April 2007

February Meeting In Review

The Jasper German Club met Thursday, February 15, at the VFW with President Virgil Gress presiding.

The members enjoyed the snacks and desserts brought in by the members before Father John Boeglin spoke of 'Indiana Backroads' and the early history of  the church in this area .  Sister Betty Koressel then gave the history of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin.  She was in Rome when Saint Guerin was  beatified and then again last fall when Pope Benedict XVI canonized Mother Theodore as a saint.

Following the interesting program, members were able to sign up for a bus trip to Terre Haute in April to see The Woods and visit the campus of the Sisters of Providence.  More information will be made available at a later date.

President Gress asked members again to be sure to return the homebrew bottles from the family picnic.  Bob Sunderman needs the bottles for this year.

President Gress asked members to be sure to bring their quarters for the next meeting.  Following the chili supper, bingo will be played with prizes to be awarded for the meeting on March 16.

Plans are being made for the April meeting when Dan Hoffman and his band will provide the entertainment; the May meeting will again be a 'picnic in the park'.  Brats will be served at Buehler Park for the May meeting.

Pres. Gress thanked the ladies at the greeting table, Rita Egler, Sharon Dilger, Judy Gress and Ruth Wibbels. He also thanked Janet Kluemper who took charge of the food table.

Attendance prizes were awarded to Betty Kempf and Alice Stenftenagel.   Special prizes went to Sharon Dilger and Gene Kempf.

Meeting adjourned about 8:30.

 Ruth Wibbels
 Secretary

Upcoming Events – Mark Your Calendars
The April and May meetings are our last gatherings until the Strassenfest!!!    

April  Deutscher Verein Meeting

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 an appetizer or snack.   The club will provide the refreshments.

Doug and Karen Schulte will be available to accept sign ups to work a shift at the Deutscher Verein food booth or pastry booth during the Strassenfest in August. 

May  Deutscher Verein Meeting

Joe Rohleder will present the program for the May 17 th meeting at the VFW instead of Buehler Park because of the chance of bad weather.   The program will be related to the history of log barns and slides will be shown on the take down and reconstruction of the barn by the Jasper Riverwalk.   This barn is a part of the ROJAC Project.   Individuals who helped in the barn raising will be special guests.  

The club will provide the brats, kraut, and refreshments.  

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 an appetizer or snack.  

Doug and Karen Schulte will be available to accept sign ups to work a shift at the Deutscher Verein food booth or pastry booth during the Strassenfest in August. 

Strassenfest  

August 2 – August 5

Remember, this is our only fundraising event of the year.   Any help you can give in decorating and cleaning the float, putting up decorations and assembling stands on July 31st, or helping downtown in the morning and early afternoon on August 2 nd is appreciated.   More details of the Strassenfest will be available in the coming months but please think about how you can help and support this huge and fun event!!!

Annual Family Picnic

Saturday, September 15 th, at the Jasper Outdoor Recreation Club.   A dinner of Goulash with Spaeltzle will be served at 5:00pm.   Entertainment will be Mountain Harmony Blue Grass Band.   A batch of Bob Sunderman’s homebrew is already maturing in a basement in Jasper!!!

German American Heritage Dinner

Tuesday, October 9 th, at the Schnitzelbank Restaurant

Membership Dues

 It’s that time of year again!   Please submit your dues for 2007 as soon as possible by completing and sending in the following form at the back of the Newsletter or by attending the April or May meeting.   Rita Egler, Treasurer, will be accepting dues at those meetings.

Single membership is $5.00 per year and a couple membership is $10 per year.   What a deal!!!  What an opportunity to experience our German heritage on a monthly basis.

Renew your membership now OR give a membership for a family member or someone new to the area.   What a welcoming gift!!!!

Search For Family Members

Volunteer Kathy Mott will be available in the Genealogy Room at the Jasper Public Library on the first and third Saturday of each month from 1 to 4 p.m. and the first and third Tuesday of each month from 1 to 4 p.m.   She will assist anyone searching a family history.   Mott has completed her own family genealogy, as well as done work for friends.   She works as an administrator for message boards and mailing lists for Ancesstry.com and also as a transcriber for rootsweb.com.

