March 2016
CA - 7
The News of Sun City Center
Norway Travelogue 23 March
At the March meeting of the Scandinavian Club of Sun City Center on Wednesday 23 March, Club member Don French will present a travelogue from their trip to Norway. The meeting will be held in the Florida Room in the CA Atrium complex. The doors will open at 2:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to all.
Irish Connection Movie Night
Monday Mar. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in Rollins Theater Feature: Far and Away Starring: Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman Young pugnacious Joseph Donnelly runs into legal trouble in his native Ireland and travels to America with a landowner’s daughter in search of a new life and a dream of land ownership in Oklahoma in 1873. All in SCC welcome. Sub titles available.
Sawdust Engineers Article
Ted Verzino, one of the earliest members of Sawdust Engineers, passed away late last year. In Memoriam, friends of Ted and members of Sawdust Engineers made donations in his name. These were used to purchase a 30th Anniversary Edition Grizzly 17” Band Saw. This was another step in improving and constantly growing the Sawdust Engineers Club. Until his death Ted was active in all phases of our club. He started making “Clinging Crosses”. To this day they are one of our most popular items. He made and donated many items, which were sold through our gift shop. The proceeds are used for supplies and equipment which helps keep our dues low. With Ted’s help the Club increased making items for schools, which we donate to teachers for use as “Teaching Aids”. These are aids to help children learn colors, numbers, shapes, time, etc. While we honor Ted’s memory, we look forward to many more years of helping our community and enhancing our skills. Stop by our gift shop at 919 North Course Lane and view some of our many items for sale to the public.
Sew ‘N Sews Beginning Quiltmaking Class
Pictured are members of the Sew ‘n Sews enrolled in the “Beginning Quilting Class”. Ladies learned all the techniques on how to make a quilt. They chose their fabrics, coordinating colors, arranging the blocks, sewing rows together, adding the batting to bind the quilt. Members are showing off their “Almost Finished” quilts at one of the lessons taught by Carol Selby. The Sew ‘n Sews is a club open to all residents of the Sun City Community. Front L to R: Marlene McGrath, Lee Besides teaching quilting, embroidery, O’roak, Susan VanCleve, Cathy Killan, and sewing, club members often take Carole Rossi, Sue Fitts, and Back Row trips to purchase fabric, and to visit - Barb Kulig, Sergie Delagado, Carol Selby (instructor) not pictured: Charlene other Quilt Shows. The club has a long Hollars, Kitty Matzkin, Jeanne Nasse, history of service projects throughout the Dianne VanElten. community. They are located in the Arts and Crafts Building at 915 Cherry Hills Drive. For more information call Linda at 813-390-2377 or email scc.sew.n.sews@gmail.com.
So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye... German American Club Singers Say Farewell
By Ilona Merritt Germany claims some of the most renowned music composers, producers and performers of the world. Germany is the largest music market in Europe, and third largest in the world. The beginning of German music can be traced back to the 12th-century compositions of mystic abbess Hildegard of Bingen, who wrote a variety of Christian music. In the 12th century to the 14th centuries singing in German, spread across country. Germans have played a leading role in the development of classical music. Much of this great music was composed by such as Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and many more. Beginning in the 16th century the intertwining of multiple melodies, arrived in Germany. Chorale music is vibrant and energetic and quickly became popular with the German People In the fall of 1999 eleven people met to form a German-American Club here in Sun City Center, so it was only natural that a Choral group would be an important part of this new organization. Since a number of those present at the first meeting where experienced singers and had been active in choral groups up north it took less than two month. The first performance was at the club’s first Christmas party in December 1999 with five singers. Shirley Carroll, Elfi & Kurt Nolden, Judy and Dieter Quitsch presenting German Christmas Carols. Out of these five it was Judy Quitsch who took responsibility to recruit singers, directors, pianists, find rehearsal halls, and locating music. Inspired by her personal love of the German music, Judy did this for 17 years. Any resident of Sun City Center who loved to sing was invited to join the group. Teaching the German language was challenge and even some of the choral directors and pianists needed some lessons in German. George and Sandy Gundacker, from Redeemer Lutheran Church, led the group for the first year until they could find a director and accompanist who would take over full time. Shirley Hayden and Thelma Roggenkemper agreed and arrangements were made to rehearse at the SCC Community Church. In time Judy had to find a new location for rehearsals and they moved to Redeemer Lutheran Church. Circumstances arose and Directors changed. When Shirley Hayden moved to Rochester, NY Mr. Pat Raimondo took over, followed by Lynn Hirschfeld. Thelma stayed on as accompanist until her eyesight failed and her good friend Claire Hadley took over the position. Through this affiliation with the SCC Community Church, they met the SCC Fiddlers, and the two groups presented a Christmas concert in the Great Hall of the church two consecutive years. Then the South Shore Concert Band
joined the Choral group and together they presented seven annual concerts at the Community Hall to sold out houses. Each December the chorus participated from 2005 to 2015 in an Advent Service at Redeemer Lutheran Church, with Pastor Peter Stiller doing the entire service in the German language. They also did a beautiful Christmas concert at the Lutheran Church Hall. Locally the Choral group participated in the SCC FunFest for the first time in 2001, with many years to follow. Over the years, the Singers went caroling at Sun Terrace, performed for the Shrine Group luncheons, the Audubon Society, Palm Gardens Nursing Home, Homewood Residence, Freedom Plaza, and Rice Creek RV Park. Traveling was also part of their activities. The United German American Society of Florida invited them to perform at their annual Heritage Fests held in various locations around Florida. In 2004 some members of the Choral group formed an Opera and Operetta Ensemble under the tutelage of Kurt Gunther, retired Opera singer from Austria who lives in SCC. Their first performance was held in the Kings Point Auditorium. When they moved to the Methodist Church the entire Choral group joined them in their performances. In 2014 the Choral group varied their programs to be part German Choral music and for the second half they presented music based on Mardi Gras and in 2015 they went wild ...“Wild West”. Their next show would have been based on Sailor songs ... but alas, it was not to be. The 2015 season began with Mr. Chuck Wirick, (from St. John’s Episcopal Church) as Director and Accompanist. However, Chuck’s health was causing him to be unavailable. Sadly the group was unable to find a new Director so they disbanded on January 5, 2016. At the end of my interview with Judy Quitsch, she expressed the hope that others would step forward and make it possible for this fine group of singers to raise their voices in song once again.
SCC Ceramics Club
Sew ‘N Sew President Mary Lou Bogdan Featured in an International Quilting Magazine
Mary Lou Bogdan, President of the Sun City Center Sew ‘N Sews, was featured in the December/January 2016 issue of Quilters Newsletter Magazine. Mary Lou and her husband planned a trip to Hawaii a few years ago. To commemorate her visit, she collected colorful fabrics from several different quilt shops all over the islands. Mary Lou was inspired by a number of quilt patterns, as she machine pieced together the beautiful flowers creating her own design. It’s a king size quilt that was machine quilted by long-arm quilter Nan Fishpaw of Wimauma. Mary Lou continues to share her enthusiasm by encouraging new members to join the club and learn how to quilt and sew.
SCC Ceramics Club is raffling a beautiful Gazing Ball and Pedestal, for FunFest. Elsie Diel pictured above was the artist, she has donated this lovely piece. Tickets are now being sold at the ceramics club. One ticket for a dollar, six tickets for five dollars.
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