January 2022 Swiss Park Newsletter

In-person Swiss Society events are slowly coming back!  In this newsletter read about events that happened in 2021 and what we are looking forward to in 2022.

Your participation in live events and on-line social media help keep our Swiss community in Southern California active and thriving.  Please follow, like and subscribe to our Facebook page (link below). And you are always welcome to comment on the posts and engage with us!

Swiss Park President's Message

Dear Fellow Swiss,

As President of Swiss Park, Inc. I would like to wish all the Swiss in Southern California a healthy and happy New Year.  We look forward to 2022 as a year where we can be more active in our community, attending live events, and fully participating in the things we love.

The first Swiss Park activity in 2022 will be the in-person General Meeting.  We are looking to make this a safe and inviting event, starting with a luncheon at noon.  The primary purpose of the meeting is to share with all our members the current state of the Swiss Park and to elect a new Board of Directors for the year.

As you most likely know, the Swiss Park generates income through leasing to an events/catering business, currently Heidi's World.  The COVID pandemic has greatly impacted the revenues of their business, but with relaxed regulations, events resumed mid-year.  Revenues are still not up to the pre-pandemic levels, but we are hopeful that rentals  will increase as the year progresses.  As Heidi has indicated her plans to retire at the end of her contract, we are beginning a search for a new events/catering business.  This will be a focus for the Swiss Park Board of Directors this coming year.

In 2022 I encourage you to consider joining us as a member of the Board of Directors of Swiss Park.  Continuing the tradition of having the Swiss Park as a core place that ties all the Swiss Societies in Southern California together gives us all an anchor.  By participating in Swiss Park and other Swiss Societies, you help us all stay connected.  Each of us needs to reach out to invite new members into these societies.  Let's encourage the next generation to get involved and connect to their Swiss heritage and culture.  

I look forward to connecting with you on-line through our virtual community.  Please participate in the "Swiss Connex" forum on the website, or through the Facebook page (SoCal Swiss Park), where we are featuring the latest news of events within the Swiss community in Southern California or items of interest from Switzerland.  

I look forward to seeing you in-person on January 30th at the Swiss Park General Meeting.  Here's wishing you a very Happy and Healthy 2022!

Daniel Hoffmann

President, Swiss Park, Inc.

info@socalswiss.com

Events & Activities

January 8 - Swiss Athletic Society -- Big & Small Bore

January 30 - Swiss Park General Meeting, Noon Luncheon at Swiss Park;  Meeting Follows

January Swiss Park General Meeting

The Swiss Park, Inc. General Meeting

January 30th at Swiss Park, Whittier

Noon Luncheon (Doors open at 11:30am)

Meeting to follow

$20.00 with reservations by January 25th

Your vote is vital to us!  If you cannot attend, please complete the Proxy that will be sent to all members and return it as soon as possible.  Your 2022 membership dues renewal form will be sent to you along with the meeting invitation and the proxy.  The election of the Board of Directors for Swiss Park is also held at this General Meeting.

Call for Board of Directors of Swiss Park

We invite you to volunteer a small amount of your time to assist with the continued work of Swiss Park.  Several of the current board members have agreed to again stand for election, but there are several positions for which we are in need of volunteers.  The open positions are:

Vice President - Supports the President and participates in setting the direction for the Swiss Park.

Recording Secretary - Records and publishes the minutes of all meetings

Member at Large - Participates in setting direction for the Swiss Park

News from the Swiss Societies

Matterhorn Swiss

With great disappointment we were forced to cancel our 2021 events due to the COVID situation.  We are looking forward to seeing everyone in person at our events in 2022.  Our normal events include a Jass Party in March, an outing in May, the Swiss Fair at Swiss Park on August 1, a Fondue party in October and Samiclaus Lunch in early December.  Please watch the calendar of the events on the www.socalswiss.com website to see which events will be held.  We are looking forward to holding our social activities soon.

Swiss Singing Harmonie

The Singing Society had to suspended their rehearsals and concerts in 2021 until the vaccinations proved effective for choirs.  By late summer there were enough vaccinated singers to allow rehearsals to resume.  The highlight of the year was our Christmas Concert on December 12th.  We appreciate everyone who attended and complied with our vaccination requirements.  We currently plan to begin rehearsals for our Spring Concert on January 10th at 8pm at the Swiss Park.  We welcome any new people to join us.  We are looking forward to sharing our Spring Concert with the Swiss Community.

Swiss Athletic Society

We were excited to be able to continue to hold our shooting events.  The highlight was placing 2nd of all the participating shooting societies in the Auslandschweizerwettkampf.  Three of our shooters individually placed in the top 20 of all the shooters.   We continue to shoot twice per month at the Burro Canyon Shooting Range in Azusa.  We welcome all to come join us.  The 2022 schedule is posted on the www.socalswiss.com website calendar.

Colonie Suisse Romande

The "Colonie Suisse Romande de Los Angeles et Environs" had its first gathering in 1933. The members and friends get together regularly to share meals and conversation in French "Patois Romand".

That was before the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our last reunion was a delicious fondue at the President's home in February 2020. Since March 2020, like so many other associations and groups, we've had to stay put. The committee has tried to stay in touch with members through email and regular mail. 

We did lose some dear members that had to return to Switzerland because of US Administration offices being closed or too slow at critical time of visa's extensions.  Another family was also "stuck" in Switzerland during the peak of the pandemic and started liking it too much... so they may have decided to remain there.

If you are Romand, or feel a connection, we would be very glad to hear from you! To meet us, please contact President Lucette Flygenring by email or phone.  You are most welcome to connect through Facebook as well.   We hope to hear from you!  A bientot!

Join SoCal Swiss Park Facebook Page

You may be asking yourself what you are missing by not following our Facebook page.   Here is a sampling of recent posts:

Laederach Swiss Chocolatiers in So Cal

Links to articles about Switzerland in 4 languages

Silvesterchlausen

Special Events from Switzerland Tourism

Links for the latest COVID travel rules

Don't miss out -- join us on-line!

We would love for you to volunteer!

Did you know that you can volunteer without leaving your house?  If you would like to volunteer to help with the social media platforms, which are currently a website and Facebook page, please contact Karin at socalswiss@gmail.com. 

Rent the Swiss Park Banquet Center

Business Links

Our website has Swiss owned and Swiss related business links.  We have received some new listings, so please support them.  If you would like to have your business listed, please email us at socalswiss@gmail.com