Jasper German Club

Thanks to Don and Eileen Scherle for agreeing to be Pastry Stand Chairmen for the Strassenfest.

Thanks to Matthias Hilger for agreeing to be Souvenir Stand Chairperson for the Strassenfest.

Thanks to Doug and Karen Schulte for agreeing to schedule work shifts for the Food Booth and Pastry Booth for the Strassenfest. Please call Doug and Karen at 482-2120 to schedule your work shift(s) during the Strassenfest.

Proceeds from the sales at the Food Booth and Pastry Booth are the only source of revenue for the Deutscher Verein. Please support the Food Booth and Pastry Booth during the Strassenfest. The Souvenir Stand benefits the DeutscherVerein and the JHS Student Exchange Program.

Much preparation goes into the planning, setting up, and take down of the area occupied by the DeutscherVerein booths during the Strassenfest. Mark your calendar to help with set up on Tuesday evening, August 1 st, and Thursday morning, August 3 rd, and tear down on Sunday, August 6 th. More details on DeutscherVerein activities during the Strassenfest will be in the next newsletter.

The DeutscherVerein met Thursday, March 16, at the VFW for their monthly meeting. President Dilger opened the meeting by welcoming the large crowd on hand. Everyone enjoyed delicious chili prepared by the VFW, and cheese and cookies before the meeting.

Paula Alles and members of St. Joseph's Choir were present to show slides and relate some of the tales from their 10-day trip to Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France in June of 2005. Cliff Howard put together a great slide show presentation from the many, many photos taken on the trip. One expression that was made is how they all wished they had had more time in
our Sister City, Pfaffenweiler, Germany. The group teamed up with the St. Columba church choir for a performance. Pres. Dilger thanked them with for their work putting the slide show together and each member was given a 1-year membership to the club. The St. Joseph's Choir group also had CDs, tapes, and a cookbook available for purchase also.

Pres. Dilger reminded the membership of next month's planned trip to French Lick Winery. The bus will leave the Staples parking lot on the north side of Jasper at 5:30 p.m. on April 20. Seats are still available at $10 per person. An Italian buffet will be available at the winery for $10 before the tour of the facilities. For reservations for the bus or buffet call: Ruth Wibbels at 482-5403 email: wibbels@fullnet.com or Bob Dilger at 482-9149 email:dilger@fullnet.com .

Matt Hilger was present to let the members know of plans for Jasper souvenirs to be available at various outlets throughout the city and at the Souvenir booth at the Strassenfest. Proceeds will help to finance the High School German Exchange program.

Pres. Dilger announced plans for a Board of Directors meeting to be held April 10 at the VFW. Any members with suggestions or ideas for future German Club projects are asked to contact one of the Board members prior to this meeting.

Pres. Dilger welcomed new members in attendance. He also thanked Ardella Kordes and Mildred Fischer for their help with the food table and Judy Gress, Rita Egler, and Sharon Dilger who greeted the guests on entry. He also asked for volunteers to help with the Strassenfest float this year as the planned visitors from Wagshurst, Germany will not become reality until in 2007.

Attendance prizes were won by Rita Corn and Leroy Schnaus. Special prizes were won by Rita Reller and Dave Buehler.

The May meeting will be a "Picnic in the Park" at the Dave Buehler Plaza. More details to come in upcoming
newsletters.

Ruth Wibbels
Secretary

We will begin by meeting with Richard Pearson at the Train Depot for a brief tour. The Depot is a replica of the Southern Railway Station first built in 1909. The railcar located adjacent to the Depot is a Business Car built in 1913 and used by President Harry Truman in 1947 during the famous "Whistle Stop Campaign" during the Presidential campaign with Thomas Dewey. The railcar is particularly interesting in that the Honduras mahogany interior features a kitchen, dining room, lounge, bathroom, secretary, and two bedrooms. Should be a most interesting tour!

After the tour at the Train Depot, we will reconvene at the Dave Buehler Plaza for a "Picnic in the Park". We will conduct a brief Club meeting followed by brats (prepared by Virgil Gress and his crew), snacks, and desserts. We ask all members to bring either a snack or dessert to share with the membership. The club will provide the brats and canned drinks.

