfrich

Jasper Preparing For Guests
By Gabriella Jacobs - Herald Staff Writer

Jasper will roll out its welcome mat for an adopted relative next week.

A delegation of residents from Pfaffenweiler, Germany, will arrive Wednesday to our community for a few days and participate in a ceremony that will make their town and Jasper sister cities.

The visit and “adoption” have been arranged by Jasper Deutscherverein (“German Club”) and its offshoot, Sister Cities of Jasper, Inc.   When local residents learned that Pfaffenweiler was the city from which many of the ancestors came, they visited there last fall, and spoke with the burgermeister about formalizing a relationship.   They also invited many of the Pfaffenweilerans they met to come to Jasper.

Forty one of those new friends will fly to Chicago next Wednesday, and be met at the airport by a member of the German Club.   Then they’ll all depart by charter bus for Jasper.   During a stop for dinner, the German Club members will notify key people in Jasper of their estimated time of arrival so everyone can plan to assemble for a welcoming. The arrival time will be announced on WITZ.

When the bus arrives at the Der Buro Komplex, it will be escorted by a fire truck downtown to the courthouse square.   There, Mayor Jerome Alles will greet the Pfaffenweilerans, and they’ll be matched up with their host families.

More than two-dozen Jasper families will share their homes with the visiting Germans.   The visitors are of various ages (most in their 30-50s) and occupations including a bookkeeper, grape picker, high school teacher, baker, bricklayer, welder, and farmer.

To enable the tourists to see as much as they can of the Jasper area, the German Club has arranged the following itinerary.   It includes several opportunities for local people to meet them.

*Thursday:   tours of the Jasper Corporation cabinet manufacturing plant, Alvin Ruxer’s horse farm and St. Joseph and Holy Family churches. At 7 p.m., the public is invited to join the Germans and their hosts at the Knights of Columbus home for a dinner and ceremonial signing of the documents between Mayor Alles and Burgermeister Fritz Gutgsell.   The program for that ceremony includes entertainment by Jasper students and the Pfaffenweilerans, a presentation of commemorative beer steins by the German Club, and remarks by various officials.   Professor Eberhard Reichmann of Indiana University will be the official translator.

(The remaining part of the article will be in next month’s newsletter.)

(found in The Deutscher Verein Records – May - 1985)

JHS News

We enjoyed a visit from our partner school from Staufen Gymnasium in October.   Twelve students and two teachers joined us at JHS for three weeks.   We are now looking forward to welcoming students and teachers from our second partner school from Poesneck for two weeks at the end of March.

We continue to prepare for our trip to Germany this summer.   I am working with students and parents on continued fundraising and language practice this semester.

Thank you for your support of the JHS German Exchange Program.   Without your various sources of support, this program would not be possible.

Julie Newton

Wanted:   Links to German Club Web Site

Under the German Club web site, we will be adding a link “Local Favorites”.   Our intention is to put many area businesses out there.   We, in turn, would also like to be linked to your business web site.   If you would like to have your business web site linked to the German Club Web Site, please send your web site address to Patti Goepfrich at pmgoep@fullnet.com.   Please pass this information on to any non-German Club business.

 Jasper Deutscher Verein (German Club) German Heritage Endowment

A gift to the Jasper Deutscher Verein (German Club) German Heritage Endowment of the Dubois County Community Foundation is a wonderful way to remember that special someone.   A gift in honor of someone or in memory of someone may be given.   The Dubois County Community Foundation will send a letter of acknowledgment to the individual being honored or to the family of someone being remembered.   Send your gift along with the appropriate information to the Dubois County Community Foundation, P. O. Box 269, Jasper, IN   47547-0269 and note that you wish your gift to go to the Jasper Deutscher Verein (German Club) German Heritage Endowment.   Appropriate envelopes are also available at the greeting table at each club meeting.  

Let’s Grow the Club!!!!

The Jasper Deutscher Verein is always looking for new members.   Why not invite your family, friends, and neighbors to a meeting and be sure to let the President or Vice President know that these guest(s) are present so that they can be recognized.   Make sure that they also sign in so that they are eligible for an attendance prize!!!!

Membership Dues

It's that time of year again! Please submit your dues for 2005 as soon as possible by completing and sending in the following form. Thanks!

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please contact Matthias Hilger or Patti Goepfrich.