. Volume 13, Issue 10

Inside this issue:

President’s Corner 2

Oktoberfest

Announcements

2

Welcome New

Members

2

Oktoberfest

Sponsors

3

Farewell Dinner

Speech

4

Future of Our

Oktoberfest

5

November

Elections

5

Announcements 5

The Sister Cities Scoop Lichtenfels Vandalia Prestwick

October, 2017 Editor: Ann Kimmel

41st Annual Oktoberfest

October’s

Gemütlichkeit

Bob and Tracy Schaffner

have volunteered to host

October’s Gemütlichkeit.

Their address is 5529 Fair

Valley Rd., Dayton. Wayne

and Susie Wright are co-

hosts.

Gemütlichkeit is held imme-

diately following the monthly

membership meeting. All

are welcome to attend.

The Oktoberfest was a suc-

cess thanks to all the people who

stepped up to help by taking lead-

ership roles. We could not have

done it without you!

THANK YOU to the Steer-

ing Committee for all the hours

that they put in during the year.

THANK YOU to the group of vol-

unteers who worked the week be-

fore setting up the electrical, build-

ing the booths, installing the deco-

rations, making potato salad, etc.,

etc. THANK YOU to the hun-

dreds of volunteers who man the

booths every year. THANK YOU

to everyone who came out on

Sunday to tear down booths and

make sure everything was put

away. Because of all of you, we

had a successful Oktoberfest this

year.

The proceeds from the Ok-

toberfest support our youth ex-

change program, several scholar-

ships annually, youth rec teams,

After Prom, Vandalia Butler Food

Pantry and many more community

organizations. The money we

make goes back to the community.

Once again, thanks to all!

Speakers for the October Membership Meeting

This year’s exchange students will be speaking at the October member-

ship meeting. Grace Cope, Lindsay Wood-

ruff, Camryn Snapp and Alex Dixon visited

Lichtenfels, Germany for three weeks in Ju-

ly and August. They will share their experi-

ences of living with their friends in Germany

and making even more international friends.

Check out Vandalia Sister Cities online at www.Vandaliasistercities.org Page 2

The Sister Cities Scoop

President’s Corner

This has been a very busy but rewarding summer for

our organization. We started out with the Ayrshire Fiddle Or-

chestra giving a free concert for our community at the Chris-

tian Life Center in the first part of July. Right after the concert,

we were in our final planning phase for the Oktoberfest. Four

days after the Oktoberfest we were flying to Lichtenfels, Ger-

many to participate in our official visit.

As always, it was great seeing our friends again, espe-

cially some of the past youth exchange students. We were

able to have lunch, cake & coffee or ice cream with some of

them. I love to hear what they are doing with their lives and

talk about the times in Vandalia.

As I said earlier in this article, it has been a rewarding

summer for Sister Cities of Vandalia. Our members have

worked many hard hours to give back to the Vandalia—Butler

Township community and I am very proud of what we have

accomplished.

I do have one report from Lichtenfels. Their chocolate is

still very good. We also had one person going to Lichtenfels

for the first time and he could not find any food or beer that he

did not like. Oh, the ice cream was not bad either and yes, I

did have my share. But due to all of the walking that we did, I

did not gain any weight.

Again, thanks to all of our friends in Germany for open-

ing up their homes and hearts to us. Yes, it is like going back

home when we are in Lichtenfels.

A big thanks goes out to all of our sponsors this year.

Harvey

Oktoberfest Expenses

When turning in Oktoberfest ex-

penses, please use the expense

form on our website. The dead-

line for all expenses is October

15th, 2017. If expenses are not

turned in by October 15th,

“thank you for your donation”.

Send form and receipts to Sister

Cities of Vandalia, P.O. Box

401, Vandalia, OH 45377.

Return Oktoberfest Name

Badges

Please return the Oktoberfest

staff badges to Kelly Blakesly at

the October membership meet-

ing.

Oktoberfest Yard Signs

Please keep your Oktoberfest

yard signs so that you can dis-

play them next year for the Ok-

toberfest. The information on

the signs reads “Weekend after

Labor Day” so no changes need

to be made next year.

Welcome New Members

Please welcome the following new members to our organization. Also, add their information to

your membership list.

Patty & Austin Klauss, 404 Reichard, Vandalia, OH 45377, 937-369-8766,

pattyklauss@yahoo.com.