Don't forget to sign up to work a shift at the Deutscher Verein booth during Strassenfest this summer!

Matt Hilger and his group are busy making plans for another great picnic! Mark your calendars now for the date and location!

We are looking for Food Booth Chairpersons for the 2006 Strassenfest. We are looking for two couples or persons to work with Ed and Sarah Zoglman so that they can turn over the reigns as Food Booth Chairpersons.

Sign up for work shifts at the Food Booth and Pastry Stand will take place at the May meeting or you may contact Doug and Karen Schulte at 482-2120 to schedule your work shift.

The Food Booth and the Pastry Booth at the Strassenfest are the only fundraisers for the DeutscherVerein. Any help and support of these ventures is appreciated.

TRAVEL TO GERMANY AND AUSTRIA

Mozart and the World Soccer Cup are the main attractions this year. While Vienna and Salzburg are celebrating the jubilee year of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 250th birthday with programs, exhibits, festivals and concerts (www.mozart2006.net/eng/index.html), Germany is preparing for the FIFA World Cup 2006, the world's largest sporting event. Beginning June 9, 12 German cities will host 32 soccer teams, who will fight 4 weeks for the title. Fifty towns and cities are planning live telecasts on enormous screens (fifaworldcup.yahoo.com). If Fussball is your major
interest Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt-am-Main, Stuttgart, Munich, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Hanover, Kaiserslautern, Leipzig, and/or Nuremberg, should be on your travel itinerary.

If you would like to combine soccer with bright lights, glitzy restaurants and nightclubs, Berlin should be your destination. The fall of the wall almost 15 years ago allowed Berlin to redesign the unified city. Potsdamer Platz has been reborn in a flurry of new construction, with stunning architecture, alluring cafes, restaurants, movie houses, a shopping center and a film museum. A stroll along the Kurfuerstendamm takes visitors through the heart of Berlin. The wide boulevard with its landscaped median includes streetside stalls and upscale shops selling everything from flowers to haute couture.

Hamburg, Germany's second-largest city, has been a bustling port since Hanseatic League days. A new emigration museum under construction, the BallinStadt, will tell the story of the hundreds of thousands, whopassed through its port on their way to the New World. With a large lake in the center, a lively cultural scene, and the [in]famous St. Pauli/Reeperbahn red-light district, it offers much to do and to see.

Cologne, Indianapolis' Sister City is a UNESCO World Heritage.Foundedby the Romans, with a 2,000 years' history, it is the oldest of major German cities. Its imposing Gothic cathedral St. Peter & Mary, begun in 1248 and finished seven centuries later, shelters remains of the Three Magi. Specializing in its own Koelsch beer, the city has over 3,000 public houses, restaurants and breweries.

Frankfurt am Main is the financial center of Germany and ,with its airport, the usual gateway for American visitors. Its skyscraper skyline is the only one of its kind in Germany. More than three dozen museums and 100 art galleries make it a tourist delight. The Kaiserdom (Imperial Cathedral) is where the kings of the Holy Roman Empire were chosen, and was also the site of the coronations of 10 emperors. It is also the birthplace of Germany's greatest poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).

Stuttgart is the home to both Mercedes-Benz and Porsche and a magnet for automobile buffs who visit their museums. Late in the summer, the city hosts a wine festival to showcase the wines of its surroundings. The annual Bach Festival draws music lovers from around the world. Wilhelma, Europe's largest zoo and botanical gardens, has a new building replicating an Amazonian jungle.

Munich, where the recently elected Pope Benedict XVI, was Archbishop for four years, houses a richness of religious art. The newly renovated Alte Pinakotek Museum in Munich is home to some of Europe's finest religious masterpieces from the 14th to 19th centuries, including work by Fra Angelico, Botticelli, da Vinci, Raphael, Duerer, Rubens, Rembrandt, El Greco, and Goya (www.alte-pinakothek.de). Each year millions converge on Munich for "Oktoberfest." Originating as a
celebration of the marriage of King Ludwig I to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen in 1810, it's now a combination carnival, food fest and opportunity to consume prodigious quantities of beer. Munich's most famous beer hall is the Hofbraeuhaus, where visitors have been enjoying regional food, music and dance since 1589.

