German American Society

To our cub members - It's hard to believe, but the first half of 2022 is ending. Out last dinner meeting before we recess for the summer month, will be on 11 June 2022 and it promises to be a very special event.

In looking back to the last 6 months, I am very relieved to say that we survived these challenging times in better shape than expected.

Of course, this in only due in thanks to all of your generous participation in attending our dinners, the renewal of your memberships and all of the many volunteers' efforts, as well as our rentals which helped. Words cannot express enough how thankful, grateful and encouraged I am about your continued support. This gives me hope that moving forward into the fall season, we can come back even better and stronger.

We are very excited to announce that on 4 August the German American Society has been selected to receive the Cultural Heritage Award, sponsored by the Spokane Preservation Advocates. Thanking us for our cultural contributions to our community.

After a long two years of not being able to celebrate larger events, we are finally planning on hosting our famous Oktoberfest on 1 October 2022.

We are looking forward to welcoming you and your friends and families to all the upcoming activities.

Kudos and a Very Special Thank You - To the Concordia Choir for their beautiful voices that made our Pioneer Day extra Specials.

Edgar Bueschke for inviting the entertaining and talented "Spokane String Quartet."

To Annelore Kirn and team for their delicious dinner. Judy Palrud for all of her decorations and lovely plants and to all those who volunteered to make our Pioneer Day such a wonderful successful evening!

Thank you to Dan Ueller's long time service for taking care of our dumpster on a weekly basis.

Ron Niederstadt for taking over Dan's duties for moving our dumpster in and out.

Members who volunteered to make our club more beautiful - Karin King, Karl and Elke Griffith, Robert and Kelly Daigen, JD Lythgoe-Hillard, Tolome, Joe Letts, Gail Miller, Eberhardt Schmidt, Inga Cantu and Gary Puseman, Rich and his grandson, Jordon, Hans Behrens, Dianna and Kevin Kilgore.

A note from your President: At you General Meeting on the 8th of April, we elected new board member and she is ready to assume her duties and responsibilities. She is eager to navigate our German Society with financial fidelity towards fulfilling our social and cultural goals. We are fortunate that we have found a qualified and dedicated candidate to assume the following vacated position.

Charity Doyl is the publisher of the Family Guide - a parenting directory distributed at local schools. In addition to being a professional event organizer for the Family Fun Fair, Spokane's Lunar Year, Asian Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Day. Art Earth Festival and Northwest Winterfest.

She inherited the library collection of her Great-grandfather, Henry Otley Beyer, a German-American sent to the Philippines in the 1900's to conduct the census for the United States new territory. He fell in love with the country anddevoted his life to preserving its history. Charity joined the German-American Society to learn more about her German heritage.

"I have felt at home from day #1; the members, board andofficers made me feel welcome and part of the family. I am honored to serve as a Board of Trustee and embrace this part of my genealogy."

We have a very competent and dedicated board of directors who work hard to provide and maintain our cherished cultural haven. They not only provided the leadership of our organization, but they mostly provide the actual work of cleaning, painting, moving, sorting, advertising as well as cooking. They have been generous with their time as well as financial contributions. They do this because they love our society and it is our wish that more of you will volunteer your services in such things as cooking, serve as hosts, help organize our dinners, help with entertainment and anyone of the many things to help provide the German Gemütlichkeit for which our society has always been known. - Karin King

Peter Schoen andfamily for the AMAZING Rouladen Dinner! The Schoen's graciously donated all the food provided for the Glass Jar Rouladen Dinner.

Elke and her team for their DELICIOUS Pork Roast Birthday Dinner that was donated by husband, Carl Griffith, and her daughters for the Easter decoractions.

Friday - June 3, 2022 - 6:30 pm - General membership Meeting.
Saturday - June 11, 2022 - 6 pm - Father's Day Dinner "Chicken Schnitzel" cooked by Esma Hatkic

Welcome New Members and thank you to our loyal ones. Your support is what has got us through thick and thin. We depend on the money to pay our bills, but also need VOLUNTEERS to help keep the club in shape.

