Bad Schussenried : 2008

The 2008 SCI  convention was held in Bad Schussenried Germany for the second time. The turnout was much lower than previous conventions, but thanks to the efforts of Beatrix Adler who coordinated the German side of the convention, Dave Bruha who coordinated the American side, and Herr Ott and the staff of the Schussenrieder Braueri, who did an outstanding job planning and hosting,  the convention was a great success. It was a wonderful experience for all who attended.

Tuesday: The convention got off to an unofficial start with a dinner, hosted by Johnnes Vogt, in Munich's famous and historic Ratskeller midst the paintings of Heinrich Schlitt.

Wednesday:  Two busses left Munich shortly after noon for the trip to Bad Schussenried. The trip included a short stop in Steinhausen to view the 250 year old baroque Church of St. Peter and Paul, purported to be the most decorated village church in Germany. We were greeted at the Hotel Amerika by cheerleaders decked out in red, white, and blue colors shouting "U S A, hooray." The board of trustees meeting was held at the Schussenrieder Stube, followed by the welcoming dinner in the brewery's Sommerkeller.

The greeting Not all fun and games

Thursday: Because of the low turnout, all meetings scheduled to be held in the library of the New Monastery were held in the Bierkrugstadel at the brewery. The general meeting and several lectures were held in the morning, and after lunch in the Biergarten, two busses took us to Friedrichshafen and a tour of the Zepplinmuseum. In the evening a group from Santis  Switzerland put on a show of Swiss fun and food.

Officer's Elected:     Executive Director --- Dave Bruha     1st VP Conventions --- Ralph Joyce     Secretary --- John Strassberger     Internet Director --- John Piet     Chapter Support Officer --- John Kelly Major Awards:    Master Steinolgist --- John Harrell    Jack Lowenstein Award --- John Lamb    Jack Heimann Service Award --- Dave Harr    Gemütlichkeit Award --- Marie Stevenson    Miss Beerstein --- Beatrix Adler

Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, .... A test of strength

Friday: In the morning lectures were again held in the Bierkrugstadel at the brewery. In the afternoon some went on a guided tour of Ulm made more interesting due to Anne Lang's presentation of the "Sparrow of Ulm." The rest of us stayed behind for a very informative tour of the Bier Stein Museum and the inner workings of the Brewery. In the evening it was entertainment by the Marine chorus along with a sumptuous buffet of local food.

The Lectures:     Gerd Kessler   ---  “Ceramics History of the Kannenbackerland and J.W.Remy”     Marc Lang      ---   “Buying steins on German eBay”     His wife Anne  ---  “History of Ulm and Legend of the Sparrow”     Keith Lyle       ---  “Mettlach PUGs”     Wolfgang Gult ---  “Garde-Füsilier-Regiment (the Maikäfer)”     Beatrix Adler   ---  “V&B Wallerfangen, an Adler Family Tradition”

A test of skill And after a few beers

Saturday: Because of the low turnout, Jonannes Vogt cancelled the live auction, but brought a variety of beautiful steins to sell at the stein tables. In conjunction with the stein table sales  a flea market of brewery steins and memorabilia was held in the brewery parking lot. There was ample time to look for a stein and still take the optional tour to the Hohenzollern castle. A traditional Octoberfest night made up the evening's entertainment.

Miss Beerstein On the tour

Sunday and beyond: The convention officially ended Sunday morning back at the Schussenrieder brewery with a traditional Bavarian breakfast of Weisswurst and pretzels. After breakfast about half of us departed for points of special interest, and the rest took the post convention Rhineland  tour sponsored and led by Beatrix Adler. The tour visited Heidelberg, Rüdesheim, Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Mettlach and ended with a BBQ lunch in Wallerfangen in the beautiful garden of Beatrix's parents'  home.