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Clinton Township The Detroit
Schwaben Male Chorus (known locally as the SMC) served up a Brats and Beer
Bash Fun and Fund Raiser" and what an outstanding occasion it turned out
to be. They combined the traditional with the contemporary and the result
was a stunning success enjoyable to all that attended and the entertainment
committee would like to thank the members that attended for their support.
Did you ever think that in one splendid evening you could attend a German
Chorus Performance, a Grand Ole Opry Show, a Trapp Family (Aufdemberge)
Sound of Music Concert, enjoy Table to Table Minstrel Song and Instrumental
Entertainment, a Stand Up Comedy Entertainer and dance to a live Rock, Roll,
Rhythm & Blues Band all for a $7.50 price tag? Well on Saturday, June 9,
2007 the SMC made this all possible in the beautiful banquet hall facilities
of the Fern Hill Country Club in Clinton Township, Michigan.
The purpose of the affair was two fold. The first purpose was to try to
raise funds for on going club operating expenditures and try to do so by
providing a low cost enjoyable evening of Home Grown Entertainment of a type
that all of our guests could enjoy. The second purpose was to introduce the
chorus to persons who had never before attended a SMC function. The thought
being that if these new comers were pleased with what they found they may in
the future want to attend the formal SMC concerts or even consider possible
membership to which they were warmly invited. Included in the more than 300
guests were approximately 100 persons new to the Männerchor and its
activities. Following the raucous audience participation in singing the
Schnitzelbank song, several new guests actually did inquired about
membership.
The Schwaben Ladies Group found out about the fund raiser and stole a big
part of the show by providing a home made cake sale of wonderful personal
specialty cakes that our guests have learned from past experience are each a
culinary masterpiece. Of the 25 or so cakes and the 40 trays of Schwäbischer
Zwiebelkuchen not a one was left unsold and the proceeds from this sale were
graciously donated to the SMC treasury which went a long way toward making
the evening a financial success.
Rock, Roll, Rhythm & Blues and Grand Ole Opry is a dramatic departure from
the SMC presentations of the past 70 years, (actually a never tried before"
effort), however the SMC leadership felt that if the mixing is done
carefully they may be able to retain the cultural heritage that represents
their past efforts and still attract the youth of today. As testimony to
this effort being successful, the attending youths laughed, danced and
enjoyed the evening in a way not witnessed for many years past, while at the
same time the more senior crowd expressed how much they had enjoyed the
festivities and the change of pace from the old traditional to a more up to
date version of fun.
In
reaching out to this broad range of potential new blood the SMC is very
fortunate in that most of their membership has the foresight and interest to
support these progressive efforts and realizes that only through these
efforts is there any kind of hope for the future. The SMC is moving rapidly
toward the celebration of its 75th anniversary in 2009. We are stronger
today in membership and in German musical performance than we were 10 and
even 15 years ago and we look forward to continuing on this progressive
path. Our success is not unusual, it is a matter of camaraderie.
Lieder froh die Herzen empor
Treu dem Schwäbischen
Männerchor
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