District Community Spotlight

January 5, 2022

With the common interest of preserving Danube Swabian German heritage, GBU District 821 has always worked hand-in-hand with the Carpathia Club. Recently, the club formed a brand new entity, the Carpathia Foundation Inc., which is recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization.

The mission of the Foundation is to preserve and promote Danube Swabian German heritage, traditions and culture through customs, music, folk dance, education, sports and historic preservation. Many of those active in the forming and running of the Foundation are District 821 members, and the district is using GBU's new Give Back Groups benefit to match funds raised from the community for the foundation.

The Foundation was off to a great start this year as it brought back several traditional German events for the enjoyment of the community.

Kirchweih

The very traditional Kirchweih is still held in many European countries. This custom goes back centuries to celebrate the annual dedication or consecration of the local church. Historically, it is three days of activities beginning with beautiful decorations, a procession through the town and a special mass; all followed by delicious meals, dancing and fun for all. The date of Kirchweih varies from town-to-town, city-to-city, depending on the original dedication date, or on the church's patron saint day.

On November 13, it was good to see Carpathia Club nicely decorated and filled with friends ready to celebrate this traditional dance again. Kirchweih is surely the longest held dance within the club’s history. This year the event was sponsored by the newly created Carpathia Foundation, Inc.

Guests were greeted at the door with a pin of rosmarin (rosemary) and ribbons for luck and health. A delicious schnitzel dinner was served followed by a warm welcome to guests both local and from as far away as Milwaukee and Philadelphia.

The program began with the Carpathia Jugendgruppe (youth group) crowning the new royalty. Outgoing king and queen, Sebastian Cole and Alexandra Sehling (granddaughter of Edith Sehling), who reigned for a record-setting two years, passed the crown to new King Timothy Landenberger and Queen Kylie Kapraun (grandniece of Edith Sehling). The new royalty was immediately put to work. Taking the colorful beribboned Strauß (bouquet), they led the Kirchweih march throughout the hall, inviting guests to join in along the way. The procession ended with the dance floor full of happy participants ready to begin the celebration. ‘was ham mir heut? Ja, Kirchweih!

The Kindergruppe (children's group) charmed the audience, as usual, with its entertaining performance. Even the broom made it to the dance floor for a fun ‘Besen Tanz." Next up, the lively Strauß auction. In between bids, the Jugendgruppe delighted the crowd with spins, flying girls, flips and dancing to music. The lucky winner: Helga Kniep, who coaxed husband Burkhard to join her for the Ehrenwalzer (honorary waltz).

The Jugendgruppe performance began with much enthusiasm. The first dance included a nod back to the Kronen Tanz (Crown Dance) of years ago where the dancers marched in holding decorated arches. A new program of up-tempo dances showed their dancing skills and delighted the audience. The Carpathia Blasmusikanten provided music for our listening and dancing pleasure. A traditional evening requires a traditional band.

Christmas Market

District 821 was not able to hold its annual Christmas market last year due to COVID-19 restrictions, Much to everyone's delight, it was able to be held this year on November 28, District 821 President Edith Kuplent had worked since early spring to secure crafters and volunteers for the event. However because of very active district members like Adele Reinke, Peter Hermann and Joseph Groele passing to their reward, and many others having difficulty managing the event due to health and age, the district voted to ask the Carpathia Foundation to take over the event. Even with the first snow, many people came. The annual GBU display was hosted by Marianne Krenzer and drew quite a group of interested people stopping by to find out more about GBU and enjoy some nice promotional giveaways.

Teaming up with other organizations who share values and goals in your community is a great way to expand the reach of your GBU district. Thank you to District 821 for your work throughout the pandemic to keep your district active and your common bond of German culture alive in your community. If your district would like help brainstorming ways to work with additional groups in your community, set up a meeting with Districts and Special Projects Coordinator Mary Koczan at the Home Office.

A special thank you to Marianne Krenzer, acting secretary of District 821, and Karin Schwalbe, director of the Carpathia Foundation, for providing content for this article.

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