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GOLD COUNTRY GERMAN-AMERICAN CLUB NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER, 2019
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P. O. Box 571, Grass Valley, CA 95945 Promoting German Culture and Stronger German-American Ties in Northern California
www.goldcountrygermanamericanclub.org
Gold Country German American Club
Next Club Meeting: 30 Year Anniversary of the "Fall of the Wall"
5:00 p.m. Friday, November 8. 2019, Seaman's Lodge.
John Hettrich has obtained a supply of SPECIAL AMISH POP CORN from Indiana. It will be popped locally on the morning before the meeting. John will also show a short movie featuring the Nikolai Church (Nikolaikirche) in Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach himself performed as an organist from 1723 to 1750. The same church was used in 1989 as a meeting place for protestors during the Leipzig protests that led to the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Please bring appetizers or desserts!
***********************************************************************************************************************Do you remember where you were 30 years ago? If you lived in Germany, you can probably remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news about the Berlin Wall. Similarly, as an American, you probably remember exactly where you were during the false flag attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Or the JFK assassination. You might also remember, from 30 years ago, the Loma Prieta earthquake that happened during the baseball World Series in San Francisco. This was right about the same time as the Berlin Wall's coming down. Coincidence? Maybe.
Who is this, with the steely gaze and resolute, reptilian smile, the Clint Eastwood of Germany? No, it's Erich Honecker, the General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party -- in other words, the Communist boss -- of East Germany from 1971 until 1989. Prior to that time, he was Security Secretary of the Party. In that capacity, in 1961, he organized the construction of the Berlin Wall and also issued the orders that "Firearms are to be ruthlessly used in the event of attempts to break through the border..." The number of East German citizens killed trying to escape to the west was originally documented at 125 during Honecker's time in office, but current research into East German police records puts the number at closer to 1100. Think about that, and then look at the photo again. Whoa!
GOLD COUNTRY GERMAN-AMERICAN CLUB NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER, 2019
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NOTES FROM THE BOARD
We had a fabulous Oktoberfest/German American Day!
Special thanks to John and Renate Hettrich for a job well done!
30-Year Anniversary of Berlin Wall Fall will be the theme of our club meeting on November 8. There are several things planned including a video of the 10th anniversary, mementos such as pieces of the wall and photos of GCGAC members and activities from years past.
Short Treasurer’s Report: as of October 18: We were sent a batch of checks from Fidelity, for the account there. Kristina and Paulette both have access to the account. Rent went up at Seaman’s Lodge. Paulette took notes about pricing and days. If you want to see more detail, contact Paulette.
The next Board of Directors meeting will be Wednesday, November 6, at Bret Harte in Grass Valley. Board meetings are open to all members. Not required, but we would like to see you there. Your Board would like to receive feedback from you – questions, comments, suggestions, criticism, complements, etc. Send an email to any board member.
President Bob Scheetz [email protected] Vice President Kris Wetherbee [email protected] Program Director John Hettrich [email protected] Treasurer Paulette Berquist [email protected] Secretary Dave Moss [email protected] Membership Sue Vogt [email protected]
Paulette Berquist (our Treasurer, see above), taking a "swing break" during the hike to Point Mariah.
Bob Scheetz (our President, see above) showed up at the last minute at Oktoberfest in full regalia.
GOLD COUNTRY GERMAN-AMERICAN CLUB NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER, 2019
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German Language Classes Interested in learning German? There is only one (as indicated by Herr
Erhobenem Zeigefinger at right) place in Nevada County to take classes, and that is RIGHT HERE at the Gold Country German-American Club!
Classes are FREE with club membership.
The Beginning level class is under the direction of Rebecca Claus; Intermediate level is taught by Erica Meier. These two classes assemble at various class
members' homes. For more information, call Rebecca at (916) 710-0033.
Conversational German GroupThe German Conversational Class will meet November 12 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Christel Hermansen's, 150 Sutton Way, Apt 32. Hope to see you there! PLEASE call her if you are coming 530-274-2715. If anyone would like to join the class, give Christa a call at 530-913-1836. New members are welcome!