Membership dues are now Past Due for 2022. Please pay your membership current ASAP so you can continue receiving our informational Newsletter and joining us for special dinners and events. We don't want to lose you! Thank you. - Inge Cantu

Dear Members, It is time to clean and organize our club. We need YOU to be part of this event. There is a job for EVERYONE to do whether it is cleaning shelves, changing out light bulbs or sitting and filling saltshakers. Wear your cleaning clothes and bring a potluck dish!

Your Membership Chairperson will be hosting and directing you to your assigned job.

Dear G.A.S. Club Members - Renewing your yearly membership of $50 per person will ensure that you continue receiving our monthly updates and club events calendar.

Your membership helps ensure the upkeep of our club, supporting the club's dinners and fun events and promoting German culture in our community.

If we do not hear from you by the end of April, it will be our understanding you are no longer interested in receiving this newsletter.

Election Time - We will be voting in our new candidates April 9th. If you would like to run for any of the following positions, please contact Edgar Bueschke at 509-448-7029 before April 1st.

Planning Ahead - May 14, 2022 - Spring Concert and Dinner. Featuring Concordia Choir and Special guest performers, Spokane String Quartet.

Terms are expiring on April 9 at the German-American Society General Meeting. If you would like to run for any of the following positions, please contact Edgar Bueschke at 509-448-7029.

President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Ways and Means, Membership Trustee, Rental Trustee

Upcoming Election of Officers - Our general meetings have not been well attended, getting less and less with every passing year. It has largely been due to the Covid pandemic. Now that we see signs and hear rumors that there will be some easing on the restrictive way that we had to conduct our club business, I am hopeful that we might announce a general meeting. This is in anticipation of our election meeting on the 1st of April. At our general meeting on March 4th, 2022, we have discussed the one candidate for the one vacancy on our board of directors for Social Trustee. No other candidate was introduced at the March meeting.
~Edgar Bueschke

By-Laws - Copies of our recently revised by-laws are available on our society website at www.germanamericansociety-spokane.org and then by clicking "Members Only Area." You will need a username and password to get access. You can also contact Edgar Bueschke or the secretary, Dianna Kilgore, who can send you a copy via email attachment.
~ Edgar Bueschke

Lost and Found - If you are missing items at the club, they may be in the lost and found. Come take a look.

KUDOS - A very special thank you to Dianna and Gail and their team who made our wonderful Goulasch Dinner. Also, a very special thank you to Russ Heaton, and his team, for his Brisket Dinner and Judy Palrud for decorating for the Fasching.

Membership Dues - Please pay your membership dues of $50 per person and send them to -
German-American Society
25 W. 3rd Ave
Spokane, WA 99201

Advertise in our Newsletter - Thank you to all our loyal members and businesses who advertise in our newsletter. Because of their generosity, we can print and send our newsletters. Please take time to look over the list of advertisers and please THANK and SUPPORT their businesses.

Gus Apsey - We had a great turn out for Gus Apsey's celebration of life on 20 February 2022. We are grateful and humbled for the many financial donations we received in his name. Pictures of the celebration are to follow soon.

A Valentine's Message from the President - I would like to express a heartfelt "Thank You" to all of our current and new members, as well as our volunteers who supported our club during this past difficult year in so many different and wonderful ways. Thank you for all of the generous donations that helped keep us afloat! You are appreciated more than words can express and I am looking forward to celebrating many more events with you in the future. Vielen Dank, Karin King

Our dedicated board of directors - Our dedicated board of directors has bravely and skillfully navigated through this stormy Covid pandemic, and nobody has abandoned ship. When the menacing Covid restrictions threatened our scheduled sit-down dinners, plans had to be changed. Volunteers were called to provide takeout dinners. True, that is not the same as sitting and chatting with our friends across a decorated dinner table, but it is the best alternative to doing nothing. And the board is determined to carry on with the concept of not to do nothing.

There are prescribed duties and obligations on our annual calendar such as election of officers scheduled for April. I have served on the nominating committee for several years and it becomes more difficult to find more willing and qualified candidates. I have also asked members to serve with me on the nominating committee. It was mostly fear of Covid exposure as the reason for their decline.

Just for a moment consider the idyllic thought, just as in the past years, a hall filled on election night. Then members will retire to the kitchen to count the ballots and then the president will announce the winner. We know that will not happen this year, but what can we realistically expect?

