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Wallace Bronner,
Karl Kurz and the German Parliamentary Committee were special guests
Detroit The Annual Unity Day
Reception 2007 took place on Thursday, September 27th at the Detroit
Historical Museum in downtown Detroit this year. The Reception was hosted by
the Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany Detroit, Frederick W.
Hoffman in cooperation with the GACC-Michigan and the German American
Cultural Center. The special guest was a visiting delegation of the Members
of the German Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Building and Urban
Affairs (Bundestagsausschuss für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung) chaired
by Uwe Beckmeyer the MP from Bremerhaven. The committee was visiting the
Detroit area to study a number of Canadian and American transportation
systems and also to meet with General Motors.
Frederick Hoffman also presented his annual Golden Angel" award to local
German American businessmen Wallace Bronner of Bronner's Christmas
Wonderland, Frankmuth, MI and Karl Kurz of the Dakota Inn Rathskeller,
Detroit in recognition of their longtime established businesses and
commitment to the German American Community in Michigan.
Bronner's Christmas Wonderland has been in business for 63 years in Michigan
and has close business ties to Germany through it's import business of
Christmas ornaments, figurines, nutcrackers etc. Bronner also helps to
support the Frankenmuth sister city program with Gunzenhausen, Germany.
Karl Kurz is the third generation owner/proprietor of the well-known Dakota
Inn Rathskeller that his grandfather founded in 1933 in an old Chinese
laundry. The Dakota Inn houses some of the region's most spectacular
examples of antiques, decorations and treasures such as the 80-year old
Grinnell piano and the famous sing-along wall boards. It also hosts a
popular Oktoberfest every year and an authentic German Biergarten in the
summers.
This year's event was well attended with close to 200 people
including Chamber members and many members of local Detroit cultural groups
such as the Austrian Society and the German American Cultural Center. The
Michigan Chamber holds five networking receptions and dinners throughout the
season from October through June, which attract over 1600 members and guests
each year. The next event will be the Annual Fall Dinner at the Townsend
Hotel, Birmingham, MI on November 27, 2007. William L. Kozyra, President of
Continental Automotive, NA will be the special guest speaker. For more
details contact Ingrid Justice at 734-424-9461 or visit the Chamber website
at www.gaccmi.org |
