The Vancouver Alpen Club is an ethnic cultural organization for German Canadians in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its headquarters, community hall and social centre are on Victoria Drive and 33rd Avenue, near Kingsway in East Vancouver.
The Vancouver Alpen Club is an ethnic cultural organization for German Canadians in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its headquarters, community hall and social centre are on Victoria Drive and 33rd Avenue, near Kingsway in East Vancouver.
The Vancouver Alpen Club was founded by Bavarian immigrant Sebastian Schmidt and other German and Austrian immigrants in 1935, though it did not receive its provincial charter until 1938. [1] [2] The purpose of the club was to preserve the German language and culture, while being non-political. It "owed its early success to the Schuhplattler, a German folk dance which originated in the Bavarian and Tyrolean Alps, thus giving the name Alpen Club to the organization." [1] The club's focus on dance, rather than politics was reflected in its original slogan, "Get away from politics and let's schuhplattle." [3]
Originally, the club met at a house rented by Schmidt on the corner of Robson and Cambie. The organization outgrew the location, and meetings were held at Homer Hall, Winter Garden, English Bay pier, and Hamilton Hall at the corner of Hamilton and Dunsmuir. [3]
Club activities included: folk dancing, concerts, a choir, German language instruction, calisthenics classes, and food and beverage service. [4] In 1936, the club's Schuhplattler dance group won the trophy for best folk dance at the Canadian Folk Festival in Vancouver. [3]
The Vancouver Alpen Club was the only German club in North America to stay open during World War II. [2] "This was largely influenced by the Canadian Folk Society who urged members to keep on with their Schuhplattler, and also to the fact they had never been tinged with political influences." [5] During the War, the club's "liquor permit was cancelled, the dances stopped, and all non-naturalized Germans were evacuated from the coastal areas. In 1940 the German language classes ended and in 1941 the shutters were pulled down in the [Hamilton] hall." [5] In January 1945, club members formed a building committee and began fundraising for their own hall. [6]
By the end of 1946, the club was able to purchase the property at Victoria Drive and 33rd Avenue. "Eventually, this property was added to until Club holdings consisted of eight lots." [6] The building was officially opened on October 19, 1950. [6]
The club's membership increased steadily during the post-war period, as there was an influx of German-speaking immigrants to the Vancouver Lower Mainland. [2] During the 1950s, the club produced stage productions, supported soccer teams in the Mainland League, and maintained its choir. [7]
The Vancouver Alpen Club's restaurant, Deutsches Haus, serves German cuisine and beers. Sub-groups within the club include the Alpen Plattlers, a Schuhplatter dance group, choirs and card players. [8]
Von Steuben Day is a holiday traditionally held on a weekend in mid-September, celebrating the Prussian-born Baron Friedrich von Steuben, who arrived in the United States as a volunteer offering his services to General George Washington in the American Revolutionary War. Von Steuben is still regarded as one of the most important German Americans, as his training of the young American troops made victory against the British possible. Thus, his work helped gain independence for the United States of America. The day is generally considered the German-American event of the year, and many participants wear tracht costumes, including dirndls and lederhosen, to celebrate their heritage. Celebrations focus on parades where participants march, dance, and play music.
Filipino Canadians are Canadians of Filipino descent. Filipino Canadians are the fourth largest subgroup of the overseas Filipinos and one of the fastest-growing groups in Canada.
The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to professional football careers in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and elsewhere.
Lederhosen are short or knee-length leather breeches that are worn as traditional garments in some regions of German-speaking countries. The longer ones are generally called Bundhosen or Kniebundhosen. Once common workwear across Central Europe, these clothes—or Tracht—are particularly associated with Bavaria and the Tyrol region.
The Schuhplattler is a traditional style of folk dance popular in the regions of Bavaria and Tyrol. In this dance, the performers stomp, clap and strike the soles of their shoes (Schuhe), thighs and knees with their hands held flat (platt). There are more than 150 basic Schuhplattlers, as well as marches and acrobatic feats that are often interspersed with the basic dance in performance. They may be seen today in Europe and in German immigrant communities around the world. While the Schuhplattler is still largely performed by adults, it has become increasingly popular with youngsters, who love its colorful costumes and its bouncing, leaping, kicking and choreographed horseplay.