Is it wise to disrupt and rock our boat during these uncertain times and conditions? I have asked our board members to continue serving our board. Some say yes, and others answered with a smile that suggests we must wait and see what happens. I do hope that they all will continue serving our society with diligence and dedication that they have shown so far. I think they will, but they need your help and support. So please, continue volunteering and supporting our board and our events.

In the meantime, I am willing to continue to serve in my capacity to find qualified candidates to serve our society either as board members or members of various committees. If you wish to be a candidate or wish to nominate a candidate, please call, text, or email me at 509-220-8371. - Edgar Bueschke

Membership renewals - Please remember to send in your 2022 membership dues of $50 per member. Please try to have dues in by the end of March to keep receiving our newsletters. -
Inga Cantu
Membership Chairperson
509-467-7389

As your president, along with the help of several other board and club members, we have been working diligently over the past years to sustain the club through this period of uncertainty created by the pandemic.

I am proud to say that we are still functioning thanks to the takeout dinners, Rentals, Grants, Club memberships and the generous donations by several club members!

Please join us for our Christmas service at St. Mark's Lutheran Church. Reception to follow at the Deutsches Haus, for complimentary coffee and cookies on December 19, 2021 at 3 pm.

Our German American Society Mission Statement:
The Purpose of the Society is to offer Hospitality to all people of all
nationalities who offer support and foster the traditions of the
Germanic homeland, to cultivate the German language, to sing German songs
and to enjoy humor, poetry, drama, music, and dance
in the tradition of the German Gemeutlichkeit.

Club member Update: John King has retired as our Maintenance Repair Man. If you are interested in being his replacement, contact John for further information at 509-499-7989

Gary Puseman - our Rental Coordinator is retiring in April. If you are interested in filling the Rental Position, please contact Gary for further information at 509-960-0805.

Welcome to our new members and "Thank You" to the old members for hanging in there with us in these difficult times. Hope you all stayed well and can come to our club to have a good time and delicious dinners. - Your Membership Chairperson, Inge Cantu

Rental Coordinator Position: The club is looking for a rental coordinator. This position requires an outgoing personality, meet and greet people, make appointments with clients to show the building and keep track of incoming and outgoing monies. You will also create monthly reports to the G.A.S. board. If you're interested, call Gary Puseman at 509-960-0805.

Game Night: This year we are starting a new feature at the club - a game/movie night which is starting December 10, 2021 at 6 pm. Initially, it will be on a monthly basis, but will also include additional times when warranted such as Gonzaga University games. It will consist of a variety of card games, board games, chess/checkers, trivia, scrabble and darts. We will alternate these nights with German and English speaking movies viewed on a large screen TV. Sporting events of importance will also become available when they occur. Opportunities for presentation by members on a variety of subjects can also be scheduled. Snacks and the bar will be available. We invite you to come and join us for evenings of fun and fellowship. Stay tuned for updates as we approach launch time.

Sunshine Committee: Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who have had recent illnesses or has lost a loved one.

Facebook: "Like" or "Follow" our Facebook page. We are asking everyone, as well as your friends, to go to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GASSpokane and "Like" or "Follow" the page. We are going to try increasing activity on the page with all kinds of interesting information pertaining to Germany and our club. We also ask everyone to "Like" or comment on any posts you see to help with increasing our coverage and popularity and spreading the word.

Our Board at Work: We seldom hear from our elected men and women who diligently keep our German-American Society running. They do not toot their own horn, so I would like to give a little toot for them. Things seem quiet and uneventful, but the business of our organization is ongoing. At last Friday's board meeting it was mentioned that some of our society members don't feel well informed, or that your newsletter did not arrive. Your comments welcomed, they have been heard, they have been discussed, and answered by the board.

The board has acted decisively on our various commitments and plans, although changes and revisions had to be made to comply with health mandates. For example, Oktoberfest has always been a loved celebration to beer and fun-loving Germans. A large Oompa band was hired. Volunteers in various areas were scheduled including bratwurst cooks and beer servers. The Oompa band backed out because of Covid. We even committed another band, but under this uncertain health climate, we could not proceed with our plans.