For more information, contact the library at 482-2712 or e-mail Kathy Mott at drmott@psci.net.

The following article appeared in Pfaffenweiler’s

on March 16, 2007.   It is an article about John and Lisa Gutgsell Birge and their daughter, Katie, visiting Pfaffenweiler.  

Am vergangenen Wochenende besuchte die Familie Birge aus Jasper unser Pfaffenweiler. Lisa Birge ist eine geborene Gutgsell und Nachkommin des 1854 ausgewanderten Andreas Gutgsell.

John und Lisa Birge besuchten ihre Tochter Katie, die noch bis Mai in München weilt und dort ein Praktikum bei einer amerikanischen Internet-Zeitschrift für junge Leute absolviert.

Familie Birge nutzte den Aufenthalt in Deutschland, um Orte ihrer Wurzeln zu besichtigen. Nachdem sie Sonntag Vormittag den schweizer Herkunftsort von Johns Vorfahren besucht hatten, trafen sie am frühen Nachmittag Eddy Weeger und Fritz Gutgsell, die mit ihnen durch das Dorf spazierten, die Pfarrkirche zeigten und den Brunnentrog mit den Initialen von Andreas Gutgsell und seiner Ehefrau Anna, geb. Scherle.

Sehr angetan waren sie vom alten Hausbestand, besonders den Ställen und Scheunen. Lisa erzählte, dass sie zu Hause eine ganz ähnliche Scheune hatten. Sie sei baufällig gewesen und deshalb abgebrochen worden.

Das alte Gebälk jedoch haben sie aufgehoben und werden das Gebäude wieder aufbauen. Zum Abschluss haben sie dann am Montag noch das Rathaus und Herrn Bürgermeister Hahn besucht. Ihr besonderes Interesse galt dem Quilt im Sitzungssaal. Ein Segment dieses großartigen Gemeinschaftswerkes

hat Lisas Mutter bei gesteuert, die sich ein Foto gewünscht hatte.

The Following Is the Last of a Series Of Articles About Dieter Hahn That Have Appeared In The Herald,
Courtesy Of  Franz Hilger and Matthias Hilger

 Swearing in of New Buergermeister

On November 29 th, new Buergermeister Dieter Hahn was sworn in as the new leader of the small wine growing community Pfaffenweiler.

Assistant Buergermeister Dieter Hanser opened the public City Council meeting that evening with former Buergermeister Fritz Gutgsell and his wife Brigitte visiting a City Council meeting in private for the first time in over forty years. 24 of them he lead as Buergermeister, the rest as City Council and Assistant Buergermeister.

Dieter Hanser welcomed the former leader of Jasper’s Sister City and his wife, as well as the new Buergermeister Dieter Hahn and his wife Angela.

After some other official business, Dieter Hanser asked the new Buergermeister to step for the official ‘Vereidigung und Verpflichtung’ (Swearing In and Commitment) into his new position.

Dieter Hanser as Assistant Buergermeister in a previous council meeting was selected by the members of the City Council to take the lead for this important ceremony. He started by saying, “I want to take a brief look back to September the 24 th, 2006. With 81.58% of all votes, the citizen of Pfaffenweiler elected Dieter Hahn as the new Mayor of this community. His first words after hearing the results were ‘I’m feeling unimaginable good’ and we hope from our hearts, that this ‘good feeling’ will last for a long time.”

Then he asked Dieter Hahn to speak after him the official ‘Vereidigung und Verpflichtungs’ formula, which he did with his right hand raised.   Assistant Buergermeister Dieter Hanser sealed the swearing in per handshake and placed the official Buergermeister Chain around his neck.  

Then Dieter Hanser a bunch of flowers to the new ‘First Lady’ of Pfaffenweiler, Angela Hahn.