Germany offers many significant religious, historical and cultural destinations and events. In the Alpine hills of Upper Bavaria, childhood home of Pope Benedict, situated between Munich and Passau,lies Altoetting, the pilgrimage site of the Black Madonna. For over 500 years, the Black Madonna has been one of the most important Roman Catholic pilgrimage sites associated with the Virgin Mary.OnparwithLourdes or Santiago de Campostela, the Mercy Chapel and the graceful
baroque buildings are an attraction for non-Catholics as well (www.altoetting.de). Or you may want to visit the central German towns of Wittenberg and Eisenach where Luther preached. There are great churches and church art and architecture, the festivals for Bach and Haendel and the recently completed Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The splendor of Bavarian baroque church architecture is kept alive in towns, such as Wuerzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg and Landshut. The
Wies Church, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a rococo jewel lying in the Bavarian fields, and Kloster Ettal is another gem nestled in the Alpine foothills. Germany's "fairy tale" castle Neuschwanstein, is one of the most popular palaces in Europe, Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom patterned its castle after it. This is King LudwigII's most famous castle, built between 1869 and 1886, above the Alpsee Lake and with the Alps towering above it. Ludwig may have bankrupted Bavaria with his
building spree in the mid-19th century, but his castles now support a thriving tourism in the region.

Germany has a reasonably priced transit system including buses, subways and rapid transit rail. Its free way network, including the Autobahn, connects all major cities. All major car rental companies have either affiliates in Germany or have German operations themselves. Americans may drive in Germany up to one year on a U.S.driver's license. The Euro is used throughout Europe. One Euro equals about $1.22. You will need a valid passport. For more information about lodging, dining, sites and weather, go online to www.cometogermany.com.

Lowest European Auto Rental --plus rail & air contact: Gemütlichkeit, 288 Ridge Rd., Ashland, OR 97520-2829, or www.gemut.com or call 800-521-6722. For latest car promos call Andy at 800-521-6722; for rail passes 800-521-6722, ext. 3; for air get a no obligation quote on www.gemut.com or call Laura at 800-521-6722, ext. 2.

Overnight : Visitors to the area Rothenburg-Nuremberg-Wuerzburg can stay for $25 in a double room with a mighty breakfast (single occupancy a little more) at the PASTORIUS-HAUS in Bad Windsheim. A Bed and Breakfast, this American-owned beautiful half-timbered house is named for Franz Daniel Pastorius, the founder of Germantown, PA.

The not-for-profit Pastorius Home Association offers group tours, independent travel, flights and car rental at bargain prices. For vouchers for the Pastorius Haus in Bad Windsheim, reservations Pastorius Tours call/fax Bernice Hicks 610-767-6981 or write to:American-German Union, PO Box 66, Germansville, PA 18053-0066. For Europe-On-Your-Own packages call/fax Roberta Habern at 610-264-3373; e-mail Berti4953@aol.com When in Germany, contact Pastorius Haus, An der Heuwaag 1, 91438 Bad Windsheim, tel. 09841/7078.

German Heritage Tours : Dr. Wolfgang Grams combines Heritage Travel and Research Services. All tours are driver-guided in a van for a minimum of 6 travelers. Info: Dr. Wolfgang Grams, Babenend 127,26127 Oldenburg, Germany. Phone 011 49-441-9620433, fax 01149-441-9620434; e-mail Routes@t-online.de; heritage tours, services for pre-trip
research, personal itineraries and customized group tours can be found a www.routes.de/ "Discover your Roots in Germany:" brochure can be downloaded from the German National Tourist Office Website as a PDF file: www.cometogermany.com/roots_flyer.pdf Paper copies can be ordered from the German National Tourist Office, 122 East 42nd Street, Suite 2000, New York, NY 10168 - 0072; (212) 661 7200 - (800) 637 1171; gntonyc@d-z-t.com

"Find your Roots in Germany" Website blends research and travel information. You can navigate with links and tools for researchers and travelers and access resources, publications, projects, databases etc.
related to the migration experience as well as to tourist information.