Pioneer Day is scheduled for the 13th of November. Because it is a smaller event that mainly includes our membership and guests, we plan to move forward on this. The Concordia Choir, that is usually the main feature has not had a chance to rehearse, but has now scheduled rehearsals with all vaccinated choir members. We shall keep you informed.

The board welcomes your comments and suggestions, but even more than your comments, the board invites you to be more involved in the various club activities by volunteering your time. Just contact any of our board members if you could serve us as a cook, hosting, serving at dinners, decorating and many such activities to become acquainted with the functions of our club and possibly being a candidate for a board position.

Time and space keep me from naming the activities of all board members. There are plans under way for innovative activities for the entertainment and amusement of our members. Details will be published soon. In the meantime, please continues supporting our organization by attending our dinners and other activities. As we individually cope with this health pandemic, so is our baord of directos to do as much as possible for the good of our society. - Edgar

Beautifying our Deutsches Haus has been an ongoing endeavor by our committed members and especially our dedicated board members. Currently, the north facade will catch the attention and admiration of passing traffic on Third Avenue. The mural that Karin Austin has designed is now becoming a reality. Hans Behrens, who also expresses his artistic talents with a paint brush, is seen on the scaffolding along with Karin. And soon, the large blank archway will reveal a colorful scene, reminders of German landscape and culture.

We hope that such endeavors will inspire more of our members to participate and contribute to keeping our Deutsches Haus as our inviting home for our members and guests. Currently, we have a most enthusiastic board of directors who contribute generously of their time as well as financially to preserving and maintaining our house. Because of the pandemic, our income has shrunk drastically as most of you are aware. Our fund-raising dinners had to be halted and our hall rentals were cancelled. We honor and acknowledge those who contribute financially by placing their names on a decorative plaque and we would be grateful to see your name appear on it as well.

Not so lovely as our mural are the ongoing efforts of such things as the repair of our roof, the water damaged ceiling. We filled in and cemented over the large planter area in front of the now painted archway. A wrought iron fence is planned around that area to protect the mural. These are just a few items that require your generosity of time or contribution. There are many generous members that deserve our thanks and acknowledgement. The one person I simply must mention this time is John King. He has spent countless hours on maintenance. He knows who to call when things need to be repaired and he is on the job to see the project through. He deserves our gratitude. And yes, he can also prepare a scrumptious Schnitzel dinner. It is hard enough, but thanks. -- Edgar

Dear Members - Thank you very much for renewing your memberships. We are depending on every little income at this difficult time. I also would like to welcome the new members that just joined. We hope that you will enjoy the club as much as we all do. Your membership Chairman, Inge Cantu

New Board Members - At our general board meeting on the 9th of April, we elected new board members who are ready to assume their duties and responsibilities. They are eager to navigate our German Society with financial fidelity towards fulfilling our social and cultural goals. We are fortunate that we have found dedicated candidates to assume the following vacated positions.

J.D. Lythgoe-Hilliard has been an enthusiastic helper and supporter of the various chores in and around our dining facilities. This involved helping with moving shelving and equipment while our facilities were being painted and organized. This board position had been vacant for over a year because of illness. Now J.D. has been elected as food service trustee and is a board member of our society.

Rich Aspenleiter is no stranger to the operation and functions of our organization. He has served as our bar manager before. His valuable contribution to our club these several years is to maintain our website, www.germanamericansociety-spokane.org. This website has provided valuable information to members as well as nonmembers. We hope Rich will continue this valuable service to our society as well as making sure that we shall continue to have a well-stocked bar. Marc Connally has been meticulous in preparing monthly bar reports. He has been just as meticulous in providing a detailed transition for Rich. Thank you, Marc, and welcome Rich!

Dr. Hans Behrens, our new First Vice President has been an active member of our society for several years. His contributions have included providing a great tenor voice to our Concordia Choir, and lately he has added his artistic talents to beautify our Deutsches Haus. He and Karin Austin are the artistic duo who painted the beautiful mural face Third Avenue. There are more such artistic projects ongoing. He has been a valuable member of our By-Laws Committee and has a background in organizations and board managements. We are confident that he will contribute much to running our society and to promote our German culture.