In official statements, the speaker of each of the four parties represented in the City Council of the Snail Valley welcomed the new head of town and wished him well with his new professional challenges.

Assistant Buergermeister Dieter Hanser then explained that it has been a longstanding tradition that the Buergermeister in office is also the Registrar of the community and asked the City Council to commission Dieter Hahn to this responsibility which all members anonymously approved.   Dieter Hanser then read the official document commissioning the new Buergermeister to be the town’s Registrar.

For the first time in office, Dieter Hahn took the center seat of the Council Chamber and started his career as Buergermeister of Pfaffenweiler with a speech to the community.

Up Coming Events and Fundraisers for the JHS German Exchange Program

 Students of the Jasper High School German Club participating in the German Student Exchange Program will be selling BR Bucks April 2 nd through April 22 nd.   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.  

On May 5 th and May 19 th the group will be selling hamburgers at Buehler’s Buy-Low.

Remember to patronize these events as the students raise money to their next trip to Germany in early June.   Your support is appreciated!!!

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

The group from Pößneck will arrive on April 10 and leave on April 24.  19 students and two teachers, Anke Weniger and Andrea Friedl, will be traveling with the group.  The activities for this group are quite similar to those for the Staufen group.  

Potential New Club Members

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.

DeutscherVerein or German Theme Clothing

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”.    

Remember, Strassenfest is right around the corner!!!!   What a great way to show our heritage, let’s dress in our best German attire!!!  

Lapel Pins with the Jasper/Pfaffenweiler Logos

Lapel pins with the Jasper/Pfaffenweiler logs are available for sale at the Jasper Chamber of Commerce Office and at the Dubois County Museum Gift Shop.    Cost is $3.00 each.

Postcards of the Train Depot and Dubois County Courthouse are available at the Jasper Chamber of Commerce.

Wooden Coasters – Great Gift Idea!!!

Sister Cities of Jasper is selling sets of beautiful, solid wooden coasters.  

The four designs are the Jasper Train Depot, Eckert Mill, St. Joseph Church and the City Hall.   The coasters can be purchased individually for $5 each. They are also offered as a set of the four designs resting in a wooden base for $25 per set.

They can be purchased at the Jasper City Hall, the Jasper Chamber of Commerce, and Dubois County Museum Gift Shop as well as at the Schnitzelbank Gift Shop and Stein’s Sign-N-Gifts.

The profits will benefit the Jasper High School German Exchange Program. These are a nice gift for anyone and can be a gift for family and friends in Germany or outside of the area.  

Jasper Post Cards

Postcards of the Train Depot and Dubois County Courthouse are available at the Jasper Chamber of Commerce.  

WANTED – BEER BOTTLES

We are still missing MANY beer bottles from our picnic and auction.

Please return them to Bob Sunderman or Matthias Hilger as soon as possible. These belong to the German Club and we need them again for the next batch of homebrew being made for the German Club picnic 2007 in September.

You were allowed to take some beer home after the picnic and the auction under a verbal agreement, that you will return the empty bottles. Please respect our agreement.   Thank you for your action and consideration in this matter.

The following is a series of articles that appeared in The Dubois County Daily Herald in 1957.   These articles also appear on the DeutscherVerein website.   Enjoy!!!!

Erinnerst Du Dich?

From The Dubois County Daily Herald

Monday, July 1, 1957

Here Is Calendar Of Events For The Entire Celebration

Here is a brief outline of the day-by-day highlights of Pioneer German Days which open today in Jasper:

MONDAY

“Preparation Day”, devoted to erection of booths and other last-minute details.   “Bazaar” on    Public Square opens at noon as does the Navy Club’s relic museum in the community room of the Dubois County State Bank and the book and document gallery of the Madeleva Literary Club in the Ben Franklin store windows and the German American Bank community room.

5:30 P.M. – Official opening ceremony, short welcome by Mayor Lorey and other dignitaries.

TUESDAY

“Coffee Klatsch” of Grandmothers Club, in southwest corner of Public Square all day.

