News and Events

News 2008

We are sad to report that one of our younger members will be moving back to Germany with her family in September 2008. We will miss Sidney Peterson, and hope she enjoys living in Rottenburg. We wish her the best of luck!

Four of our members went to Bavaria in July 2008 to attend Gaufests, visit friends and relatives, and have a great time. It sounds like the weather wasn't very cooperative, but they had a good time, despite a lot of rain and some bad colds.

No dance practice July 2, 9, 16, or 23 (2008)! The German Haus ballroom floor was being refinished.

Our musician, Chris Barnes, had carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists in July. He is on the mend, and started playing for us again in August. It's great to have him back!

We had another Enzian wedding! Enzian member Linda Dambacher married John Villesvik on June 14, 2008. Linda has five children (two of whom dance with us), and John has two, so their combined family will be a big one.

2008 Performances and Events

Our annual performance at Lake Wenatchee State Park on August 9 went very well. We had lots of our junior members in attendance to make it memorable, and we brought out many of our crowd-pleasing specialty dances, as well, so the audience was entertained. Luckily for us, the weather cooperated during our performance. We camped for the weekend, and Friday was a bit of an adventure, with heavy rain and 3/8-inch hail, plus steady winds the whole weekend. No swimming this year; it was too cold. Despite the weather, there was a steady stream of fishermen in pursuit of salmon in the lake, since this was the first year since 2002 that they were allowed to fish for salmon there. And, despite the cool temperatures and persistent wind, we had a great time!

We performed again at the Northwest Folklife Festival this year. Our May 25 performance on the International Stage at Seattle Center was surprisingly well attended. Since it conflicted with the international folk dance, I wasn't sure how many of our friends would show up, but they were there in force and the hall was full. It is always great to be able to perform where one's friends are in attendance, as well as new viewers.

May 17 was a busy day, with two performances: in the morning at the Eastside German Language School Maifest in Issaquah, WA, and in the evening at the Seattle Wine Society Austria Evening in Bellevue. We had lots of our children with us at the morning performance, including our two newest junior members, Sidney Peterson and Tessa Zink, and all the performers did a great job. Afterward, we did the Bandltanz with children from the Eastside German Language School, and they seemed to enjoy it. The evening event was an adults-only affair, with wine tasting and a fabulous Austrian dinner, including paprika chicken, roasted pork loan with gravy, noodles, braised carrots , and Linzertorte for dessert. It was great fun!

Our performance on May 10-11, 2008 at the Maifest in Leavenworth, WA, went well. After walking in the Grand March at noon on Saturday, we did the Bandltanz (the maypole dance), followed by another half hour of various dances. The large crowd was appreciative; they even stayed during the sprinkles that came through near the end of our performance. We performed again Sunday, repeating the crowd-pleasing Bandltanz (and clutching our ribbons as the wind tried to tear them from our grasp) and then exhibiting a new half-hour of other dances. It was a fun weekend for all.

The group performed at the Tacoma German Language School on May 3, 2008 for their Maifest in Tacoma, WA. Kurt & Jenny Graupensperger took charge of the performance, and it went very well. It was the debut performance of our two newest junior members, and they did a great job.

Enzian Video for Sale!

We have our own commercial video, produced from our September 2003 performance in Leavenworth. Take Enzian Schuhplattler home on DVD or VHS! The video is available through this Web site, or at any Enzian performance.

Web Site Updates

The calendars for 2008 are available on our CafePress Web site, as are the Christmas ornaments, with new pictures taken in 2007. Check them out!

Media Kit

We have a media kit available for those who might like to publicize our performances at their events. Get it here!