Dear AATG Virginia Chapter members!
I am writing to invite you to attend the Spring Workshop on April 19,2008. I am enclosing a schedule of our events on Saturday, April 19 and a copy of the preliminary program for the entire weekend. This meeting will be held as part of a larger celebration taking place on April 17-20, 2008. Since this is a clebration for the 400th anniversary of the first Germans in America at Jamestown, we decided at our Fall business meeting in Richmond to have as our theme:
Teaching about German-Americans and Germans in America
Within the next few days information will be posted on the webpage of the Center for Liberal Arts at the University of Virginia. You may register for our meeting there: http://www.virginia.edu/cla/
There is also information enclosed about the rest of the program. If you are interested in reserving a room at the WilIiamsburg Woods Hotel, you schould do so soon. There is a special rate for conference participants that is good until February 29. I will send out more information as it becomes available.
Dr. Ronald Horwege
Dept. of Modern Languages and Literatures Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar, VA 24595 horwege@sbc.edu
Virginia German Teacher Spring Workshop 2008
April 19, 2008
Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel
105 Visitor Center Dr , Williamsburg , VA
Williamsburg Virginia
9:00 Introductory Remarks
Dr. Ronald Horwege, Professor of German, Sweet Briar College
9:15 –9:45 Coming to a classroom near you: the German-Americans
William Wurm,, German Teacher, German teacher, Hanover County Public Schools
9:45 –10:15 Overlooked and Forgotten: German-American Contributions to American
History and Culture.
Dr. Vera Niebuhr, Professor of German, University of May Washington
10:15-10:30 Pause
10:30 –11:15 The Jamestown Germans
Evidence at the Jamestown Archaeological site
Beverly Straube, Curator, Jamestown Rediscovery, Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities
11:15 –11:45 From Eternal Jew to Eternal Nazi? Germans in America .
Dr. Frederick Lubich, Professor of German, Old Dominion University
11:45-1:00 Lunch Break and short AATG Chapter meeting
1:00 –1:30 Germans in the Shenandoah Valley
Karlena M. Sakas, German Teacher, John Handley High School, Winchester , Virginia
1:30 –2:00 The Amish in Lancaster , Pennsylvania - their background and customs and an easy plan for a field trip to visit this area.
Ann Thorsen, German teacher,. Loudoun County Public Schools
2:00 –2:15 Pause
2:15- 3:15 Introduction to: The new Germans in America A four-part TV series from South Carolina ETV, the German Information Center USA and the Goethe-Institut.
Joann Prewitt, Education Associate for Social Studies Assessment at the Delaware Department of Education
Goethe Institut Washington
Opportunity to participate in tour and ceremonies at the Jamestown archaeological site.
Society for German-American Studies
32nd Annual Symposium
April 17-20, 2008
Woodlands Hotel & Conference Center , Colonial Williamsburg , VA
The SGAS conference is being held in Williamsburg in 2008 so we can participate in the events marking the 400 th anniversary of the first Germans in America at Jamestown , Virginia . This is peak tourist season in Virginia - — - it's the beginning of Garden Week - — - so reserve your room now. We are planning events so you will have time to enjoy the historic sites and learn first-hand about the Germans in the first English colony in the New World . We look forward to welcoming you to the Colonial Triangle Area in the Commonwealth of Virginia .
Program Agenda
(subject to change)
Thursday, April 17, 2008
2:00 p . m 9:00 a.m . – 5:00 p.m. SGAS Executive Committee Board Meeting
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Early Registration
Gemütli l ches Beisammensein
College of William and Mary
Dinner on your own at one of the historic taverns or other restaurants in Williamsburg .
Friday, April 18, 2008
(If you are staying in the Woodlands Hotel, breakfast is included with your room.)
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m Conference Registration Desk Open
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Welcome and Opening Plenary Session
“ The Virginia Germans: 400 Years of History ”
9:30 – 11:00 a.m. Session I
11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Session II
12:45 – 2:00 p.m. Lunch with SGAS Business Meeting
2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Session III
3:45 – 5:15 p.m. Session IV
6:30 – 7:15 p.m. Reception
7:15 p.m. SGAS Awards Banquet featuring Colonial Menu
“The German Artifacts F f ound at Jamestown ”
Saturday, April 19
(If you are staying in the Woodlands Hotel, breakfast is included with your room.)
A suggested itinerary is being planned for Saturday so that you can make the most of the day and see all the German-related historical sites in the area. A shuttle bus will run between the various sites. Numerous special events are being planned for Saturday and Sunday, April 19-20, to mark this milestone in German-American History. This includes a dedication of a wayside at the Glasshouse at Historic Jamestowne, a living history skit at the Jamestown Settlement, and performances by a German musical group featuring period music. His Excellency, Klaus Scharioth, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States , has been invited to these events. There will also be an opportunity to visit the Yorktown Battlefield and see the role the Germans played in this decisive battle of the Revolutionary War. There may also be a German tall ship docked at Yorktown , whose sister-city is Zweibrücken (from which some of the allied French troops came).
The Germans at Jamestown
For those not familiar with the Colonial Triangle Area ( Williamsburg , Jamestown , and Yorkville) there are two Jamestowns. Historic Jamestown is the actual historic site operated jointly by the National Park Service and the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APAV). Their websites can are located at: http://www.nps.gov/jame and http://www.historicjamestowne.org/ . Numerous German artifacts have been found at Jamestown and are displayed in the Visitors Center at the Park and in The Archaearium. Also located here is the original Glasshouse where the German glassblowers worked. The second Jamestown is the Jamestown Settlement which is operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia and is the recreation of the colony; their website can be found at: http://www.historyisfun.org/
April 19, 1608 , is the date that Dr. Johannes Fleischer arrived at Jamestown . He was not only the first German but also the first PhD (botanist) and first Lutheran in the New World . Later that f F all he was joined by several German glassblowers.
