Germania NachrichtenNewsletter of the Germania Verein the German-American Club of San Jose

Upcoming EventsWeihnachts-KaffeeDate: Sunday, December 8, 2013time: Doors open at 1:30 pm entertainment: Jan Meers will play from 2-6 pm tickets: $13 for members / $16 for non-membersreservations: Make reservations by December 3 and send a check to the Germania Verein.information: For more info call Hildegard Wehner at 408.246.4644 or Sigrid Wegener at 408.248.6169.

Choir Christmas ConcertDate: Sunday, December 15, 2013time: Doors open at 1 pm / Concert begins at 2 pm

Dinner: Light dinner will be served at 3 p.m. entertainment: Bill Bly will play from 3-7 p.m.tickets: Tickets $38 - available from choir members.information: Contact Edith Meyer at 408.379.6540

New Year’s PartyDate: Tuesday, December 31, 2013time: Doors open at 7 p.m. Dinner: Dinner served at 8 p.m., dessert and coffee to follow. Champagne at midnight. music: The Alpiner USA Band will play. tickets: $55 for members / $65 for non-membersreservations: Please make reservations by December 24 and send your check to the Germania Verein.information: For more info call Hildegard Wehner at 408.246.4644 or Ute Nelson at 408.241.2926.

November / December 2013

President’s MessageI have lots of good news to share! Since the last time I wrote, the Germania Verein Clubhouse had five new low water usage toilets installed and 3 urinal valves replaced, and making us compliant for the 2015 deadline. Now here is the real good news: we are way ahead of the trend and luckily at the time we were discussing updating the toilets at our own expense, the Board received a post card announcing a FREE program and we applied and were granted these upgrade for no money! Is it possible that lightning does strike twice? Today I received a customer service call from the Santa Clara Water district and it was an invitation to contact them again if we had other toilet facilities to upgrade -- I thought of Aiello and we will discuss it at the next Board meeting.

You might also see a new “handyman” around the Club from time to time. We have hired Mike Gipner to help us out on projects and repairs needed because we encounter more and more issues that need to be addressed by a maintenance person. Even with hired help, I still have had to rely on Klaus Glimski for assistance, and also Klaus Vorrath continues to spend many hours working on projects and getting our handyman started on projects. I was pleasantly surprised recently when I was preoccupied with

“how am I going to find time to get the Germania flag back up on the wall because it takes two people and a high ladder” (we carried it in the German Day Oktoberfest flag march in San Francisco) and I looked up at the wall and there was our flag hanging on the wall again! Good job! to the volunteers that got this taken care of. Also Wilhelm Grotheer has volunteered to make and install a customized coat rack in the hallway, one made of oak to match all the other wonderful woodwork that he designed in our Clubhouse. We contract out more of our work, but we still have plenty of tasks and projects for volunteers that want to give their time, so please see me or a Board member if you want to part of our team. We would welcome the chance to work with our members.

Pleasantly, the Board was approached recently by Marianne and Wilhelm Grotheer who volunteered to be responsible for bar set up and bar clean up for all events. They will get the bar prepared for the event, including some purchasing of drinks and supplies, and help man the bar and ticket sales for the first hour of an event. The remainder of the evening must be scheduled by the event hosts to ensure manpower for the bar and drink tickets sales throughout the event. We are already planning for Christmas and New Years bar staffing so please see me or the Grotheers if you would like to help.

at our meeting on november 1, we will be finalizing nominations for our boarD. We are accepting nominations up until the close of the November meeting, so speak up and consider being part of the Germania Board. For me it has been an interesting and insightful experience and my Germania membership has never been so valuable to me.