(taken from the Spring Newsletter of the Indiana German Heritage Society)

A feature of the 2006 Strassenfest will be an outdoor German home decorating and lighting contest sponsored by the Lorey’s Ben Franklin, the Jasper Deutscher Verein and Sister Cities of Jasper, Inc.

The contest is open to all residents of Jasper and those living within two miles of the city limits.

The categories for the contest are most traditional German theme, best use of lights displaying a German theme, and most original German theme.

Prizes will be awarded to the top two winners in each category. A category placing sign will be placed in each winner’s yard. This is a wonderful way to promote our German Heritage and a great way to decorate our community for the Strassenfest.

The entry blank for the contest will be published twice in The Herald. It will appear on Saturday, July 15, and Monday, July 17 th. Additional forms will be available at the Jasper Chamber of Commerce at 302 W. Sixth Street, or by calling 482-6866, faxing to 482-1883 or e-mailing the chamber at chamber@jasperin.org.

Entries must be received in the chamber office no later than Monday, July 24 th. Entries may be mailed to P. O. Box 307, Jasper, IN 47547-0307.

Judging will take place Friday evening, July 28 th. Lights should be turned on by 7:30pm.

The 8 th annual German American Day Program will be held on Wednesday, October 11 th, at the Schnitzelbank Restaurant. Social hour begins at 6:00 pm with the Program beginning at 6:30 pm. The eighth annual German Heritage Award will be presented.

Past recipients of the German Heritage Award are Mary Jo Meuser, Claude and Martina Eckert, Dave Buehler, Linus and Sally Lechner, Joe and Irene C. Eckerle, Danny and Linda Wehr, and Leo and Lora Lou Eckerle.

More details of the German American Day Dinner and Program will be available after the Strassenfest.

Thanks to Ralph Ruppel of Vincennes for gathering this information. For more information on German Heritage in Indiana, contact the Indiana German Heritage Society at 317-464-9004 or www.ighs.org.

If any club member has a DeutsherVerein vest, dirndl dress, shirt or lederhosen that they would like to sell or give away, please contact Patti Goepfrich (482-4821 or pmgoep@fullnet.com) and she will put the appropriate information in the newsletter. We can use the newsletter as our own “barter box”.

We are grateful to a club member who recently sold a vest to another club member and donated the proceeds back to the DeutscherVerein.

Students of Jasper High School participating in the German Student Exchange Program will be selling BR Bucks April 24th through May 14th. BR Associates will be donating a percentage of the sales back to the JHS German Student Exchange Program. These Bucks are good at BR Associates dining outlets and sell for $1 each.

They can be purchased by contacting Sharon Kunkel at 482-1971, Matthias Hilger at 634-9812, or Julie Newton at 482-6050. BR Bucks will also be sold at the May meeting of the DeutscherVerein.

The students and parents will also be having Hamburger Sales on the following dates:

Planning to get your vehicle dirty this summer? The JHS Exchange Group will be holding car washes on June 10th and July 15th at Buehler's between 11 and 2. You can grab a bite to eat while you wait; we will be grilling lunch for purchase.

The Exchange Group will also be holding a fundraiser at Garfield's on May 22nd. A portion of sales made on that evening will be donated to the group. Please join us for dinner between 5 and 8 on May 22nd.

Remember to patronize these events as the students raise money for the next trip to Germany in 2007!!! Your support is appreciated!!!

Thanks to BR Associates, Garfields, Holiday Foods, and Buehler’s Buy-Low for their support of the JHS German Student Exchange Program.

This book is in both German and English. Copies of this interesting book are available for sale at Club Meetings at the greeting table or by contacting Patti Goepfrich at 482-4821 or pmgoep@fullnet.com.

