Swiss American Club of Miami celebrates 75th anniversary with string music band
The Swiss American Club of Miami will celebrate its 75-year anniversary on Nov. 6 with a commemorative brunch at Fritz and Franz Bierhaus, 60 Merrick Way in Coral Gables. For this event, string music band Streichmusik Alder Urnaesch will be flown to Miami for a two-day tour of the city with three scheduled performances.
“The visit of the folklore group Streichmusik Alder is an absolute highlight for the Swiss community and not only club members have been invited, but all Swiss living in South Florida,” said Bea Schmied, Swiss American Club Miami’s president.
Since its founding in 1941, the club’s purpose has been to preserve the Swiss heritage and traditions within that community in South Florida. Members of the club celebrate their “Swissness” with regular meetups and three special events throughout the year.
“[We host] the Swiss picnic at the Tropical Park where we enjoy Swiss bratwurst, cervelats and beer, as much as chit-chat in our native language,” Schmied said.
On their second day of tour, the band will perform at two local schools, Richmond Heights Middle and Holmes Elementary, as part of an enriched social studies lesson on Switzerland.
To achieve the club’s goal of disseminating Swiss culture throughout Miami, the club “liaise[s] with the Consulate of Switzerland in Miami the Honorary Consul Ferdinand Kurt, as well as the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce,” Schmied said. “The Consulate General of Switzerland in Atlanta supports and organizes the visit of the ‘Streichmusik Alder Urnaesch’ to Miami this November and is a big support throughout the year.”
The club currently has 350 members who live and work in the greater Miami area. For their brunch celebration, the club expects about 150 attendees.
The event is only open to Swiss Club members and friends. For membership information, visit https://sites.google.com/site/swissamericanclubmiami/application or email swissclubmiami@gmail.com.
This story was originally published November 1, 2016 at 9:46 AM with the headline "Swiss American Club of Miami celebrates 75th anniversary with string music band."