Your President and Proud Germania Member, Albert Zimmermann

November1 Membership Meeting

DeCember6 Membership Meeting8 Weihnacts-Kaffee

15 Choir Christmas Concert31 New Year's Eve Party

2013 Calendar

2

Birthdays

NovemberGünter BeyerBrigitte Beyer

Georg BreitlingOtto Fuggis

Clarice GaultEmilie Hunt

Susanne IvarsonWerner Kahlen

Wolfgang LochnerChrista LogueJule LuedersPoldi MuskatEric NorlandJohn Nyberg

Susana RueckerHans Scheelke

Achim SchomannKnut Schroeder

Erna TrogischDoris Wacker

Liselotte Zaechelein

DecemberEllen Berg

Dittmer BubertBarbara Burt

Astrid GrosserMarianne GrotheerJohann Hoffmann

Joachim JaegerElli Keil

Hans KrugerPaul Lang

Christa MuellerElisabeth Muth

Klaus NagelKarin NeumaierEmma Sawatzki

Carl SchmidtRudi SchulzIngrid StahlAlois Stock

Christine SwansonHildegard Werle

Department NewsChoirWith summer break over, the thirty-some singers of your Germania Choir have now begun rigorous weekly practices in preparation for our annual Christmas Concert, our most popular event of the year.

This year, for your special enjoyment, we have decided to tackle Handel’s difficult Hallelujah Chorus. Wish us luck! Our concert will be held on sunDay, December 15, see the Upcoming Events on the front page for details.

We always have room for new singers, male or female, young or old, at all levels of musical proficiency. We practice for two hours every tuesDay evening at 7:30 Pm in Germania Hall. You can get more information about the choir from Edith Meyer at 408.379.6540 or me at 408.997.3309.

William “Woody” Woodcock

LanguagePlease join the Stammtisch at Hardy’s in Sunnyvale every other weDnesDay. Please arrive between 7:30Pm anD 8Pm and stay a couple of hours while enjoying a meal or a drink and some hearty German conversation. Contact Albert Zimmermann at 408.210.9491 or albert@AtoZtravelplanners.com.

See you at Hardy’s. Albert Zimmermann

SkatOur Skat-playing night in november will be on the 21st, and in December (because of the holydays) it will be on the 12th in the club room upstairs at 7:30 P.m. Please mark your calendar for these dates. New players, experienced or not, are always welcome.

Gut Blatt, Klaus Glimski

Kaffeeklatsch“Fröhliche Weichnacht überall, tönet durch die Lüfte froher Schall...” and we are busy planning for this festive season.

Our Christmas party will be held on December 10 at 12:00 noon in our upstairs club room with a festive catered lunch. We hope to see all our members at this event. Guests are also very welcome ($30 for guests).

Our next meeting is on november 12 at 12:00 noon.

Happy holidays to all of you.

Edith Meyer

SchützenIn August we had our annual pizza luncheon.

The next meetings are scheduled for november 24 anD January 26, 2014 starting at 11 am.

Monthly meetings and target shooting are generally on the last Sunday of the month starting at 11 AM. There are no meetings in July and in December. Guests and prospective new members are welcome to attend on our regular monthly meetings.

We hope everyone attending had a great time at the Kale dinner dance on October 12.

Gut Schuß, Werner Springer, Secretary

Committee NewsSunshineYes, we are getting closer to the holiday season with its special events planned for our “Germania Familie”. Let us celebrate together in harmony and friendship, enjoying the upcoming Weihnachtskaffee, Weihnachtskonzert, and Sylvester Party.

Several of our family members are not well and are unable to join us, so contact them and let them know that they are in our hearts and thoughts.

Do let me know when one of our members needs a little special “Sunshine”.

Wishing you a wonderful and peaceful holiday season with all the best for 2014.

Christmastime is an enchanted place in the heart.

Jutta Kiel

membershipWelcome to our new members Beverly Choate and James Raymond. We are looking forward to seeing you at many of our events.