We have a very competent and dedicated board of directors who work hard to provide and maintain our cherished cultural haven. They not only provide the leadership of our organization, but they mostly provide the actual work if cleaning, painting, moving, sorting, advertising as well as cooking. They have all been generous with their time as well as financial contributions. They do this because they love our society and it is our wish that more of you will volunteer your services in such things as cooking, serve as a host, help organize our dinners, help with entertainment and anyone of the many things to help provide the German Gemütlichkeit for which our society has always been known for. - Edgar

A Special Thank You to: Edgar Bueschke with the assistance of Charity Doyle and Karin King, for their efforts in obtaining two more grants. One for $3,000 from SAGA (for our future Oktoberfest) and one for $5,000 from the Care Grant.

Advertise in our Newsletter! Thanks to those community organizations who have agreed to place a business card sized ad in our newsletter. For $100. per year, we will attach a company's business card to each newsletter to let our members know of the services these organizations offer. This revenue will help offset the cost of mailing our newsletters each month!

Membership Dues Are Now Due! $50. Per Member. Make checks payable to the German American Society 25 West Third Ave. Spokane, WA 99201 Inge Cantu, Membership Chairperson.

Membership Dues For 2021 Are Now Due! Thank you to all those who have continued to support our club by paying your dues and for the welcomed extra financial donations. We will get through this tough time soon.

Membership is $50 per person. Any member who signs up a new member will get a free dinner. Make check payable to: The German American Society.

Upcoming Election of Officers: Our general meetings have not been well attended, getting less and less with every passing year. This year it is due to the pandemic. And now that we see signs and hear rumors that there will be some easing on the restrictive way that we had to conduct our club business, I am hopeful that we might announce a general meeting. This is in anticipation of our election meeting on the 9th of April. At our next general meeting on the 5th of March, we shall introduce the candidates for the two vacancies on our board of directors. At that meeting we shall also accept nominations for any board position from the floor.

At the election meeting on the 9th of April, we will not accept any more nominations. Where there is more than one candidate for any board position, election will be by ballot. Printed ballots will be passed out to all members in attendance (membership will be verified). The election chairman along with another board member will count the ballots and announce the winner by the end of the meeting.

Copies of our recently revised bylaws are available on our society website (www.germanamericansociety-spokane.org) and then by clicking "Members Only." You will need a username and password to get access - you can acquire that by sending a message to webmaster @ germanamericansociety-spokane.org. Your membership will have to be confirmed before we can let you have a username and password. You may also contact me or our secretary, Dianna Kilgore, who can send you a copy via an email attachment.

Cheerful Helpers: A cheerful and industrious group of club members showed up at the Deutsches Haus on Monday the 8th of February to sort through and store the piles of decorations and kitchen supplies that were left on the downstairs dance floor while the storeroom were being painted. John King and Ron Niederstadt deserve our thanks and praise for having prepared and painted the storerooms. We fellows assembled and set up the shelving for all the stuff to be stored in marked containers.

The following ladies efficiently performed their tasks with a tolerable amount of laughter and chatter: Heiderose Glass, Annelore Kirn, Helga Schwitzer, Inge Cantu, Waltraud Johnson, Charlotte Shell, and Elke Griffith.

The guys that did the heavy lifting and provided their technical knowhow assembled shelves and moved filing cabinets: JD Lythgoe-Hilliard, Eberhardt Schmidt, Ron Nirderstadt, Gary Puseman, Peter Shell, and I too did my part.

It is worthwhile to note that all those members that we contacted to help, gladly said yes, and cheerfully came by to help. We have over 175 members and many others would help if we contacted them, but it is out of habit that we call the ones that we know. We would like to get to know more of you on a more personal basis. There is still much more to be done that will require your help. For those of you who are not that familiar with the functions and operations of our facility, please contact one of our board members, we shall be happy to include you in one of the various activities.

Kudos: A very special thank you to Andrea and her team from the Alpine Deli who made our wonderful Sauerbraten "Take Out Dinner" and also to John and his team for our "Sweetheart Schnitzel Takeout Dinner." We are thankful for their donations and volunteering their time and YOU for supporting these events during this pandemic to help keep our club thriving. We also would like to thank Charlotte Shell for donating a printer to the society!