I was happy to learn from Indiana University Press that they are printing 3000 copies of my Invisible Presence: A Walk through Indiana collaboration with photographer Darryl Jones, that advance orders for 850 copies have come in, and that the book may arrive from the printer earlier than the expected date of May 24. Below are some readings and signings already set. I would love to see as many people as possible at the June 13 reading at the Dubois County Museum, at which my friend and translator, German poet and playwright, Helmut Haberkamm, will be present. We may want to carry on the discussion and celebration elsewhere after the reading is over!

May 25, 6:00 p.m., featured reader at a “Seniors’ Coffee,” Community Room, Jasper Civic Arts Center, Jasper, but the focus will not be on Invisible Presence. For further info, phone Tracy Wright, 812.631.4999.

June 10, 2:00-5:00 p.m., signing with Darryl Jones and reading, Wandering Turtle Art Gallery & Gifts, 224 North College Ave., Bloomington, IN, tel. 812.330.1990.

June 13, 6:30 p.m., Dubois County Museum, 2407 Newton St., Jasper, IN, tel. 812.634.7733.

June 15, 6:00 p.m., conversation with collaborator Darryl Jones and reading, Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Rd., Indy, 317.920.2660.

July 3, 1:00-3:00 p.m.,The Book Loft, 45 S. Jefferson St., Nashville, IN, signing, 812.988.0202.

Reading that evening, 7:30, on theme of immigration, to Brown County Historical Society, Brown County Historical Bldg, 1934 Hwy 135 North, 1.5 miles north of Courthouse in Nashville.

Aug. 4, 6:30 p.m. reading, Dubois County Museum (see June 13). See Jasper Strassenfest booklet and for info on signings at Words of Wisdom, Flower Stall Hearth & Home, and DCM Aug. 4 & 5.

Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m., Max Kade Seminar Room, Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St., Indy

Sept. 20, 12:00-1:00 p.m., Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St., “Reading Life” series, downstairs near Stardust Café, 317.234.3161.

Lapel pins with the Jasper/Pfaffenweiler logos are on order and will arrive by June 1 st. They will be available for sale during the Strassenfest in the Souvenir Booth. If you would like a pin(s) prior to the Strassenfest, please call Patti Goepfrich at 482-4821.

In Spring of 2008, the Annual Meeting and Symposium of the Indiana German Heritage Society will be held in Jasper.

Patti Goepfrich is Jasper’s representative to the State Council of the Indiana German Heritage Society and will coordinate the planning committee of the 2008 Annual Meeting and Symposium. Please let Patti know if you have any ideas or suggestions for this Meeting and Symposium.

If someone knows of a potential new club member and would like information about the Deutscher Verein forwarded, please contact Ruth Wibbels at 482-5403.

German Day Kickoff
Date: Saturday, June 10
Time: 11AM
Place: Findlay Market
Information: www.findlaymarket.org

This year, the German-American Citizens League sponsors its third annual German Day Weekend in honor of the 111 th German Day! The festivities begin at the historic Findlay Market in the Over-the-Rhine district on Saturday, June 10 th, and then continue on Sunday, June 11 th at the HB Newport.

On Saturday, enjoy the opening parade at the Findlay Market, as well as the German heritage of the Market. On Sunday, enjoy the fine food and beverage and German music at the Hofbräuhaus Newport. The GACL will offer great hourly raffle prizes throughout the day! Parking is free and there’s no charge for admission!

Help celebrate German Day Weekend, which celebrates our German heritage, and serves as a fundraiser for the German Heritage Museum.

For further information contact Marge Poole, Editor of the German-American Chronicle at: 513-598-5732, or E-Mail: one2pr

As the time drew near for our departure from Reute, we all agreed that it would be impossible to leave the vicinity without a visit to Pfaffenweiler, the ancestral home of so many Dubois County families.

So, after dinner at the home of Lambert and Elsa (Hug) on Saturday, October 16, 1954 (we were scheduled to leave Reute on the 18 th), we set sail aboard Mr. Buehrle’s bus on our last expedition: Alphonse, Virgil, Fred, and I accompanied by Klara and Lambert. We stopped first at Bolschweil for a last visit with the Gramelspachers, then proceeded on to Kirchofen, an old town in the shadow of a ruined castle.

