Message from President George Boehm
Dear Members:
Spring has finally arrived. We made it through another long winter. Gisela and I couldn't make it all the way through so we spent a week in Mexico in March. It was a wonderful trip.
I want to start by belatedly wishing all of the Mothers in the Verein a happy Mother's Day. I hope you enjoyed your special day. You deserve it!
We have another exciting summer ahead of us. This year, our German American Summer Fest will be on August 14th and 15th; please mark your calendars and invite your friends and family.
We can't be successful without your help and I would really appreciate all of the help we get from our great volunteers. If you haven't volunteered in the past, give it a try. We can always use the help and it is a lot of fun. Also, if you have any ideas on how we could improve the fest, we would love to hear it.
This year, entertainment will be provided by the Phenix on Saturday and the Paloma on Sunday.
I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.
George Böhm
Official Notice from Secretary Helga Zettl
Hello Schwaben Members,
I think we can safely say spring has arrived. All of us, including our members south, have had a very unusual winter. Who would have thought of snow in Arizona, Texas and Florida?
Well, it's over and I for one am glad.
Our club did stay busy. We visited Mardi Gras and several other club functions in the Chicago area. I must say we always have a good time and I believe the other Vereine appreciate our visits.
Now we just hope that our Fest in August will be as well attended as last year’s. Preparations for the 133rd Cannstatter Volksfest (which we now also call Schwaben Oktoberfest in August) have started. It will be held on Saturday and Sunday, August 14th & 15th, 2010 at the Schwaben Center.
Our bands this year are local and Chicago's best. On Saturday Phenix will be playing, and on Sunday we have the Paloma Band. Both bands promise to bring lots of Gemuetlichkeit to the big tent.
As before, please think about volunteering for a few hours, more about this will be said in the next newsletter. Finally, please come and spend a few hours with friends at our
Next Member meeting on Sunday June 6th, at 2:00 PM.
Incidentally: Each year a very few will not renew their membership in the Schwaben Verein. To you, who have paid your 2010 dues, our sincere Thank You, and to the unpaid members, it is not too late to send a check, or let me know if you no longer wish to be one of us.
Sincerely,
Helga Zettl
Membership News
New Members
George Faeh - joined in January of this year. He is originally from Muensterlingen, Switzerland and now makes his home in Naperville.
Wilhelm Bren - joined in April. He was born in Nueziders, Austria and now calls West Chicago home.
We also welcome the present Mardi Gras regent, S.T. Prinz Josef I., as a new member:
Joe Bradtke - was born in Chicago and still lives there. He is the owner of Bradtke Movers and Schumacher Imports. He joined the Verein in February and was sponsored by Uli Senz.
In loving memory
Gratefully, there is nothing to report in this category at this time.
Greetings and News from Members
A member and the former mayor of Riesbürg-Pflaumloch in Germany, Berthold Sigle, communicated with Helga Zettl around the payment of dues. We would like to share his letter:
"Dear Helga, please excuse me, being a bit late to pay my membership due 2010! You get it cash again! The last time I had a lot to do, especially with my local "Red Cross" (where I am President for 42 years!). We started the year normally with a fellowship meeting (all active assistants), next we had a collection of waste paper and finally in January a local action for blood donors (very largescaled preparation and realization) Normally we need 25 assistants; for those actions it’s easy to get it! We had a big success! But for other actions we have the same problems like you (for some actions I must beg for!) The next time I’ve no chance to come over; my state of health give me at present no chance to travel by plane! Best wishes of Old Germany – Berthold Sigle"
Thank you, Bürgermeister Sigle, gute Besserung, und die besten Grüße ins Ries!
News from elsewhere
Maifest (Mayfest Chicago) – to be held on Lincoln and Leland in Chicago, June 3rd through June 6th, 2010. Although one the of the younger events on the German-American calendar, this spring time take-off of the German-American Fest in September has quickly grown into one of the biggies thanks to its enormous popularity among young city and suburban dwellers of all walks of life. Named for May, it was moved to early June as the weather in May often proved a bit cool or rainy for an outdoor event. After a long winter and unpredictable spring in Chicagoland, numerous young people cannot wait to hang out with beer and bratwurst at Lincoln Square.
Schwaben Facts
Swabia and the Holy Roman Empire
Karl the Great's (or Charlemagne) family is known to hail from Swabia. The major dynasties that arose out of the region were the Habsburgs and the Hohenzollerns, who rose to prominence in Northern Germany. Also stemming from Swabia are the local dynasties of the Dukes of Württemberg and the Margraves of Baden. The Welf family went on to rule in Bavaria and Hanover, and are ancestral to the British royal family that has ruled since 1714. Branches of the Montforts and Hohenems lived until modern times, and the Fürstenberg survive still. The region proved to be one of the most divided in the Empire, containing, in addition to these principalities, numerous free cities, ecclesiastical territories, and fiefdoms of lesser counts and knights.
Fearing the power of the greater princes, the cities and smaller secular rulers of Swabia joined to form the Swabian League in the 15th century. The League was quite successful, notably expelling the Duke of Württemberg in 1519 and putting in his place a Habsburg governor, but the league broke up a few years later over religious differences inspired by the Reformation, and the Duke of Württemberg was soon restored. The region was quite divided by the Reformation. While secular princes like the Duke of Württemberg and the Margrave of Baden-Durlach, as well as most of the Free Cities, became Protestant, the ecclesiastical territories (including the bishoprics of Augsburg, Konstanz and others) remained Catholic..
Note from the Editor
Dear Friends:
Even if we are in one of the cold phases of this spring of 2010 which has been as jumpy as the stock market (it is May 12, it is is grey and cold outside), summer, undeniably, is just around the corner and as every year, the Board’s focus is on this year’s fest. Mike Hartel, Harry Vizethum, and George Boehm Jr. let their creative marketing juices flow and are in pursuit of bands, Horst Langer is concerned with drink prices and bar management, Otto Weber, with the help of daughter Doris and Karl Hiller, is trying to figure out how to make the entrance more efficient than ever, Hilde Hiller is looking at the outdoor kitchen, Erich Christ is planning the grill, Joe Arnold is throwing together the program, Helga and Erika are paying the advance bills, and so on, and so on, everybody has some job and central task, and President Boehm is trying to maintain the overview and to pull it all together, and everybody has, of course, opinions and input into what everybody else is doing, which makes for lively discussions.
I myself have once more been charged with working on the program book, i.e. getting ads and pulling the whole thing together. Letters will go to German-American businesses, clubs, and individuals who are connected to our Verein asking for their support in the form of an advertisement.
And, again, I ask each of you to consider supporting the Verein by buying an ad in the book, either to promote a business, to announce a significant family event, or just to say hello to friends and acquaintances among members and visitors to the fest. Please look for my solicitation letter and order form, or contact me for further information!
See you around!
Uli Senz
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