10:00 A.M. – Western movies at Astra for festival visitors.
1:00 P. M. – Kiwanis “Kinder Karnival” opens two-day stand in Armory Park.
2:00 P. M. & 7:30 P. M. – German movie, “Der Froehliche Weinberg”, with English titles, at the Astra theatre.
6:30 P. M. – Schwaben picnics in Armory park.

WEDNESDAY

10:00 A.M. – Western movies at Astra for festival visitors.
1:00 P. M. – Kinder Karnival continues at Armory Park.
2:00 P. M. & 7:30 P. M. – “The Jasper Story” to be shown at Astra.
7:00 P. M. – Aquatic Show at Jasper Swimming Pool. Wednesday evening at Recreation field, Jasper Junior Legion baseball team will play Poseyville Junior.   Special ceremony will honor oldtime Jasper Reds.

THURSDAY

Giant holiday parade will reach the reviewing stand at 8 th and Main Streets at about 3:30 P. M.

A group representing the Croatian Catholic Union is planning a special program of native music and dancing at Kundek Hall following the parade.

FRIDAY

Fish Fry all day on Public Square, sponsored by the Moose.  

8:00 – Das Musik Fest, Philharmonic Club’s musical variety show, at the Tivoli theatre.

SATURDAY

“Pfannenkuchen und Wurst Fest” by Lions Club on Public Square all day.

10:00 A.M. – Judging of week-long fishing contest.

Old fashioned shooting match at the VFW Club at 3:00 P.M.

4:00 P. M. – Judging of beards at Legion Home.
5:00 P. M. – Closing ceremonies on Public Square.

In the evening, dances are planned at many places, including VFW, K. of C., Legion and Moose Homes.

From The Dubois County Daily Herald

Monday, July 1, 1957

German Consul Accepts Bid To Attend Festival

Dr. Ferdinand R. H. Friedensburg, IV, West German consul for this area, has accepted an invitation to attend the July Fourth festivities of Pioneer German Days in Jasper and will be among the dignitaries reviewing the holiday parade.

The consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany serving Indiana, Michigan and Illinois is located in Detroit, Mich.   Dr. Friedensburg has served here since July of 1956.

From The Dubois County Daily Herald
Monday, July 1, 1957

Kuchen, Sausage, Fish Just A Few Food Features

Lusty appetites were synonymous with the pioneer Germans of this area and the celebration of Pioneer German Days would be incomplete without special events featuring food.

Many of the stands in the “market place” erected around the Public Square, deal in foodstuffs and in addition, specialties are being offered on at least five days.

The Grandmothers Club has dug out many old German recipes with which to make heim-gemacht kuchen and German pastries to go with its “Coffee Klatsch” which is being held all day Tuesday at the southwest corner of the Public Square.  

On this same corner on Wednesday and Thursday, plans which were incomplete at press time called for the sale of old-fashioned fried chicken by the Legion Auxiliary.

The Loyal Order of the Moose is planning a fish fry Friday, featuring fiddlers and German slaw.

On the Public Square all day Saturday, members of the Lions Club will stage a “Pancake and Sausage Social”.   Aunt Jemima is to be on hand to help with the “pfaffen-kuchen” and the local Dutchmen will prepare the “wurst”.

German Hot Noodle Salad

Serving Size: 4

Cook noodles according to package directions.   Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp.   Crumble and set aside.   Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in the skillet; sauté onion until tender.   Stir in sugar, flour, sale, and mustard; add water and vinegar.   Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, about 2 – 3 minutes.   Rinse and drain noodles; ad to skillet.   Stir in celery and parsley; heat through.   Transfer to a serving bowl; sprinkle with bacon.

(taken from www.derdeutschemichel-online.de)

Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, der Gemut-lich-keit,
Ein Prosit
Ein Prosit, der Gemut-lich-keit, Eins Zwei,
Drei…G’suffa

A toast, A toast, To happy times, A toast,
A toast, To happy times, One, two three…
drink up