This was the birth place of the late Martin Mueller, a former citizen of Jasper who died recently in West Baden, the father of Mrs. Frank (Heamer) Sermersheim. A street cleaner volunteered the information that a Herr Mueller made his home in the castle – “You’ll find him in the first tower,” he told us. So up the hill to the castle, and to the first turret we proceeded. The castle had one of the turrets on each of the four corners. Our knocks at the door finally brought results, and a man who did not have to tell us he was a Mueller, because of his marked resemblance to the late Martin, opened the door. He was caretaker of the ruin, which is under the jurisdiction of the government.

Yes, he had a brother, Martin, who had immigrated to America many years ago. For some time he had kept in touch with the old home, but after the death of his parents, he seldom wrote and had not been heard from for quite a long time. Yes, he was the youngest and the only surviving brother.

The place had a very romantic atmosphere; Virgil was ready with the movie camera and requested Herr Mueller to pose with us for a few shots. He demurred at first, because he did not have his Sonntag’s Kielder (Sunday clothes), but finally consented. He then, offered us the hospitality of his home “im Turm”, but our time was too limited.

So we proceeded on to Pfaffenweiler, stopping at the entrance to the ancient village to read the inscriptions on the wayside cross and another camera shot. Without a doubt this was the oldest place we had seen. The streets were paved with cobblestone and the houses were built of irregular stones and timbers. A farmer who was doing the customary Saturday ( October 16, 1954) clean-up chores around his house and barn directed us to the village smithy which has for centuries been conducted by the Eckerts.

Fred had visited the place on his first trip to Germany, in 1922, so he led the way. En route, we passed the village church, a really ancient structure, which intrigued me. I was studying the tower similar to the tower of the old church at Reute, even more ancient. I was checking the names onthe war memorial when Virgil, who had been shooting other interesting views about town, approached accompanied by the parish priest.

The priest told us the history of the village which chronicles trace back at least 700 years. The church tower, erected about 1200 A.D., is known to rest on the foundation of an old Roman structure, and was originally built as a watch tower and fort. The body of the church, which is still in use, was appended to the tower about one hundred years later.

The “Chronik von Pfaffenweiler”, the history of the community published on “Pentecost of 1954” on the occasion of the 160 th anniversary of the Music-Vereins of Pfaffenweiler, says the village was built on a stone road built by the Romans and that cemeteries unearthed nearby show that the German tribes who drove out the Romans in the year 260 A.D. formed a settlement there and engaged in agricultural pursuits. Manuscripts in the Abbey of Lorch, in Baden and of St. Gallen in Switzerland, prove the existence of the community as far back as the eighth century. The pastor gave us a copy of this valuable booklet.

Slice cucumbers paper-thin. Sprinkle spices with sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Marinate for 20 minutes, drain off liquid, and toss lightly with sour cream. Top with minced parsley.

Sister Cities of Jasper Jasper Partnership Commission
Jasper DeutscherVerein
JASPER GERMAN HERITAGE AWARD
"Honoring those who promote our German Heritage"

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. Envelopes are also available at the greeting table at each club meeting.

Enclosed is my gift of $___________. Please direct my gift to the Jasper Deutscher Verein (German Club) German Heritage Endowment.

Deutscher Verein

Officers :

Directors :

Bob Dilger - President
dilger@fullnet.com
Virgil Gress- Vice President
vgress@fullnet.com
Rita Egler - Treasurer
gregler@fullnet.com
Ruth Wibbels - Secretary
wibbles@fullnet.com

Die Zeitung
Editor: Patti Goepfrich
Phone: (812) 482-4821
e-mail: pmgoep@fullnet.com

Fr. John Boeglin
Dave Buehler
Raymie Eckerle
Dan Gutgsell
Jim Gutgsell
Matthias Hilger
Janet Kluemper
Linus Lechner
Danny Wehr