Numerous special events are being planned for Saturday and Sunday, April 19-20, to mark this milestone in German-American History. This includes a dedication of a wayside at the Glasshouse at Historic Jamestowne, a living history skit at the Jamestown Settlement, and performances by a German musical group featuring period music. His Excellency, Klaus Scharioth, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States has been invited to these events. (Maybe I should leave this following sentence out since it is not confirmed) It is hoped there will be a German tall ship docked at Yorktown, who sister city is Zweibrücken; this will give you an opportunity to visit the Yorktown Battlefield and see the role the Germans played in this important battle of the Revolutionary War. A suggested itinerary is being planned for the day so that you can make the most of the day and see all the German-related historical sites in the area. A shuttle bus will run between the various sites.
Among the highlighted events are:
2:30 p.m. Special Demonstration at the Glasshouse at Historic Jamestowne
3:00 p.m. Dedication of the Wayside at the Glasshouse
3:30 p.m. Guided tour at Historic Jamestown Visitors Center
4:30 p.m. Concert in church with early music
6:00 p.m. Speech and Dinner at Jamestown Settlement
Other German Related Conferences Taking Place on April 19
There are two other meetings on Saturday whose activities you may wish to attend. There are separate registration fees for both these conferences.
The Mid Atlantic Germanic Society will hold its' spring meeting on April 19 from 9:00 to 4:00 p.m. The featured speaker is Rogert P. Minert, author of numerous books on German genealogy including Deciphering Handwriting in German Documents, Spelling Variations in German Names, Researching in Germany , and the series Place Name Indexes for every state in Germany . His topics are: “A day in the life of your German ancestors”, “Surnames in German-language Regions of Europe”, and “Status in German Society 1500 to 1800: Where did your ancestors fit in?” More information can be found at the MAGS website at: http://www.magsgen.com/springmeeting.html
The Center for the Liberal Arts at the University of Virginia will hold it ' s Spring Workshop for German high school teachers in Virginia . The theme of their conference is entitled: “Teaching about German-American and Germans in America .” Information on this conference can be found at: http://www.virginia.edu/cla/resources/german.html
Sunday, April 20
9:30 a.m. Festival German-English Church Service to Mark 400 th Anniversary
of First Germans at Jamestown
There will be an optional tour in the afternoon of the German collection at the Abbey Rockefeller Folk Art Museum in Colonial Williamsburg.
Some Important Things You Need to Know.
Conference Registration
Website for conference registration, updated agenda, itinerary for Saturday, April 19, etc., will be posted on the conference web site. Check the SGAS website ( http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/kade/SGAS/sgasin.html ) for the link in mid January.
Transportation
The nearest airports to Williamsburg are Newport News (20 minutes from downtown; http://www.nnwairport.com/ ) and Richmond (50 minutes away; http://www.flyrichmond.com /). Both of these airports are located off Interstate 64. Slightly farther way is Norfolk airport (60 minutes; http://www.norfolkairport.com /).
Driving Directions
From Interstate 64, take exit 238 onto Route 143 East. Follow Route 143 to the second traffic light and bear right onto Route 132. Continue on Route 132 following signs to the Visitor Center . At second left, turn onto concrete aggregate road, Route 132Y. Turn at the first left; the Woodlands Hotel & Suites is at the top of the hill. (757) 220-7960. Street Address : Woodlands Hotel and Suites 105 Visitor Center Drive , Williamsburg , VA 23185
Estimated Driving times from Selected Cities:
Baltimore , MD 3 ½ hours
Charlotte , NC 5 ½ hours
Cincinnati , OH 9 ½ hours
Indianapolis , IN 11 ¼ hours
Lodging
The room rate at the Woodlands Hotel is $129 single or double occupancy plus tax and includes breakfast each day. A limited number of deluxe suites are available for $159. To obtain this special rate you must use the group code: MIDE08A. Please note the cut-off date for the rooms at the Woodlands Hotel is February 29, 2008. The group code is MIDE08A . This special rate is valid up to three days before and three days after our conference.
IMPORTANT
Deadline for Room Reservations
at the Woodlands Hotels is
February 29, 2008.
Group code is MIDE08A
Toll-free Number: 800 261-9530
Make your reservation now. Because we are using the same room block for the other groups that are meeting during the same time frame, you don't want to be left without a room. The Woodlands Hotel website can be found at:
http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/visit/stayWithUs/williamsburgWoodlands/
Colonial Williamsburg Pass
Since we are staying at a Colonial Williamsburg hotel, for $15 you can purchase a reduced admission price ticket that is valid for your entire stay. This is a substantial savings off the regular two-day admission price of $49. For example, if you arrive on Thursday morning and don't leave until Sunday, the ticket is valid all four days. Staying at the Woodlands also gets you priority reservations at one of the colonial taverns for lunch or dinner as well as other benefits; see the Colonial Williamsburg website for details: http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/
Historic Garden Week
2008 will mark the 75 th anniversary of Historic Garden Week in Virginia . For those who can stay longer in the area, April 19-27, 2008 is Garden Week in Virginia . Many privately owned homes are open for visitation this week. Check their website at http://www.vagardenweek.org/ for additional information. Visitors will step through the gates of more than 250 of Virginia 's most beautiful gardens, homes and historic landmarks during “ America 's Largest Open House.” Three dozen Historic Garden Week tours present a rich mosaic of some of the country's finest properties at the peak of Virginia 's springtime color.
Questions
If you have any questions, contact Albert Spengler at the University of Virginia , 434 982-5518 or aws@virginia.edu