The 32nd annual Rheingauer Schlemmerwochen festival is almost upon us! This 10-day event spans from Lorch am Rhein to Flörsheim am Main and marks the opening of the wine tourism season in the Rheingau, one of Germany’s 13 renowned wine regions. This is a great opportunity to get to know the area by enjoying all things local - wine, the Rhine River Riesling soup, Spundekas, Handkäse mit Musik.

We will meet at 10:15am in Wiesbaden to take the train (group tickets available) to the Rheingau where the day of wine tastings, hiking and delight will begin. If you are interested in participating, please fill out this poll. I will send out an itinerary closer to the date based on the data collected from the aforementioned poll.

You can find out more info on the 2019 Schlemmerwochen festivities from the organizer's catalogue. 

Sumner ShermanCandidate Statement

As the Democratic Party Plans a new strategy.  I need your support of my candidacy for Stuttgart Chapter Chair. Our membership is large and we need to build our local organization with more activities/events. This is will be a difficult challenge. We must continue to GOTV and make more people aware of the importance of voting. It has been a privilege to serve as your chapter chair and I need your support. 
Thank you.
Sumner Sherman

My name is Nancy Schimkat. I’m 54 years old, and made Germany my adopted home in 1997 when I joined my now German husband. We have two teenaged children. I have a M.A. in Political Science and a M.A. in Applied Linguistics. Besides running the household, I teach business English part-time and have also been an active member of our local school parents’ association for several years.  I’ve been a member of the DAHD Chapter since 2009.

Democrats Abroad is a way for us ex-pats to stay in touch with goings-on back in the U.S., find support among like-minded people, and it provides a chance for us to actively support the party and its candidates come election time. We are now entering uncertain times as Donald Trump takes over as the 45^th U.S. president, and both houses of Congress are under Republican control. Now, more than ever, we need to find ways to help the Democratic Party regain its foothold in Washington and in the fifty states. As a group, we should continue to share ideas and educate ourselves about current issues. In addition to our DA activities here in Germany, we should also be writing to our representatives, communicating with our local parties stateside and encouraging more participation in the political process. With the internet at our disposal, there is a lot we can do from overseas. With this in mind, I ask that you give me the chance to work as Chairperson of this fantastic Heidelberg group.

A new chapter in American politics will begin in a few days’ time.  The preservation of democratic values will become more important than ever, within the United States and abroad.  As a resident of Hamburg for over ten years, I have been able to watch the city become ever more internationally present.  Home to a few thousand other Americans, Hamburg has a great deal to offer to the US political conversation and the direction of the Democratic Party.

I’m 32, from Philadelphia. My parents and sister live there, while my daughter is a “hamburger Deern”.  Family, friends and my financial career allow me to feel at home on two continents.

Over the past year, I have become actively involved in the Hamburg Chapter of Democrats Abroad Germany, helping out with events such as GOTV and the upcoming March for American Democracy.  These and other events have been part of the Hamburg Chapter’s development during the election campaign.  As Chapter Chair, I want to ensure that that development continues, with more democrats living in Hamburg becoming more involved.  I am also committed to making our presence as Democrats living abroad known.  I believe we can start to achieve this by taking part in the political debate, on issues domestic and international.

I am confident in the people responsible for our Chapter’s successes and their commitment to its future.  It is a Chapter I would be honored to lead, and to which I pledge that same commitment.

Marc James Castagnera
15/01/2017, Hamburg

DA Heidelberg Chair Candidate Statement

My name is Nancy Schimkat. I’m 54 years old, and made Germany my adopted home in 1997 when I joined my now German husband. We have two teenaged children. I have a M.A. in Political Science and a M.A. in Applied Linguistics. Besides running the household, I teach business English part-time and have also been an active member of our local school parents’ association for several years.  I’ve been a member of the DAHD Chapter since 2009.

Democrats Abroad is a way for us ex-pats to stay in touch with goings-on back in the U.S., find support among like-minded people, and it provides a chance for us to actively support the party and its candidates come election time. We are now entering uncertain times as Donald Trump takes over as the 45^th U.S. president, and both houses of Congress are under Republican control. Now, more than ever, we need to find ways to help the Democratic Party regain its foothold in Washington and in the fifty states. As a group, we should continue to share ideas and educate ourselves about current issues. In addition to our DA activities here in Germany, we should also be writing to our representatives, communicating with our local parties stateside and encouraging more participation in the political process. With the internet at our disposal, there is a lot we can do from overseas. With this in mind, I ask that you give me the chance to work as Chairperson of this fantastic Heidelberg group.