Rodney Kreusch, 1816 Montgomery Ave., Fairborn, OH 45324, 937-654-0088,

rodkreusch@att.net.

Annette Saylor, 583 Bright Ave., Vandalia, OH 45377, 937-296-6932, netnet0505@gmail.com.

Welcome! Hope to see you at our next membership meeting on October 11th.

Check out Vandalia Sister Cities online at www.Vandaliasistercities.org Page 3

The Sister Cities Scoop

Beau Townsend Ford Inc. Larry Taylor 898-5841 1020 W. National Rd. Vandalia, Ohio 45377 Vandalia Rental Derek Potter 454-7430 950 Engle Rd. Vandalia, Ohio 45377 Keller Williams Realtors Shannon Dixon 890-9111 9201 N. Dixie Dr. Dayton, Ohio 45414 Keller Williams Realtors Matt Kreusch 890-9111 9201 N. Dixie Dr. Dayton, Ohio 45414 American Air Core LLC Fred Ralston 304-4045 239 Curtiss Wright Blvd. Vandalia, Ohio 45377 Bunkers Bar & Grill Leeann Kreusch 890-8899 893 E. National Rd. Vandalia, Ohio 45377 At Your Service Pools & Spas Wendy Utz 890-7669 8357 N. Main St. Dayton, Ohio 45415 Complete Solutions Inc. Dave Starline 898-2273 65 N. Dixie Dr. Suite A Vandalia, Ohio 45377 Evans Motorworks Aaron Foreland 890-6200 7124 Poe Ave., Dayton, Ohio 45414 Frickers Erin Barett 454-9464 22 Foley Dr. Vandalia, Ohio 45377 Hocks Pharmacy Kelly Blakesly 898-5803 535 S. Dixie Dr., Vandalia, Ohio 45377 J B Lawn & Landscaping Jerrod Black 454-1145 3372 W. National Rd. Dayton, Ohio 45414 J Spivey Photography Justin Spivey 410-0410 206 E. National Rd. Vandalia, Ohio 45377 Key Bank Marissa Bardonaro 898-1551 205 E. National Rd. Vandalia, Ohio 45377

Liquor & Wine Warehouse Mike Buchy 3440 York Commons Blvd. Dayton, Ohio 45414 Little York Tavern Matt Hendrick 890-6700 4120 Little York Rd. Dayton, Ohio 45414 Morton & Whetstone Mark Whetstone 898-4634 139 S. Dixie Dr. Vandalia, Ohio 45377 National Processing Hope Stewart 694-8589 10 W. 2nd St., Suite 330 Dayton, Ohio 45402 North Dixie Storage Jean Maycheck 898-8515 9117 N. Dixie Dr. Dayton, Ohio 45414 Premier Health Paula Zepemick 499-8235 110 N. Main St., Suite 420 Dayton, Ohio 45402 Reliable Tax Gary Kinman 277-8907 2004 Needmore Rd. Dayton, Ohio 45414 Sportys Trikes & Bikes Jim Ping 387-6294 7426 N. Dixie Dr. Dayton, Ohio 45414 State Farm Steve Reed 890-9001 8600 N. Main St. Suite A Dayton, Ohio 45415 Tacket Tree Service Larry Tackett 836-5598 9334 Peters Pike Vandalia, Ohio 45377 UCA Pete Avnaim 339-2577 6690 Poe Ave., Dayton, Ohio 45414 Vandalia Range & Armory Doug Hague 387-0485 100 Corporate Center Dr. Vandalia, Ohio 45377 Kroger Corporate 513-782-3533 780 Northwoods Blvd. Vandalia, Ohio 45377 Again, a BIG thanks to our sponsors!

2017 OKTOBERFEST SPONSORS

The following businesses support our Oktoberfest through various donations. Please stop in and thank them for

their generosity and send business their way.

Check out Vandalia Sister Cities online at www.Vandaliasistercities.org Page 4

The Sister Cities Scoop

Following is the speech that President

Harvey Kimmel gave at the Farewell Dinner

in Lichtenfels:

Good Evening. Again, it is an honor

to be with you. I wish to thank the committee

for another great visit.

Germany is a very beautiful country.

It has been my pleasure during the past

years to visit most regions of Germany and I

love it. But more beautiful is the people of

Germany. You, your families, your friends

and the love that you have shown us are the

beauty of Germany

What is Sister Cities?

