MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT:
Lt. Col. Thomas G. Shinn, USMC (Ret.)
The Deutsches Haus' greatest asset isn't the Haus itself, nor any
tangible asset of Haus. Our greatest asset is our most prized intangible asset, which
can't be measured in dollars nor detailed in a financial statement. I personally thank our
greatest Deutsches Haus asset (our membership) for the most successful year we have ever
had. If it wasn't for our membership, our Haus could not be as strong as it is. I tip my
hat to our membership, and thank-you again for making my position as president this past
year, a most gratifying one. I would like to report the condition of the Haus to the
membership and thank everyone for their many contributions to making 2001 one of the best
ever for the Haus.
My primary goal last year was to have an efficient and profitable
Oktoberfest, therefore, not only did I serve as President, but I assumed full
responsibility as Oktoberfest chairman. I am pleased to report that we had our most
successful Oktoberfest to date. We implemented the first Oktoberfest committee to
coordinate, plan and run Oktoberfest.
We purchased two military spec all-weather refrigerator/freezers, which
greatly enhanced the efficiency of the kitchen and outside food stand, improved the
healthful preservation of our food items and allowed more space in our coolers behind the
bar to more easily and safely store cold beverage items. Additionally, for Oktoberfest,
Hubert Vahrenhorst constructed 21 wooden benches and a number of additional tables, adding
more seating space. The Ladies’ Auxiliary came through, as always, by purchasing 30
additional cooking pans and lids of various sizes along with cooking utensils. Lastly, the
Friday Evening Engineers donated a potato peeling machine which has markedly reduced the
time it takes to peel potatoes for the many potato dishes we prepare and sell at
festivals.
Physical improvements and constructive work
parties were a critical part of our success in the past year, thanks for the effective
coordination of our Haus Tri-Chairs Hubert Vahrenhorst, Joe Stephany and Jeff Graf. Tables
were refinished, electric wiring performed, maintenance completed on appliances, and more
specifically, a shower was installed in the men’s restroom. Further, many additional
hours were spent at the Haus by these three gentlemen during the regular weeks outside of
the Oktoberfest season performing emergency troubleshooting, maintenance and repairs.
Innovative thought and action by the Board, led by Joe Stephany,
planned and held the Saturday Night "theme" events, fish fries hosted by the
Lesages and other "cook-outs," which brought in additional income to help
"carry" us through the slow months and also provided another opportunity for
Haus members and their guests to enjoy social activities. Joe also volunteered countless
hours to make the Saturday Night "theme" events and cookouts a big success
To add security in our kitchen, Norris Babin donated a roll-shutter
gate, which volunteers installed in our scullery to secure our large pots and cooking
pans. The Ladies’ Auxiliary donated $250 for the motor to operate the gate.
We purchased a new secured lock, stainless steel beverage cooler for
the bar area and another stainless steel kitchen table.
Jeff Graf and I worked with the beer distributors’ reps to donate
table umbrellas to the Haus, which enhance the festive appearance of the beer garden. We
received a total of 29 umbrellas from Warsteiner, Paulaner and Bitburger. We had never
been successful before in obtaining the umbrellas, so we are quite pleased with this
addition to our décor. Joe Stephany performed the carpentry work on the tables so that
the umbrellas could easily be installed in a safe, secure manner.
Brian Winters located 100 used folding chairs at $2 each which we
acquired prior to Oktoberfest to further expand our seating capacity.
As I close, I thank the membership of the Deutsches Haus for their many
untiring hours of volunteer work. If it were not for the volunteers, this Haus would not
be standing as it is today. |