Activities
Oktoberfest Photos: Upper left: Kay and Dave Moss, Kristina Wetherbee, and Larry White performing folk dance demo; Center: Renate and John Hettrich making yummy Brezeln in the Seaman's Lodge Küche; Upper right: Kris Wetherbee and Dennis Naumann doing the opening ceremonies as Papa Oom-Pah-Pah bandleader Paul Trethewey looks on; Group photo, left: Kristina Wetherbee, Fred Herrmann, Elany Prusa, Tom Stone, Carol Bader, and Karen Herrmann. Who's the guy in back, "bombing" the photo? Oh, it's Paul!
GOLD COUNTRY GERMAN-AMERICAN CLUB NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER, 2019
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Upcoming Events
Coming soon, keep an eye out for...
December 6 -- Annual Christmas Holiday PartyFebruary -- Fasching and Feuerzangenbowle
This Month:November 4, 2019: Beginning/Intermediate Language Class at TBD, see p.3.November 6, 2019: Board of Directors Meeting at Bret Harte Inn. See p. 7.
November 8, 2019: CLUB MEETING at Seaman's Lodge, see p. 1.
November 12, 2019: Conversational German at Christel Hermansen's, see p. 3.
November 18, 2019: Beginning/Intermediate Language Class at Robert Gosselin's, see p.3.
November 23, 2019: Sierra Nevada Winds Concert at Methodist Church in Yuba City. Contact Paul for more info.
What? No Happy Wanderers? There's nothing scheduled, see p. 5, but it's possible that an impromptu hike might be announced by email if conditions are right.
Our Club receives a weekly newspaper, the “Neue Presse USA” in the German language. Please contact David Moss at [email protected] or 432-2236 to get the newspapers we receive.
Halloween is a very popular holiday in the US, second only to Christmas, if money spent is an indication of popularity. Within the last 25 years, the Germans have adopted Halloween from the Americans, similarly to how they adopted Valentine's Day. However, the Halloween date overlaps and diverts attention from other German holidays: October 31 has traditionally been Reformationstag, that celebrates the reformation of the church -- important for the Lutherans! November first is another church holiday, Allerheiligen, "All Saints Day." Furthermore, trick-or-treating on Halloween upstages St. Martin's Day, November 11, when traditionally children have gotten treats from their neighbors by walking from house to house with lanterns at night, and singing songs.
Some Germans are unhappy with the growing popularity of Halloween in Germany. Perhaps it seems like yet another invasion of American culture and materialism. Some don't like the "trick" aspect of "trick or treat." However, most folks seem to be adopting Halloween with gusto. Compared to American costumes, the German ones are scarier and more ghoulish. There are horror movie festivals, pumpkin festivals with jack o' lantern carving, and near Darmstadt, an elaborate "haunted house" called Burg Frankenstein.
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“Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.”
Greg Child
The hiking season has come to an end. Unpredictable, cold weather and the busy holiday season make it a good time to take a break. We did about 30 different hikes this year and we covered a wide range of country from the lower Foothills to the higher Sierra, from Lakes Basin to Lake Tahoe. We enjoyed nature as it displays itself in grand style with raging rivers, waterfalls, meadows of wild-flowers and never-ending views from high mountain tops. We are very fortunate to live in this part of the country We also had to endure dusty trails, wading through cold water and high winds. Hiking gives us camaraderie, happiness and strength from this form of exercise. Hopefully it helps us live long and healthy lives. I want to thank everybody who joined us and supported the “Happy Wanderers” hiking group and the German American Club. Also, I would like to thank all the people who volunteered to lead a hike, while we were gone on vacation. Thank you to all who throughout the season brought food, “Kaffe/Kuchen" and refreshment. This made hiking even more special. After 15 years of leading weekly hikes, we decided to slow down and do less hikes in the coming season. We wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving, a merry Christmas and a wonderful time with family and friends. Good health for the coming year! Fred (Karen too)
A message from Fred and Karen Herrmann to the Happy Wanderers:
Fred Herrmann
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Stefan Arth Theresa Arth
Christel Hermansen Erika Nickerl
Margot Schulze
Please notify Christel Denzler when you are well or when you want to be taken off the Gute Besserung list. Thank you!
Unsere Leute
November Birthdays Gute Besserung
Tune to KNCO Radio AM 830, weekdays at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. to hear your birthday greeting from GCGAC!
Early Days of the GCGAC -- memories from Erika Nickerl (at right)(Continued from last month) At club meetings, members often played games for prizes (such as money or a bottle of whiskey), and they invited members of other local clubs, such as The Sons of Norway, to join them.