Advertise in Our Newsletter: Thank you to all our loyal members and businesses who advertise in our newsletter. Because of their generosity, we can print and send our newsletters. Please take the time to look over the list of advertisers and SUPPORT their businesses.

Reminder: Please send in the by-laws approval/disapproval self-addressed envelope the secretary, Dianna Kilgiore, has provided. You are welcome to send in your membership dues for 2021 in the same envelope, if that helps.

Help Wanted: Our dedicated board members are maintaining the various functions and duties even during these restrictive COVID times. Dianna, our secretary, was busy stuffing envelopes and mailing our updated bylaws. Karin, our president, has been made aware of Chapter V, section 1,that we are to have a nominating committee in November. I was handy, so I am at it again.

We have a well-functioning and cooperative board, so I have contacted all the incumbent board members whose term was to expire this year, to serve another term. They all have agreed to serve - president, secretary, membership, and ways and means trustee. Marc Connally, our capable bat manager, has asked that we seek a replacement for his next term. And, we also have been seeking a replacement for Food Service Trustee.

In the meantime, we welcome nominations for all the board positions that I have mentioned above. We also seek volunteers to server in the ongoing functions of our society. Please do contact any one of our board members. The pay is poor, but the comradery and friendships are most rewarding. - Edgar

Thank You: to all those who generously gave of their time and treasure in this time of need. Your gifts are so appreciated.

Our thoughts and prayers - go out to the families who have lost their loved ones this past year.

A Note from The President - It is hard to believe that we have already made it to the fall season of 2020. It certainly has been one for the history books.

While we are still adjusting to the lasting impact that COVID-19 has had on each andeveryone of us, I am confident that we have taken the steps to position our club for survival.

We have proven that by standing strong in the face of uncertainty we can accomplish what we have Previously deemed impossible...

Spokane Preservation Advocate Grant - A very special "Thank You" goes out to the "Spokane Preservation Advocates" for graciously awarding our club a grant in the amount of $3521.25, to help with the repair of our unfortunate sewer project flood. The sewer repair included the concrete pouring, installation of new pipes, adding a new vinyl floor in our coat room as well as replacing the carpets in the upper and lower entry way of our club.

Mural Update: The mural has been completed. If you have not seen it yet, please drive by and let us know how you like it! A huge "Thank You" to all the club members who made this special project possible by donating to our "mural" and the soon to be completed fencing in front of it. However, we are still short some $$$, so if you are so inclined any further donations, it would be greatly appreciated.

A note from your President: Welcome back to our Fall season. Even though we are still not able to meet in person, we are doing our best to stay in touch with our membership through our Newsletters and offering our much sought after take-out dinners. On 26 September, we have the Schnitzel take-out dinner. Our October take-out dinner will feature a dinner prepared by our famous cooks, Heiderose and Helga. We are still hoping to hold our Christmas service at St. Marks on the 13th of December. Despite these trying times, we are continuing to reach out to our club members and their friends, and you have been amazing supporting us. We have received several donations that help us keep afloat and we even received our first Membership renewal for 2021. This certainly lets us know that you are standing behind us and encourages us to keep going.

ZUM GEBURTSTAG alles Gute
To Marie Meyer Schlomer on her 100th Birthday
Stay Safe until we meet again.

By-Laws - As per our by-laws, the by-laws committee met on the 21st of August to review our by-laws and will be presenting changes and recommendations to the membership to review and approve. Some items are a matter of correcting clerical errors but there are some changes recommended that will bring our aims in line with current conditions.

We have a great board of directors that diligently works to make our organization an inviting place for all our members and guests. Besides the many administrative duties, our board members diligently work on maintaining the physical aspects of our building. we seek and welcome your help and your contributions.

Beautifying our Deutsches Haus has been an ongoing endeavor by our committed members and especially our dedicated board members. Currently, the north facade will catch the attention and admiration of passing traffic on Third Avenue. The mural that Karin Austin has designed is now becoming a reality. Hans Behrens, who also expresses his artistic talents with a paint brush, is seen on the scaffolding along with Karin. And soon, the large blank archway will reveal a colorful scene, reminders of German landscape and culture.

