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Residents enjoy Sommerfest

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  • Residents enjoy Sommerfest

    Westwood Press, MA
    June 30 2005

    Residents enjoy Sommerfest

    By Priscilla Yeon/ Staff Writer
    Thursday, June 30, 2005

    In 95-degree boiling heat, hundreds of people gathered at the
    German-American club in Walpole for its annual Sommerfest, a
    weekend-long German celebration at the Boylston Schul-Verein, on
    Rte. 109.

    Commonly referred to as the German-American club, the Boylston
    Schul-Verein hosted about 1,500 guests who enjoyed German draft
    beers, sausages, sauerkraut, potato pancakes and baked goods this
    past weekend.

    "Sommerfest is a German 'gemutlichkeit,'" said club director Jack
    Achmakjian, who described the German word as a "friendly and pleasant
    atmosphere."

    Throughout the 10-acre property, people gathered at a large pavilion
    to listen to Almdudler, a German band that played traditional music
    with musicians dressed in their national costumes.

    Children also had their corner of entertainment filled with games,
    balloons, popcorn and a clown.

    On the other side of the club's lawn, vendors were selling German
    jewelry and hand-crafted artworks, like framed edelweiss flowers,
    home ornaments, earrings and necklaces.

    Due to the heat, the turnout for the event was below expectation,
    said club manager Gustav Scheer, of Westwood. He said usually a total
    of 2,000 people attend the Sommerfest weekend while their annual
    Oktoberfest, which takes place on the second week of September,
    brings a crowd of about 4,000.

    "This is the warmest Sommerfest we've had," said Scheer.

    At 1 p.m. on Sunday, people stood up to sing the German and the
    American national anthems.

    Although he is a German native, Scheer said the event had not only
    a German aspect, but an American one as well. "This is our home,"
    said Scheer, who moved to Westwood in 1966.

    Currently there are about 530 members at the German-American club,
    out of which two-thirds are German descendents.

    Achmakjian, who is of Armenian descendent, said he joined the club
    because he lived in Germany after World War II and enjoyed his
    time there. "Now I consider myself more German than Armenian," said
    Achmakjian, half jokingly.

    For him, Sommerfest is a weekend for people to enjoy the Munich-type
    festival.

    Norwood's Norbert Zimmermann, a member since 1958 and a current
    trustee of the club, said Sommerfest brings a lot of non-Germans to
    the Walpole facility.

    "They like to come for some German food and drinks," said Zimmerman.

    Longtime member Max Kosin, of Dedham, said he serves beer during most
    of the Sommerfest events. The German native said he came to America
    in 1959 and joined the club in 1960. For him, the weekend not only
    brought him back to Germany, but also made him nostalgic.

    "It's part of me when I was young," said Kosin.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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