Ute Nelson

3

Club Contacts

Germania verein261 North 2nd Street, San Jose, CA 95112

GermaniaVerein@aol.com 408.275.9308www.germaniaverein.org

board of DirectorsPresiDent Albert Zimmerman 408.281.8949vice PresiDent Dennis Mueller 408.246.4644

secretary Ute Nelson 408.241.2926treasurer Chris Rehmeyer 408.249.3047

DirectorsPeter Heinze 650.368.5401Carl Schmidt 408.718.5413

Klaus Vorrath 650.592.9665Sigrid Wegener 408.248.6169

Departmentschoir Manfred Trogisch 408.255.2118

carnival Georg Breitling 408.448.5084kaffeeklatsch Edith Meyer 408.379.6540

language Albert Zimmermann 408.281.8949shooting Georg Breitling 408.448.5084

skat Klaus Glimski 408.269.5091

Committeesaiello Albert Zimmerman 408.281.8949

bar Marianne/Wilhelm Grotheer 408.253.5218festivities Open Position

membershiP Ute Nelson 408.241.2926Purchasing Open Position

refreshments Hildegard Wehner 408.246.4644

renovations Open Positionsunshine Jutta Kiel 408.241.4132

NewslettereDitor Susanne Ivarson 707.292.5470

nachrichten@germaniaverein.org

German PioneersLearn about our German ancestors who have

contributed to this area since 1841. Visit www.germanamericanpioneers.org or contact Maria Brand at 408.270.4888.

Das Fest der Hoffnung und des Lichtes

Das Fest der Hoffnung und des Lichtes Es rückt nun näher Tag für Tag

Geborgenheit und Glück verspricht es Vertrauen, was auch kommen mag

Legt ab die Hast, besinnt euch wieder Was dieses Fest im Ursprung war

Es strahlte einst ein Stern hernieder Er leuchtet seitdem immerdar

Er will uns wärmen, Hoffnung geben Und säen frohe Zuversicht

In jedes Erdenmenschen Leben Vergessen wir die Botschaft nicht

Vor lauter Jagd nach den Geschenken In Unrast und Geschäftigkeit

Vor lauter kurzem Alltagsdenken Vor lauter Lärm und Heftigkeit

Vor lauter Glanz und lauter Flimmer Und herrlichem Geschenkpapier Vor heimeligen Kerzenschimmer

Vor lauter Fernsehspaß beim Bier

Gedenket jener hier auf Erden Die auf der Schattenseite sind

Der Alten, Schwachen, Ausgezehrten Der Mutter mit dem kranken Kind

Auch jener, die mit Hass geschlagen In Rache die Erfüllung sehn

Und die in Wahnsinnstaten wagen Sich an der Menschheit zu vergehn

Lasst dieses Fest vor allen Dingen Ein Fest euch der Besinnung sein Und Frieden in die Herzen bringen Und mit ihm Kraft, um zu verzeihen

(Horst Winkler)

Other NewsUGAS Christmas bazarUGAS East Bay is holding their 2nd annual Christmas Bazar (Christkindl Markt) on Saturday, November 23, from 10:00 to 4:00, at the historic Altenheim Hall in Oakland. Walk-in gates at 1720 McArthur Blvd. and/or 1699 Excelsior Ave. Street parking only.

Christkindl marktThe Petaluma Lodge of the Hermann Sons is holding their annual Christklindl Markt on December 1st, from 10:00 to 4:00 at the Hermann Sons Hall, 860 Western Ave., in Petaluma.

bilingual Christmas eve ServiceThe Bethel Lutheran Church, 10181 Finch Avenue, in Cupertino is inviting to their bilingual German-English Service on Christmas Eve, December 24th, at 6:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome. For more information call 408.252.8500

German radio ShowThe German Radio Show, which right now produced by the Excelsior German Center, and which is aired Sundays at 1400 AM, will be moving to 92.3 FM starting December 1st. You can listen to the German music from 10 to 12 a.m.

Department Meetings

CarnivalEvery 2nd Tuesday of the month at 10a.m.

ChoirEvery Tuesday at 7:30p.m.

HikingNo hikes scheduled presently.

KaffeeklatschEvery 2nd Tuesday of the month at 12p.m.

Language GroupStammtisch meets every other Wednesday.

Call for additional event dates.

SkatEvery 3rd Thursday of the month at 7:30p.m.

SchützenMeetings are on the same day asthe target shooting which is the

last Sunday of the month at 11a.m.

4

A big THANK YoU

to all the volunteers!

Clean-up Crew

Germania Oktoberfest

September 15, 2013

Germania Oktoberfest

September 15, 2013