December, 2005 - Nr. 12
Concordia Club in Kitchener now 132 years old
This birthday bash or "Stiftungsfest" is an annual verification of our German heritage. It is celebrated with aplomb and a showcase of organization.
After
being welcomed at the door and supplied with tickets to the wine bar for the
reception and the cocktail hour, guests had a chance to mingle with old
friends and some of the club’s luminaries to be honoured that evening.
When
the time came to settle at the assigned tables Mr. Guenter Jessat was asked
to the front to say an appropriate pre-dinner prayer.
Conversations
hardly died down during the delicious dinner of tasty pork schnitzel, hardy
cabbage rolls, tender young carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy. Appetizers
and salad with a delicious dressing, coffee and cake framed this gastronomic
experience.
At the dinner table
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After
that the official part of the evening started with a young and savvy Sarah
Allmendinger as the Master of Ceremonies, greeting the guests, thanking all
the people that helped to make this event a success.
Sarah then introduced 21 honorary members and several new ones. She followed up with a request for one-minute silence to honour those club members that had passed away during the last year.
Before
President Werner Schlüter’s address he and Miss Concordia, Monika Gärtner,
enjoyed a special introduction.
After
his speech, were he extolled the valuable contributions the club has made in
and to the community and related some interesting historic facts and
happenings during the last year, he was asked to stay up front to join Heidi
Novak and the Miss Concordia in passing out the pins for the various
memberships during the last 10, 25, 40 and 50 years. The 40 year members
also received a framed print of the great Concordia Club building.
The most anticipated part of the evening finally arrived with the announcement of the honorary member for 2005, which Sarah introduced with the following explanation:
"What is an honorary member? It is not a popularity contest. It is not somebody who drinks the most or tells the best jokes. It is somebody who helps out when needed, who does things often for the club without pay. This is somebody very special, who is dedicated, hardworking and always interested in the club. You will ask yourself, how is an honorary member picked? Well, a committee picks them with a point system. A certain amount of points for your membership, a certain amount of points for the committees you are in and a certain amount of points for the groups you belong to and so the points continue…"
By
the time she had finished explaining the system the Concordia Choir, under
the direction of Dr. Alfred Kunz, was in position and entertained with
various wonderful and memorable songs.
In
my mind I always refer to Alfred as "The Merchant of Memories", when I
listen to this outstanding choir that was so expertly accompanied by
Christine Higgins on the piano.
Werner
Schlüter then introduced the new honorary member, Edmund Appelt, long-time
club member, treasurer and still president of the curling group.
With the official part over the popular band Euro Connection started playing dance music and the dance floor immediately filled to capacity.
On the dance floor
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Our congratulations to the Concordia Club, and many happy returns! r.k.a.
( Echo Germanica, German-Canadian, club news, community events )