Candidate for Democrats Abroad Stuttgart Chapter Chair 2017-2019

Sumner ShermanCandidate Statement

As the Democratic Party Plans a new strategy.  I need your support of my candidacy for Stuttgart Chapter Chair. Our membership is large and we need to build our local organization with more activities/events. This is will be a difficult challenge. We must continue to GOTV and make more people aware of the importance of voting. It has been a privilege to serve as your chapter chair and I need your support. 
Thank you.
Sumner Sherman

You are almost to Berlin! Please input your payment info and the names of any additional registrants you are paying for. If you have any questions please email International Treasurer, Art Schankler Treasurer@DemocratsAbroad.org .

Membes of the Berlin Chapter gather to watch Senator Bernie Sanders and Secretary Madeleine Albright representing Secretary Hillary Clinton's campaign at the Democrats Abroad Global Town Hall on  Sunday, February 21

Members in Germany can vote in Person at 13 locations!

We had a great turnout for our debate watching party.

picture

We had a cozy and fun Christmas party at our "Stammlokal" the Andechser on Saturday, Dec. 12th

SAVE THE DATE

Democrats Abroad Germany and the NRW Chapter

are pleased to invite you to the

2016 DA Germany Annual General Meeting

in Schladern (Windeck) on the weekend of January 29-31, 2016

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is a chance for all members of Democrats Abroad Germany to meet fellow Americans living in Germany, to discuss our work over the past year and to lay the groundwork for our Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts in the 2016 presidential elections.

The 2016 DAG AGM will focus on training our leadership and super-volunteers for the coming Global Presidential Primary (1-8 March) and for our various GOTV activities in 2016. We will also discuss the Delegate Selection Plan (DSP), how the process works and how any member can run for delegate to represent DA at the Philadelphia convention in July. We will also have training sessions on the new DA website and database. Trainings and workshops on these topics, and the seriousness of the work ahead in 2016, lend themselves to the quiet and rural location that you will find in Schladern (Windeck). The NRW Chapter and our various precincts would love to welcome you to this beautiful area of the country! The business part of the AGM will also include elections to fill three vacancies on our Excom (Executive Committee): DAG Treasurer, DAG Coordinator for Events and Fundraising and DAG Coordinator for Membership and Volunteers (membership database).

Schladern is located in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, east of Bonn. Schladern (Gemeinde Windeck) is 25 minutes from Siegburg-Bonn (ICE Bahnhof) and 45 minutes from Cologne Hauptbahnhof using the Regional Express trains (RE9). The S12 also follows that route but takes a little longer because it stops in several more towns along the way.

The area is know for its hiking trails and mountain biking, and the main attractions are the Burgruine Alt-Windeck and the waterfalls and beer garden (Elmores). The castle is about a half-hour walk through the woods behind the town, and the waterfalls are right behind the venue, the Bergischer Hof.

AGM SCHEDULE: 29-31 January 2016

- Friday Evening Early-Bird Cocktail Reception

Quaide's house, 51570 Schladern (7pm - ?)

- Saturday AGM / Leadership Retreat / 2016 Training Sessions

Hotel Bergischer Hof, 51570 Schladern (9am - 6pm)

- Saturday Evening Dinner / Guest Speaker / Entertainment

Hotel Bergischer Hof, 51570 Schladern (7pm - ?)

NOTE: Steve Nobles from our Cologne/NRW precinct will coordinate the after-dinner entertainment. Many of our members have stage experience, and even more have hidden talent. If you would like to perform, please write to Steve at steve@nobles.de

- Sunday Morning Excom & Leadership Meeting

Hotel Bergischer Hof, 51570 Schladern (10am - 1pm)

REGISTER NOW:

Please use this google form to register for the 2016 DAG AGM: http://goo.gl/forms/YvovbPqlG8

Payment information is included on the form.

AGM Registration Deadline: 15 January 2016

Payment Deadline: 22 January 2016

ACCOMMODATIONS:

To book a single or double room at the hotel where the AGM will be held (Bergischer Hof), please write to the email address below and let us know whether you would like a single or a double, and whether you'll be staying both nights or only one.

Prices:

Single / night: €44.20

Double / night:  €69.70

There are only a limited number of hotel rooms at the Bergischer Hof, so please let us know quickly. There are, however, other hotels nearby with almost identical prices.