Page 7 - GC-Sept-Oct-23
P. 7

German Day –  a day for a parade,

                                                                   amusements, food and drink


                                                                                                                                    As the Swiss Gruetli Asso-
                                                                                                                                  ciation, the Wurtt-Suabian
                                                                                                                                 Benevolent Association, and
                                                                                   GREGORY                                        the Frohsinn Club arrived
                                                                                   WITUL                                          they were greeted by 15,000
                                                                                                                                    revelers filling the park.
      Marlene Dietrich in "The Blue Angel."    Image: dpa/picture alliance
                                                                                                                                 Association, and the Frohsinn Club
       Germany's historical Studio                                      s we exit the summer heat, we                            arrived  they  were  greeted  by
                                                                    Awalk into the best time of the                              15,000 revelers filling the park.
       Babelsberg under threat                                      year, festival season. Ahead of us                              Once  everyone  arrived  and  all
                                                                    are dozens of events that showcase  With all the details in place, and  the societies were seated at the re-
          August 18, 2023            cisions in the course of next year at  and  celebrate  German-American                      spective tables the formal opening
          The legendary film studio host-  the  latest,"  Scholz  said  Tuesday  food, music, and culture across the  the  promise  of  clear  weather,  the  of the day began. Ferdinand Teute,
       ed   stars   including   Marlene  during  a  visit  to  the  film  studios.  state.  But  if  we  harken  back  to  group  released  the  public  an-  the third vice president of the Ger-
                                                                                                  nouncement that the 1906 German
 1923 Germany’s  Dietrich  and  served  as  a  set  for  The industry "must be maintained  Western  New  York  in  the  early  Day  would  be  held  Sunday,  Aug.  man-American  Alliance  of  the
                                     here and elsewhere in Germany be-
                                                                                                                                 State of New York and Dr. Gaetner
       films like Tarantino's "Inglourious
       Basterds"  and  Wes  Anderson's  cause  once  it's  gone,  it's  hard  to  years of the 20th century, there was  12.  As  the  weekend  approached,  were the main speakers of the day
                                                                    one  Teutonic  celebration  that
       "Hotel Budapest."             rebuild," he added.            trumped them all, the Buffalo Ger-  delegates representing German so-  with both touching on the point of
          Located  just  outside  Berlin,  Babelsberg's co-chief executive  man Day with the 1906 celebration  cieties from Rochester, Erie, Her-  being  true  to  America  while  still
       Studio Babelsberg has been under a  officer, Andy Weltman, called for  being one of the best.  kimer, Utica, and other New York  holding a corner of their heart for
       cloud after the US company Cine-  competitive tax incentives so Ger-  In  its  third  year,  Chairman  and Pennsylvania communities be-  the homeland.
       space  –  a  subsidiary  of  the  real  many  could  "once  again  play  a  George  Weiss  and  committeemen  gan arriving in the Queen City.  With  the  talks  completed  the
       estate  company  TPG  Real  Estate  leading role" in film production.  Dr. William Gaertner, Henry Bren-  As  churches  began  to  let  out  children’s athletic competitions got
       Partners (TREP) – became the ma-  German film                del, Alex Kercher, Louis Fritz, F.X.  that  Sunday  morning  members  underway.  Besides  the  traditional
       jority shareholder at the beginning  industry stagnating     Schwab,  Henry  Fink,  William  from 46 different German societies,  running races, egg races, bag races,
       of  2022,  since  when  hardly  any  According  to  a  2021  industry  Blessing,  and  George  Lehman  in suits and regalia, began gather-  and running backwards races were
       filming has taken place at the stu-  forecast  published  by  Statista,  the  wanted to make the 1906 celebra-  ing at the intersection of Jefferson  also  held.  While  Henry  Finck
       dios.                         film industry's revenue in Germany  tion  something  special.  The  com-  and  Broadway.  Once  there,  they  served  as  the  official  judge,  the
          German film director and Oscar  by 2025 will be around €10.5 bil-                       were organized into three different  enthusiastic  crowd  overrode  him
       winner  Volker  Schlöndorff  added  lion  ($11.4  billion)  and  largely  mittee  began  planning  for  the  divisions  to  march  to  Teutonia  more than once declaring their own
                                                                    festival in the first half of the year
       to  those  fears  as  he  spoke  of  the  stagnating.        gathering input from over  the 50  Park.                     winner.
       "danger" posed to the studio's exis-  Founded  in  1912,  the  Babels-                        Led by Grand Marshal Alexan-   For the adults there was plenty
       tence. He said that since the compa-  berg  film  studios  are  regarded  as  German-American  societies  of  der  Kercher,  a  fuel  magnate  who  of  food  and  drink  which  paired
                                                                    Buffalo.
       ny  Kino  Bidco,  a  subsidiary  of  the cradle of German film and the                     also  served  on  the  boards  of  the  nicely with the carnival games. Af-
       Cinespace, became the main stake-  oldest  large-scale  studio  in  the  The men quickly agreed to re-  German  Hospital  and  Schuetzen  ter a few drinks the house had the
       holder, there were hardly any films  world.  Today  the  studios  have,  turn to Teutonia Park on Fillmore,  Verein,  the  marchers  headed  east  advantage in the ring toss game, but
       being produced in the historic stu-  among other things, 21 state-of-the-  the home of the first two Deutscher  up  Broadway,  made  a  left  onto  lost it to found strength at the high
       dios.  Schlöndorff,  who  has  also  art  studios,  outdoor  sets  covering  Tags, and to continue using pins as  Johnson Street to turn on Genesee  striker. But after a day of carous-
       served  as  the  CEO  of  Studio  Ba-  more  than  173,000  square  meters  entrance  passes,  this  time  with  a  making their way along Fillmore to  ing,  the  merry-go-round  became
       belsberg in the past, warned that the  and  Europe's  largest  prop  ware-  design  that  incorporated  the  flags  Teutonia  Park.  All  along  the  way
       studio could be wiped out of exis-  house.                   of  Germany,  Austria-Hungary,  houses,  businesses,  and  people,  the  only  amusement  most  people
                                                                                                                                 could handle.
       tence.                                                       Switzerland,  and  American  into  a  could be found decorated in the red,
          Earlier  this  week,  German                              shield  surrounded  by  an  oak  white, and blue of America and the  As the day came to an end and
       Chancellor  Olaf  Scholz  spoke  out                         wreath. New for the year the com-  red, white, and black of Germany.  things began to wind down, a num-
       in support of preserving Studio Ba-  The views of columnists and  mittee  incorporated  a  parade  into  As  the  Swiss  Gruetli  Associa-  ber of the committee men could be
                                      letter writers do not necessarily  the celebration.                                        found  sitting  at  a  table,  already
       belsberg amid fears over the future                                                        tion, the Wurtt-Suabian Benevolent
       of the oldest large-scale film studio  reflect the views of the German                                                    planning the 1907 German Day.
                                      Citizen. Letters to the editor are
       in the world. He said he wanted to
       keep  the  multi-billion  dollar  busi-  welcome   at   mail@the
                                      germancitizen.com  or  by  mail:
       ness of film and TV productions in
       Germany.                       The German Citizen 3620 Har-
                                      lem  Rd.,  Cheektowaga,  NY
          "We will make far-reaching de-
                                      14215.
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