Polish Canadians are citizens of Canada with Polish ancestry, and Poles who immigrated to Canada from abroad. At the 2016 Census, there were 1,106,585 Canadians who claimed full or partial Polish heritage.
Christine Fellows is a Canadian folk-pop singer-songwriter from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The Delaware Sängerbund is a German-American club located near Newark, Delaware.
Constance Eaton Hamilton (1862–1945) was a British-Canadian government official and activist. After activism supporting refugees and women in Winnipeg, she moved to Toronto and continued to support causes such as women's suffrage, becoming president of the Equal Franchise League of Toronto. She was elected for a one-year term on the Toronto City Council in the 1920 elections, becoming the first female member of Toronto City Council and the first woman in Ontario to hold elected office at either the federal, provincial, or municipal level. After two terms she resigned to continue her work campaigning for immigrant settlement and refugee issues, and for equal rights. In 1979, the Toronto city council established the Constance E. Hamilton Award on the Status of Women.
The Royal Canadian Numismatic Association was founded in 1950. It is a nonprofit association for coin collectors and other people interested in Canadian numismatics. It has members throughout Canada and in other countries. At times, it also works with the Canadian Association for Numismatic Education (CAFNE), an arms length organization, which is defined by the CRA as a Canadian educational and charitable organization. CAFNE provides funding for some of the RCNA's educational seminars and publications.
The community of Serbian Canadians includes Canadian citizens of Serb ethnicity, or people born in Serbia who permanently reside in Canada. Serbs have migrated to Canada in various waves during the 20th century. Today there are five or more generations of Serbs in the country. The 2016 census recorded 96,530 people in Canada declaring themselves as "Serbian". Serbian Canadians generally belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church and follow the Eastern Orthodox tradition.
The Socialist Party of British Columbia (SPBC) was a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada, from 1901 to 1905. In 1903, the SPBC won seats in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
The Challenge Trophy is a national amateur soccer cup in Canada contested by the champions of individual provincial soccer competitions. It is one of the oldest soccer competitions in Canada, being held since 1913. It is run by the Canadian Soccer Association.
Henry Hugh Bancroft was a British organist, choirmaster, and composer who was organist of five cathedrals. He was born in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, and studied music with E. P. Guthrie and J. S. Robinson in nearby Grimsby.
The Westminster Royals is a Canadian soccer club based in New Westminster, British Columbia. It has the distinction of winning Canada Soccer's The Challenge Trophy eight times, setting the existing record for most domestic cup championships by a team in Canada. Originally known as Westminster United in 1912, they were Canada's dominant team for close to a decade from when they were known as the Westminster Royals in the 1920s and 1930s. They were later known as New Westminster Royals FC when they rejoined the Pacific Coast League in 1948–49.
Music of Canadian Cultures is a wide and diverse accumulation of music from many different individual communities all across Canada. With Canada being vast in size, the country throughout its history has had regional music scenes. The music of Canada has reflected the multi-cultural influences that have shaped the country. First Nations people, the French, the British, the United States and many others nationalities have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada
United German-Hungarians is an American social club, founded in 1910, as the Banater Männerchor. Although the club has been home to various auxiliary groups, the primary activities of the club remain soccer and cultural dancing. The first team was started in 1922, playing exhibition games only. The current German Hungarian Cultural Group was founded in 1965.
Gathie Falk is a Canadian painter, sculptor, installation and performance artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Since the 1960s, she has created works that consider the simple beauty of everyday items and daily rituals.
German-Canadian history in British Columbia began with the onset of the Fraser Gold Rush in 1858, when Germans, Austrians, Swiss Germans and other German-ethnic men arrived in British Columbia en masse as part of the migration to the new Colony of British Columbia from the California goldfields. Many notable figures in that gold rush and the subsequent Cariboo Gold Rush and other British Columbia gold rushes, with many staying on and settling, including many who founded ranches such as the Richter Ranch between Oliver and Keremeos. Like the rest of the province, Greater Vancouver has had historic immigration from Germany.
Robert James Cromie was a Canadian newspaper publisher. He published the Vancouver Sun from 1917 until his death.