The 2008 SCI convention was held in Bad Schussenried
Germany for the second time. The turnout was much lower than previous
conventions, but thanks to the efforts of Beatrix Adler who coordinated
the German side of the convention, Dave Bruha who coordinated the
American side, and Herr Ott and the staff of the Schussenrieder
Braueri, who did an outstanding job planning and hosting, the
convention was a great success. It was a wonderful experience for all
who attended.
Click play
above to listen to SCI member Mark Rossman's audio report and an
explanation of
stein collecting for German radio.
Tuesday: The convention got off to an
unofficial start with a
dinner, hosted by Johnnes Vogt, in Munich's famous and historic
Ratskeller midst
the paintings of Heinrich Schlitt.
Wednesday: Two busses left Munich
shortly after noon for
the trip to Bad Schussenried. The trip included a short stop in
Steinhausen to view the
250 year old baroque Church of St. Peter and Paul, purported to be the
most decorated village church in Germany. We
were greeted at the Hotel Amerika by cheerleaders decked out in red,
white, and
blue colors shouting "U S A, hooray." The board of trustees meeting
was held at the Schussenrieder Stube, followed by the welcoming dinner
in the
brewery's Sommerkeller.
The greeting
Not all fun and games
Thursday: Because of the low turnout, all
meetings scheduled to
be held in the library of the New Monastery were held in the
Bierkrugstadel at the brewery. The general meeting and several lectures
were held in the morning, and after
lunch in the Biergarten, two busses took us to Friedrichshafen and a
tour of the
Zepplinmuseum. In the evening a group from Santis Switzerland put
on
a show of Swiss fun and food.
Officer's Elected:
Executive Director --- Dave Bruha
1st VP Conventions --- Ralph Joyce
Secretary --- John Strassberger
Internet Director --- John Piet
Chapter Support Officer --- John Kelly
Major Awards:
Master Steinolgist --- John Harrell
Jack Lowenstein Award --- John Lamb
Jack Heimann Service Award --- Dave Harr Gemütlichkeit Award --- Marie Stevenson
Miss Beerstein --- Beatrix Adler
Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, ....
A test of strength
Friday: In the morning lectures were again
held in the Bierkrugstadel at the brewery.
In the afternoon some went on a guided tour of Ulm made more
interesting due to Anne Lang's presentation
of the "Sparrow of Ulm." The rest of us stayed behind for a very
informative tour of the Bier Stein Museum and
the inner workings of the Brewery. In the evening it was entertainment
by the Marine chorus along with a
sumptuous buffet of local food.
The Lectures:
Gerd Kessler --- “Ceramics
History of the Kannenbackerland and J.W.Remy”
Marc
Lang ---
“Buying steins on German eBay”
His wife Anne --- “History of
Ulm and Legend of the Sparrow”
Keith
Lyle ---
“Mettlach PUGs”
Wolfgang Gult ---
“Garde-Füsilier-Regiment (the Maikäfer)”
Beatrix Adler --- “V&B
Wallerfangen, an Adler Family Tradition”
A test of skill
And after a few beers
Saturday: Because of the low turnout, Jonannes
Vogt cancelled the
live auction, but brought a variety of beautiful steins to sell at the
stein
tables. In conjunction with the stein table sales a flea market
of brewery
steins and memorabilia was held in the brewery parking lot. There was
ample time
to look for a stein and still take the optional tour to the
Hohenzollern castle.
A traditional Octoberfest night made up the evening's
entertainment.
Miss Beerstein
On the tour
Sunday and beyond: The convention officially
ended Sunday morning back at the Schussenrieder brewery with a
traditional Bavarian breakfast of Weisswurst and pretzels. After
breakfast
about half of us departed for points of special interest, and the rest
took the post convention
Rhineland tour sponsored and led by Beatrix Adler. The tour
visited Heidelberg, Rüdesheim, Cologne, Düsseldorf, and
Mettlach and ended with a BBQ lunch in Wallerfangen in the beautiful
garden of Beatrix's parents'
home.