We hope that such endeavors will inspire more of our members to participate and contribute to keeping our Deutsches Haus as our inviting home for our members and guests. Currently, we have a most enthusiastic board of directors who contribute generously of their time as well as financially to preserving and maintaining our house. Because of the pandemic, our income has shrunk drastically as most of you are aware. Our fund-raising dinners had to be halted and our hall rentals were cancelled. We honor and acknowledge those who contribute financially by placing their names on a decorative plaque and we would be grateful to see your name appear on it as well.

Not so lovely as our mural are the ongoing efforts of such things as the repair of our roof, the water damaged ceiling. We filled in and cemented over the large planter area in front of the now painted archway. A wrought iron fence is planned around that area to protect the mural. These are just a few items that require your generosity of time or contribution. There are many generous members that deserve our thanks and acknowledgement. The one person I simply must mention this time is John King. He has spent countless hours on maintenance. He knows who to call when things need to be repaired and he is on the job to see the project through. He deserves our gratitude. And yes, he can also prepare a scrumptious Schnitzel dinner. It is hard enough, but thanks. -- Edgar

To view the progress of the mural art project from start to finish on the front of the building, please click here

Concordia Choir - is taking a trip to Vancouver, Canada on May 21-24, 2020 using a large Alpha-Omega bus. Choir members, their spouses, and guests, are encouraged and welcomed to join us on the bus. Increased participation will reduce the bus fare and increase the fun and support.

If you are interested in joining and supporting the choir on this trip, please contact Eberhard Schmidt at 509-230-5017 or email Eberhard at easgeos@comcast.net.

Kudos: A very special thank you to all the cooks and volunteers who made our Sweetheart dinner such a success. Oh, my goodness John, the schnitzel was amazing and left us happy and satisfied! Along with John's schnitzel, he donated and baked the outstanding Apfel Strudel with the help of Karin Austin.

Advertise in Our Newsletter: Thank you to all our loyal members and businesses who advertise in our Newsletter. Because of their generosity, we can print and send our Newsletters. Please take time to look over the list of advertisers and THANK and SUPPORT their businesses.

We currently have spaces left. This means we need you to advertise your company or business.

For $100 per year, we will attach a company's business card to each newsletter to let our members know of the services these organizations offer.

John is willing to teach, guide and assist the new person on all the vital functions and operations of the Deutsches Haus, to insure a smooth transition into their new role.

If you are interested, please contact Edgar Bueschke- Club VP, Karin King- Club President or John King himself to schedule an appointment and discuss the responsibilities in further detail.
Edgar Bueschke 509-448-7029

The society could always use help setting up for dinners by setting up tables and clearing tables, or serving, cleaning, and certain kinds of maintenance. Please call the hall at 747-0004 if you are interested or you can send an e-mail to help@germanamericansociety-spokane.org.

Kudos - To Heiderose, Helga and Elke for the most delicious Choir Fundraiser Rouladen Dinner! John King, for all of the winter season's snow removal and the little things like bringing light to the Kaffe Stube. To Russell and Ann Heaton from walla Walla for preparing the wonderful New Years Dinner for us.

A Valentines Message from the President: I would like to express a heartfelt "Thank You" to all of our current and new members and volunteers who support our club in so many different and wonderful ways. I feel that we are truly blessed to have you as a part of our community. You are being appreciated more than words can express and I am looking forward to celebrating many more events with you. Vielen Dank! Karin King

DECEMBER 2019

Kudos - To Heiderose, Helga and Elke for a lovely Christmas Rouladen Dinner! To Karin Austin for making the beautiful “Thoughtful Donations Plaque” so we can recognize those who have helped the success of this club. * IF you, or someone you know that should be recognized, but isn’t, please reach out to Karin. A big thanks goes out to Dan, JD and Ron for taking care of our dumpsters!

Our Deutsches Haus has remained our cultural haven since 1897 where we meet to sing, dance and enjoy delicious German food. Over these 123 years, there have been dedicated members who have kept our facilities functioning properly. John King has kept our furnace functioning, our coolers cooling, our faucets flowing and now that he is passing on his maintenance position we are looking for someone to take his place!

