March/April 2019

SINGERS' MEMBERSHIP Singers dues, $20 regular members and $10 retired seniors, are now payable. You may pay by mail with a check (please write SINGERS on envelope) or by self-service lock box (cash or check) at the club. Singers please contact Lori Smukala, membership chair, with any questions. Pay by March 31 to stay current.

SICK BENEFIT MEMBERS Invoices will be sent out to Sick Benefit members shortly. Dues are payable by March 31st. All members not having paid by March 31st, are considered as suspended. There will be a lockbox at the bar and envelopes. Checks are encouraged.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS are now available at cfgnb.org/receiving/scholarships/
High school seniors graduating in New Britain or neighboring towns are eligible. Application deadline is
March 31, 2019. Follow directions on application. Winners will be notified and awards date will be set.
Call Fred Strasser with questions, 860-690-0769.

SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
Chicken Paprikash dinner will be held Friday, May 10 at 6pm. Donation $15, dessert and entertainment included. Reservations 860-508-8236

ST. PATRICK'S DAY DINNER
On Sunday, March 17 John Steele is cooking a traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner featuring a
menu of Irish Soda Bread and Butter, Corned Beef, Cabbage, Carrots, Potatoes and Horseradish
Sour Cream. For dessert we have an Irish Cream Chocolate cake with Irish Cream Buttercream
Frosting. The cost is $15 per person. The event runs from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm, no assigned seating,
come in any time that is convenient for you and dinner will be waiting for you. Come out, enjoy
time and a meal with friends and family while supporting our Club. Sign up your party on sheet at
the club.

CULT MOVIE & BISTRO NIGHTS
On 4th Saturdays are off to a great start! Darrell has organized another two dates

Saturday, March 23: Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, 2004.
Saturday, April 27 - The Grand Budapest Hotel, 2014, with Bill Murray.

Suggested donation $3. Open to Club members and their guests.

OSTERFEST RETURNS!
A fantastic Easterfest celebration for the kids and grandchildren of all the members of the Donau
Club is being planned for Sunday, April 7, 1pm-4pm in the Biergarten. Activities will include:
Easter egg hunt, Easter Parade, crafts, games, raffles, and more! Every child will receive an
Easter basket, too! Each family attending is asked to bring a dessert and/or raffle prize.
Beverages will be provided. Members without any little ones are welcome to join in the fun, just
bring a raffle prize and/or dessert to share. Karen Aston and Rosemarie Nyborg will head up this
event and they'll be looking for volunteers to make it a success. Sign up your family to attend ... sign-up sheet at club.

WEIHNFEST
Save the date - June 8! A traditional early summer celebration will take place in our Biergartensome
food, wine, and music in a relaxing atmosphere. Ron Kwas is bringing this new experience
to the club- mark your calendar to join in the Gemütlichkeit!

VOLUNTEER!
Are you a new member who promised to volunteer when you joined but haven't done so yet? Are
you a seasoned member enjoying functions at the club for years, watching others do the work?
We've got great news for you all! SIGN UP sheets are at the club for Easterfest, March, April, and
May breakfasts and 3rd Friday dinners! Sign up. Pitch in. It's OUR CLUB!!

DONAU CHARITABLE FOUNDATION The Sick Benefit Society has established a new charitable fund at the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain with a donation of Five Thousand ($5,000.00) Dollars. This Fund is dedicated to the promotion of the German Austrian language and German and Austrian history and culture and any German-American activities relating thereto. As an established Charitable Fund the Club can continue to make donations to it in order to continue to promote these cultural activities. Also any interested members can make charitable donations to this new fund. All club members are invited to participate in the promotion of our culture in Connecticut. Proceeds from many years of Heimat Albends were used to fund this donation. This charitable fund is our second at the Community Foundation. The first fund established there is our Scholarship Fund. CFGNB is an excellent host for our two charitable funds. Its mission is to inspire philanthropy, responsibility manage permanent charitable assets, and partner to address key community issues through strategic leadership. Prost, Donau. Dennis

CULTURAL FUND The bylaws of the Sick Benefit Society and the Singing Society proclaim our support for the German language and German and Austrian culture. In this letter we celebrate the establishment of our Cultural Fund at the Community Foundation. In order to further support these goals the Sick Benefit Society has made a donation of $900.00 to our newly established cultural fund. In addition a donation of $300.00 was made to the German American Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. in support of its German-American Heritage Museum. As a reminder anybody can contribute to our new fund at the Community Foundation.
Prost, Donau. Dennis

DONAU YARN & CRAFTERS meet Thursdays 7-8 pm. Contact Wendy Kwas to get on the email list
for schedule changes. All levels welcome. We can teach you!

GERMAN SCHOOL
Will resume in March being led once again by Professor McNamara and his daughter Megan McNamara. Contact Dennis Kern for details.

STEFFI'S CULTURAL COOKING CLASSES
Continue: March 29 & April 26. January's Spätzle & February's Crepe night were lots of fun, especially with participation of new members! Men are most welcome, too! Call Mona Starczewski to reserve 860 508-8236.

PAINT NIGHT
Comes to the Donau! Join us April 13th at 7pm for a fun evening of painting led by professional artist Carin Bernard! This family-friendly event will be held in the upstairs hall. The cost for the event is $25, due when signing up. Deadline for signing up is March 31. Details to be posted soon in the club! Contact Lori Smukala with questions @ (860)558-4350

CLUB IMPROVEMENTS
The Singers have allocated funds to install a projector system to be used with the screen that's already in place. This system can be used for many purposes: tv, movies, cultural presentations, connect to a laptop, the possibilities are endless. We look forward to utilizing
this new equipment!

SAVE THE DATE
Maifest May 18
Tag Sale & Dog Adoption event June 1
Weihnfest June 8
Scholarship Pig Roast July 13
Lobsterfest August 10.

In Memoriam – Robert W. Wolf Jr.

The passing of Bob Wolf on March 8, 2018 has saddened members of the Sick Benefit Society and the Singers.   Bob was a staunch supporter of the Austrian Donau Club.   He advocated for the German/Austrian culture.

Bob’s grandparents August and Josephine Wolf emigrated to New Britain from the Burgenland in Austria. He learned German by himself.  He travelled to Austria and Germany frequently.  Often would he relate the good times which he shared with his cousins in Minihof Liebau and Vienna.

Bob served the Club in capacities, most notably as President and then as Trustee.   He encouraged the Club to donate to German-Austrian organizations (which we have done).  He established our German language library.  He was chiefly responsible for our structure of our website and its cultural emphasis.  He would volunteer in our many activities as his time and health permitted.

For many years he served as our representative to the New Britain Sister City program and travelled and enjoyed the many trips to Rastadt Germany as our representative.

Finally he volunteered his investment acumen so the Club could remain strong financially.

In so many ways Bob stood out.

Stolz – pride – was his Motto.

We can be proud of him and all that he accomplished.

Danke viel nals, Bob

Prost Bob Wolf
Prost Donau