I have said this before but it is worth

repeating. Dr. Hauptmann and Mr. Walt

Lakin did it right.

Sister Cities is when a baby is con-

ceived when a German couple is visiting

Vandalia and the baby is named after their

American host Susie.

Sister Cities is when a young man of

20 years of age asks an American couple if

he could watch their 6 year old daughter

while they enjoy the party and that man and

the young girl are still the best of friends. As

a matter of fact, Julia and her husband Jeff

are staying with Gerd Laatz during this visit.

Sister Cities is when an exchange

student from Vandalia loved Germany so

much that after graduating from high school

a year early, she moved to Germany when

she had just turned 17 to attend college and

live in Germany.

Sister Cities is when we laugh with

each other in times of happiness and we cry

with each other in times of sorrow. We have

shared births, we have shared weddings and

yes, we have shared deaths. We are family.

Sister Cities is when a lot of the young

people who were part of the young exchange

call me their American Grandfather.

Sister Cities is when one day I was

walking around Lichtenfels, something I love to

do, and I saw 4 women siting down talking and

I recognized one. I knew she did not know me

so I walked up to her and I said “Vandalia”.

Rosie jumps up from her chair and gave me a

big hug not knowing who I was but that I was

from Vandalia.

Sister Cities is when a person from

Lichtenfels calls up and asks if they can come

over. We ask, “What do you want to do while

you are here”. The answer is “to see my

friends.”

Sister Cities is when you look back to all

of the great times and all of the beautiful plac-

es that you have seen but there is one evening

that stands out more than the others. About

25 to 30 people were at Wolfgang and

Christa’s home, Eric had his guitar and we just

sat around and sang songs all evening.

Sister Cities is when on the last night of

their first visit in 2005, Wolfgang offers a toast

and he says, “Harvey, you came into my house

as a stranger, you leave my house as my

friend.” I think Wolfgang regrets those words.

Since 2005, I have been back to his house

every year except one. The first thing I always

say when I enter his house,” I am home”.

There are so many more stories that we

could talk about. Sister Cities has brought our (Continued on page 5)

Official Visit to Lichtenfels

Page 5

Peace thru People

Save the Dates

Here are several important dates for

you to note on your calendars:

Board Meeting:

October 4 at 7:00 p.m.

Membership Meeting:

October 11 at 7:00 p.m. Meetings are held at the Vandalia

Senior Citizens Center located at 21

Tionda Drive S.

Deadline for November’s Scoop articles is

October 21st.

Happy October Birthdays!

Gary Bryant .................... 1

Anne Burke .................... 3

Barbara Link ................... 5

Anessa Snapp ................ 9

Jim Beimly .................... 23

Elata Everhart .............. 31

Freida Sippel ................ 31

Suzanne’s Sunshine

Report

Thanks to Suzanne Jordan, a little

sunshine was sent to brighten

someone’s day:

No report this month.

Please report news on our mem-

bership to Suzanne at 898-2703.

two cities together, but more importantly, it has

brought the people together. I will not tell any

more stories because some of us have to

catch a plane to go home tomorrow.

Again, I wish to thank Dr. Hauptmann

and Mr. Walt Lakin. Their actions back in

1975 have enriched our lives forever.

Thank You.

Official Visit to Lichtenfels (Continued from page 4)

Election of Officers & Board Members for 2018

The election of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and two Board Members will take

place at the November General Membership Meeting. If you are interested in one of these posi-

tions, please call or e-mail Harvey Kimmel at 901-6032 or harkim@woh.rr.com. Please step for-

ward and get involved with a great organization by becoming a candidate for one of these open-

ings.

Future of our Oktoberfest

Alive and Well

Yes, a few months ago the future of the

Oktoberfest was not looking good. Our mem-

bers are old and we just did not have the man-

power to put on the Oktoberfest.

The good news. A group of citizens

from Vandalia and Butler township said that

they wanted to keep the Oktoberfest going

and they volunteered to help renew the event.

So, after a lot of planning and a lot of new

help, the 2017 Oktoberfest was a great suc-

cess.

The above action from the new people

just shows what a great place we live in. The

Oktoberfest has been an event in Vandalia for

over 40 years and with the attitudes of our

new members it will be here another 40 years.