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APRIL 2008
The March 29th Annual Dinner Meeting at Andre’s on Main was enjoyed by more than 60 KCSS members! We give a huge thank you to Marcel Bollier, Elsbeth, Rene and Nancy, Brigette and Kevin Gravino, for hosting this annual event! The food that they prepared was, as always, the finest, absolutely fresh and seasoned perfectly. While Connie was greatly missed by us all, we were nevertheless welcomed by Marcel, the impeccable host and honorary Swiss Consul of the Kansas City area, in his usual warm style.
We spent a moment silently remembering members who have passed away in the last few months, Irene Hummel and Elizabeth Ranallo, and most recently, less than a week prior to the annual meeting, Fritz Hirter, Jr., the beloved father of Linda Drollinger and Fritz Hirter III. At this time there have been numerous monetary donations to the KCSS to honor the memories of Fritz Hirter and Elizabeth Ranallo.
The Annual Meeting portion was opened by the president, Dan Bonderer who thanked Marcel Bollier and his family for their hospitality. The meeting then progressed to the business at hand, which saw changes to the Board. Jim Cottrell has ended his tenure as Director after three years of service to the Society on the Board. We thank you, Jim, for your faithful, humorous and fine participation. The Society wholeheartedly approved the nomination of long time member, Bruce Hiller, to the three year Director term.
Dan announced the upcoming event dates: April 19 – spring clean up at the Chalet; May 18 – Strawberry Picnic; June 22 – Steak Cookout; August 2 – Bundesfeier; December 7 – Christmas at the Chalet. The Schutzenfest/Raclette Dinner date will be announced in the May newsletter. Please see the event coupon at back of this newsletter for the Strawberry Picnic.
You will undoubtedly enjoy noting that all upcoming newsletters, including this one, can be viewed on the Kansas City Swiss Society website, www.kcswiss.org., thanks to Pepe Strub, our web publisher. Please let us know by means of email to becci_mgr@hotmail.com or by calling any of the Board members who will pass along the information if you do not wish to receive the newsletter by mail! Thank you!
A – G angel food cake (for the strawberries and whipped cream)
H – Q salads
R – Z veggie dishes or casseroles to accompany the cervelat
Also please bring your own beverages, and if you have lawn chairs for your group, bring those, or blankets or quilts to put on the ground for seating. The Swiss Society provides: plates, napkins, dinnerware, cervelat, rolls, strawberries, whipped cream, champagne, and fun!
Here’s a shot of Franz who will probably beguile us with his alphorn, but maybe he will also entertain with his masterful flag throwing, which is pictured below:
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Tuesday, April 22 is International Earth Day. The Swiss are passionate environmentalists, and the following comments have been shared by the Swiss News Bureau:
Recently a Gallup International survey shows 97% of Swiss questioned favor protecting the environment and have individually chosen to implement at least one green-minded endeavor to their daily living. Recycling is the most common environmental activity among the Swiss, and 91% of Swiss actively engage in recycling. About half of those questioned have quit driving their automobiles in favor of public transportation. Nearly two thirds of the Swiss surveyed said they’ve decreased home energy use by lessening water consumption and electric sources.
We would do well to follow the lead of our Swiss country folk and continue our efforts in the United States to lessen the impact of global warming and reckless energy use!
Other news from the sports world in Switzerland:
Roger Federer received the Laureus Award in February, 2008 for his achievements as Sportsman of the Year. He was praised during the ceremony as being “an incredible sportsman and exceptionally nice person.” Federer has his sights set on next winning the tennis championship at the Bejing Olympics.
and from the world of technology, a Swiss dominated field as well:
“In the field of nanotechnology, research and experiments are conducted at the level of single atoms and molecules, according to the Swiss Centre for Technology Assessment.
"Nano" stands for an order of magnitude of one billionth of a metre. At this dimension the properties of materials can undergo radical changes.
While nanotechnology offers a glimpse of a whole array of new possibilities, there are also potential risks to consider.
What may be harmless as a microparticle (one millionth of a metre) may have serious effects on human beings and the environment as a nanoparticle.
Last week the government approved an action plan for synthetic nanomaterials, which should help evaluate various risk factors. The aim is to set up a regulatory framework for nanotechnology.” Excerpted from swissinfo.ch
In the near future you will receive membership cards, an idea brought to the Board by our KCSS member, Janet Fisher, which will enable you to receive a 10% discount at the erstwhile kitchen and home accessory store, Pryde’s in Westport, and of course the ever popular Swiss restaurant, Andre’s for the lunch hour, This is a new, rather exciting “perk” to our membership!
EVENT COUPON – STRAWBERRY PICNIC – Sunday, May 18, 2008