Established 1960
ST. LOUIS-STUTTGART SISTER CITIES
Affiliated with Sister Cities International & The World Trade Center St. Louis Celebrating 52 years of international friendship |
| | | | Hello Members and Friends of St. Louis Stuttgart Sister Cities, Roy Leimberg and I were invited to chat about our upcoming Winter Ball Karneval on the Michelle Esswein Radio Show on KLOU/103.3 A link to the show can be found below. Funds raised support German programs for three area High Schools, the German School Association, the German Culture Center at the University of Missouri, and a new triangle project between St. Louis University, Stuttgart University and a university in Stuttgart's Sister City of Mumbai, India, and also other German related programs Thanks for your continued support and we are looking forward to seeing you at our Winter Ball Karneval. | | |  Winter Ball Karneval 2010
St. Louis' Prinz Harrison I Prinzessin Ilona I Kinderprinz Alexander | St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities, Inc. Organization Announces The 25th Annual Winter Ball Karneval Dinner Dance The St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities, Inc. organization (SLSSC) announce the details regarding their upcoming 25th Annual Winter Ball Karneval Dinner Dance. This formal fundraising event will take place from 6:00 PM to 12:00 Midnight on Saturday, February 11, 2012 at the Frontenac Hilton, located at 1335 South Lindbergh Boulevard in Frontenac, Missouri. One of the two major fundraising events for the St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities group, the annual Winter Ball Karneval brings together guests, members, patrons and corporate sponsors from the surrounding area for a fun-filled evening, in the spirit of the Mardi Gras season. This year's 25th annual gathering is anticipated to draw close to 500 guests, including the 2012 Karneval royalty and their entourages coming from the Kansas City Germania Club and the Chicago Rheinischer Verein. The event will also feature the Fanfahrenzug -Drum/Bugle Corps from Chicago. SLSSC Directors Norm Cleeland and Mike Orzel will serve as the Chairpersons for the 25th Winter Ball Karneval Dinner Dance. The funds raised through the Winter Ball Karneval support the organization's cultural, educational and business/trade events and programming for members and the general public alike. These activities include student exchanges, as well as scholarships and educational grants which enable high school and college students, educators and business interns to study abroad. According to Susanne Evens, President of the St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities organization, "2012 marks an important chapter of a long-standing tradition in the St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities history. This year's annual Winter Ball Karnavel will be a spectacular celebration 25 years in the making, which was started by long-time SLSSC Director (and formerly honored Prince) Roy Leimberg in 1988." An international and a civic organization, St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities, Inc. functions as a civic as well as an international organization, keeping a high profile in the St. Louis community by participating in local ceremonies, conventions, parades and festivals. The organization is united with St. Louis' other sister city groups and international associations through the office of the St. Louis Center for International Relations.
Tickets to the 25th Annual Winter Ball Karneval Dinner Dance are $50 per person, $75 for Patron and $250 for Sponsors. The SLSSC is seeking patron and corporate sponsorships, as well as items and certificates for the evening's silent auction. Ads in the 2012 Winter Ball Karneval Sponsor Book are also available.
"We are excited to celebrating our 25th Annual Winter Ball Karneval event," notes Winter Ball Karnavel Co-Chairperson Mike Orzel. His Co-Chair counterpart Norm Cleeland adds, "The Winter Ball Planning Committee has been working hard to make this event exciting and memorable!"
For more information about the 25th Annual Winter Ball Karneval - including sponsorships and donations - or to purchase tickets for the Dinner Dance, please contact the St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities organization at (636) 530-1010, via email at sevens@aaatranslation.com, or at the organization's website at slssc.org.
Serving the St. Louis community since 1960, St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities, Inc. (SLSSC) is actively involved in encouraging multicultural experiences through cultural events, student exchanges and business trade missions. St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities, Inc. is a membership organization open to anyone interested in joining and wishing to participate in its activities. | The FASCHING (Karneval - Mardi Gras) Season CT23 Cultural Tidbits: Season of Fools Whether in the Karneval area along the Rhine or in the Fasching area in Baden-Württemberg and Bayern, "die drei tollen Tage" (the three crazy days) are celebrated at the same time, namely the three days before Ash Wednesday. However, in many places the fools are on the loose and get into the spirit as early as January 6th, feast of the Three Kings. One day of special observance that precedes the three Shrove Days is the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. In the Karneval area it is called "Weiber Fastnacht" and is a kind of Sadie Hawkins's Day on which the women take the initiative and chase the men. Beware if you are a man and live in that area, for the women are out for trophies on that day and will cut off your tie! (considered a phallic symbol!) Many men wear turtleneck sweaters that day, but quite a number of "sporty" ones go along with the gag and even buy an extra number of (cheap) ties for the occasion. In the Fasching area this day is called "Schmotziger Donnerschtig". The word "schmotzig" is very close to "schmutzig" which means "dirty", but the word actually comes from "schmalzig", which means "greasy" (cf. Mardi Gras: greasy Tuesday). In former times, it was on this day that the pigs were slaughtered and the meat was prepared for Easter and thereafter, for during Lent no meat was eaten. Some say that the practice of smoking ham (Schwarzwälder Schinken) had its origin here. In any case, even to this day, you will find that on this Thursday bakeries, especially in Baden-Württemberg, will sell "Fasnetküchle" (Fasching cakes), which are a kind of donut fried in the fresh grease of the pigs slaughtered on this day (They taste much better than it sounds!). Also on this day, many smaller communities in the Fasching area will raise a "Narrenbaum" (the tree of fools), which is a long pine tree with all the branches and the bark and knots removed, except on the very top. On these remaining branches they hang sausages and pretzels and other charms, they grease the trunk and then, to the great amusement of the bystanders, young brave folks try to shinny up the slippery tree to fetch one of the lofty prizes. In certain citadels of Fasching, such as Neuhausen by Stuttgart, Riedlingen on the Schwäbische Alb and Villingen Schwenningen in the Black Forest this Thursday is the day for the "Hexensprung" (the jump of the witches). There will be a huge bonfire at sunset and the witches will pole vault over the fire on their brooms while making frenzied noises and gestures. If there is snow, so much the better; for sweeping the snow with their brooms is symbolic of sweeping out the evil spirits of winter, which is, after all, what Fasching is all about. This is a contribution from Dr. Werner J. Dobner of Stuttgart Germany. | Sister Cities is for all citizens of all ages Proceeds from our fundraisers are used for the following programs: Student exchanges are important springboards to reciprocal interchange on other levels; bringing together young counterparts in the sister cities not only promotes friendships that may last a lifetime, but also introduces youth to the concept of international exchange as a means to cultural understanding. St. Louis and Stuttgart have sponsored educational exchanges at high school and university levels, as well as business internships and teacher exchanges. Sports competitions have played a major role in bringing German and American youth together, and the camaraderie surrounding matches adds an additional dimension to the experience for both the young participants and members of the community. The link between the cities has encouraged involvement of art and cultural institutions in both St. Louis and Stuttgart; major art collections, as well as amateur and children's art have been displayed by museums and galleries in both places. Performances of adult and youth symphony orchestras have brought appreciative audiences to concert halls; world-renowned ballet, modern and folk dance troupes have dazzled sister city spectators. Theater groups and a variety of music and choral groups have participated in festivals and competitions. Mayors representing both cities have led to official delegations to promote trade and tourism; groups of citizens have made mutual visits, always with opportunities for personal contact to reinforce the sister city relationship. A unique and important factor in exchanges of visitors is the home stay traditions, giving guests the opportunity to become a member of a family and learn about day-to-day life in another culture. |
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