Bill Nickerl worked as Branch Chief for the Bureau of Land Management, and in that capacity, he knew many of the hiking trails and acted as guide for the club's hiking group, which became known as the Happy Wanderers. In the early days, the hiking group was affiliated with the Internationaler Volksmarsch Verband (Organization), and Erika associates the name "Volksmarsch" with the group.
Oktoberfest took place at the Love Building in Condon Park, and the event was open to the general public and was very well attended -- always full!
More about the Nickerls' home: The house was owner built by Bill and Erika. After a day of work at Hunt's Bakery, she would come home to work on the house. Erika remembers that there were exactly 34 beams in the house that she was in charge of sanding and staining (for the open beam ceiling). As with many owner-builder projects, this one took a long time to complete. Bill pledged that he would shave his beard as soon as the house was finished, and he never shaved his beard. In fact, in 1987, when the Club celebrated Fasching, Bill went in costume as Abraham Lincoln, and Erika went as Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln. They dyed Bill's beard and eyebrows and got a tall stovepipe hat from somewhere. So, we know that 8 years after starting construction, the house was still not complete. Years later, photos of a bearded Bill guiding the hikes showed that even then, the house was still not finished, at least not to Bill's satisfaction.
The Club's float that is still used in recent fourth of July parades was built using lumber scraps from the Nickerl house build. The curtains in the parade float were Erika's, too. Painting of the float was done by Maria Cabellero.
November 4 Betsy WagnerNovember 12 David Emanuel
November 12 Jessie EmanuelNovember 23 Agnes WalkerNovember 25 Father Al KasterNovember 29 Bill Bridges
GOLD COUNTRY GERMAN-AMERICAN CLUB NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER, 2019
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GCGAC Committee Chairs (appointed, non-voting)
Refreshments: Volunteers
Get Well & Sunshine:
Christel Denzler 878-0504
Annaliese Grasshof (916) 783-5411
Kaffee & Kuchen: TBD
Inter-Club Liaison: Hank Stoffel 269-3137
Webmaster: Paul Trethewey 265-0763
Property: Dennis Naumann 477-1622
Historian: Kristina Wetherbee 432-9941
The next Board of Directors meeting will be held on :
Wednesday, November 6, 2019, 4:00 p.m. atBret Harte Inn, Grass Valley, CA
GCGAC Board of Directors
Officers (Elected -- 5 votes):Acting President: Bob Scheetz (925) 518-8626
Vice President: Kristina Wetherbee 432-9941
Secretary: David Moss 432-2236
Treasurer: Paulette Berquist 913-8976
Program: John Hettrich (650) 207-3681
Directors (Appointed):Membership: Susan Vogt 432-0594
Dance: Dave Moss 432-2236
Happy Wanderers: Fred & Karen Herrmann 346-7392
Newsletter: Paul Trethewey 265-0763
Publicity: to be filled
German Language:
Conversational: Christa Benson 272-6095
Intermediate: Erica Meier 619-335-6499
Beginning: Rebecca Claus (916) 710-0033
Before the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 and Germany was re-unified, American aircraft flew over East German air space to deliver food and other necessities to the people of West Berlin. In the propaganda poster at left is pictured an American plane (see "USA" on side of fuselage!) dropping not food, but potato beetles, on East German farmland in an act of biological warfare -- that didn't actually happen. The potato beetles were, indeed, an invasive species from the USA, but they had been unintentionally brought to France during World War 1, had become resistant to DDT, and were slowly migrating across Europe. By the early 1960's they had reached East Germany.
In a desperate effort to eradicate the pest, the East Germans called upon their children to go into the fields and pick the bugs off of the potato plants, one by one. At right is a news item from the day honoring two kids who collected an impressive quantity of potato beetles.
GOLD COUNTRY GERMAN-AMERICAN CLUB NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER, 2019
First Class Mail Please Forward
Gold Country German-American Club P.O. Box 571 Grass Valley, CA 95945
Newsletter printed at: Advantage Print & Marketing, 528 Auburn Ravine Rd., Auburn, CA 95603 530-885-0464 Dean Wood, President
Gold Country German-American Club is a Member of the German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA® 719 Sixth St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
“Representing Americans of German Speaking Heritage” Ph: 866-868-8422 (toll free) email: [email protected] web: www.gahmusa.org
Be sure to check out the official club web page! It has all kinds of interesting stuff,
including photo galleries, links, and prior newsletters. It’s located at:
www.goldcountrygermanamericanclub.org
