Saturday, February 19, 2017, 5:00 P.M
Home of Wolfgang & Graciela Katzer
Liebe Freunde,
It’s hard to believe, but the Christmas party this year was even more heartfelt than last year! Maybe it was because it was the last Austrian Club event in our old house on Avalon, and recounting all those wonderful, shared memories over the years, wrapped us all in a warm quilt of love and friendship. I’m grateful that I didn’t fall apart at the seams when talking to you all. The bittersweet sadness I feel about this is mitigated by the fact that we will have you all at our new home for the Weihnachtsfeier at the end of this year!
The turnout for the event was great, the food, as expected, was outstanding, and the program was once again marvelous, thanks to all of you. Special thanks go to Chef Heinz Prast, and his generous and delicious Wild Ragout. And yes, Leo & Gottfried, thanks for sharing your acting talents!
Of course, the next event is the Faschingsfeier (mit Gulasch) & Annual Membership Meeting, which is scheduled for Sunday February 19, 5:00 p.m., at the Katzers’, our steadfast hosts. Be sure to save the date, and get your costumes and that favorite Gulasch recipe ready! We hope to award the Gulasch Löffel to a new Gulasch Hofrat this year! We need an all-out effort to unseat the two-time winner of this trophy, Wolfgang!
This year, we’ll coordinate everything through Sign-up Genius, but here are the details:
Specify whether you will bring the Gulasch in a crockpot, or need space on the stove.
Use 4lbs of meat in your dish (we found that 2.5 lbs wasn’t quite enough)
Only 8 spots available, so dust off your favorite recipe and enter now!
As always, the club will provide libations, and you will provide tasty side dishes or desserts. Remember, this is a costume party, so get creative!!!
We’ve worked hard to simplify our communications and lighten the workload of the event coordinator (the St.-at-Arms), so please RSVP using Sign-up Genius, it saves a lot of time and effort.
At the recent Annual Board Meeting, among other things, it was decided that it is time to raise the membership rates by $10, except for the Individual rate. For several years, we have had a shortfall, so that dues didn’t cover our expenses; donations made up the difference in 2015, but we fell short in 2016. So, accordingly, the rates for 2017 are:
Individuals – $30 (same rate as before) Couples – $50 Families – $60
The Paypal links are up and working on the website, you can mail a check, or if you prefer, bring a check or cash to the Faschingsfeier. Be sure to make checks payable to OESTERREICHER IN DFW.
If your attempted payment didn’t process last year, or if you forgot to pay dues last year, we’ll give you a gentle reminder either before or at the February meeting.
Most officers will remain the same, but we will be voting on a few changes of officers and board members in the Annual Membership Meeting. PLEASE NOTE! Since Nora has agreed to take on another office, we are looking for a new Historian – someone to take pictures at each event and upload them either to Picasa or another, similar photo-sharing website, immediately after the event. Lin has also requested that someone step-up to assist with regular updates of the website. She will show you how it works – it’s easy!
2017 Officers and *Nominees Yasmine Daugherty, President Leo Steinberger, Vice-president *Petra Terpak, Secretary (Nominee) Treasurer, Robby Weber Lin Gold Grunbaum, Communications *Nora Collins, Sgt.-at-Arms (Nominee – managing Sign-up Genius) *Historian – TBD Marianne Hassenhutl, Member-at-Large Thomas Hiesberger, Member-at-Large Heinz Prast, Member-at-Large *Rick Grunbaum, Member-at-Large (Nominee)
In closing, I must say that I have enjoyed the last four years as your Secretary. I was able to fulfill this task with the more-than-able help of my wonderful wife, Lin, who polished and refined my flowery ramblings. As you see, I plan to stay on the board, and to offer any assistance requested (and at times maybe not requested?) to our executive team.
Servus, Emmerich