John is willing to teach, guide and assist the new person on all the vital functions and operations of the Deutsches Haus, to insure a smooth transition into their new role.

If you are interested, please contact Edgar Bueschke- Club VP, Karin King- Club President or John King himself to schedule an appointment and discuss the responsibilities in further detail.
Edgar Bueschke 509-448-7029

NOVEMBER 2019

Dear Club Members,

As your president, along with the help of several other club members, I have been working diligently over the past three years to have our building added to the Spokane Historic Registry.

To celebrate this wonderful milestone event, we will be hosting a Plaque Dedication Ceremony featuring a slide show of our club's history, presented by Meagan Duvall, Spokane City Historic preservation officer.

Reception to follow at the Deutsches Haus, for complimentary coffee and cake on December 1st, 2019 at 2:30 pm. - Karin King

Club Member Update: John King will be retiring as our Maintenance Repair Man at the end of this year. If you are interested in being his replacement, contact John for further information. 509-468-2761

Kudos - To the Tibbetts family and friends for a lovely Pioneer Dinner! Becky, Ralph, Dan, Kathy, Lindsey, Emily, and Haley. And, to Elke and Linda and their team for providing a wonderful Welcome Supper for our Canadian Visitors from Kelowna, BC.

OCTOBER 2019

OKTOBERFEST REVIEW - Our 2nd annual Oktoberfest was not only very successful, but also a lot of fun and everyone had a great time. Welcome to all the many new members that joined our club during the Oktoberfest celebration. A special "Thank You" goes out to our advertisers who graciously contributed to our success by donating their services; Georg of Das Stein Haus, Andrea of Alpine Deli, and Manny of U-Haul.

Dankeschön - Thank you very much! Our Deutsches Haus was filled to overflowing during our recent Oktoberfest. This beloved German festival is duplicated, imitated and repeated everywhere. Yet we stand out. In our Deutsches Haus we feature authentic German food, beer, and above all, German Gemütlichkeit, a most endearing ingredient for a wonderful time. I have a long list of volunteers that helped make this event such a success. The cooperation, friendless and harmony with which our club members work together is the reason that our German American Society remains the oldest and the only ethnic organization still functioning in this region. Events such as Oktoberfest in our Deutsches Haus serve to enrich our cultural experience, entertain us and help create revenue to preserve and sustain our Haus. We are all proud to own and preserve this our Deutsches Haus.

Welcome Back! Hope you all had a fun and restful summer! We at the German-American Society are looking forward to everyone joining us in the up coming fall events and activities. Please check the calendar of events to see

Our 2nd annual OKTOBERFEST plans for 2019 are well underway to make it another fun event in our German Hall. We need volunteers to relieve other volunteers so that we all have a chance to mingle and socialize in an atmosphere of German "Gemütlichkeit." If you would like to volunteer, please contact Edgar Bueschke at 509-448-7029 or at ebueschke@msn.com

Kudos Oktoberfest Committee - A heartfelt thank you to our OKTOBERFEST planning committee. They have diligently been working on making our 2nd annual OKTOBERFEST a success. Chairman Edgar Bueschke and Committee members Karin and John King, Karin Austin, Suzanne Capstick, Eberhardt Schmidt, Inga Cantu, Gary Puseman, Gail Miller, John and Eileen Shull, and Dianna Kilgore.

GERMAN TRANSLATION:
If you need help with translation, please contact us at info@germanamericansociety-spokane.org and we will try to find a member that can assist you. We are not set up for formal or lengthy translation services. We gather your information and find a member who can help with small projects. It is up to them if they want to charge for their services; some of our members have formal translating or teaching experience, so if we are able to help you, you can be assured that you will get accurate translation.

GERMAN PASSPORTS:
While the German-American Society does not have the resources to help you obtain a passport, we are very happy to direct you to the German Consular information to get you started.

For residents of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, your consular offices are located in Mercer Island, WA or Portland, Oregon.

They can assist you, but appointments are required.

Oregon: (By Appointment Only)
200 SW Market St, Suite 1965
Portland, OR 97201
TEL: (503) 222-0490