Newsletters are issued twice a year in October and April.
October 2013
Hello Friends of the Holland America Club,
I hope this message reaches you in good health and spirit. The not so light days of fall and winter are ahead of us and that is actually something we look forward to. It means that the Sinterklaas celebration is near. This year we will celebrate this age old tradition with the arrival of Sinterklaas - "de intocht".
On Sunday November 17th, Sint and Piet will arrive in the Pacific Northwest, kicking off the season to start singing the Sinterklaas songs and to put our shoes out at the fireplace next to the chimney. I hope to see you there to experience the arrival with us as well as have access to traditional Sinterklaas baked goods.
Did you know that we just added a pay function online? Go to the new Holland America Club website http://hollandamericaclub.weebly.com. or to the Dutch Seattle website. www.dutchseattle.com for more information. You will be able to pre-register on-line for only $10 per person, at the door (cash) will be $12 per person.
The Sinterklaas luncheon will take place on December 6th, mark your calendars! Details about timing, payment and location will follow soon. Keep following the Dutch Seattle website for more information.
In September we organized a fun family picnic at Lake Sammammish State Park. The weather was nice and about 40 people showed up: young, old, and in between. It was great to see so many new faces! It shows that the club is reaching several generations of Dutchies in the area.
And then, just a few weeks ago, we had the Stamppot Dinner at the KR Trigger Building in SoDo. We filled the room to capacity and the food was delicious. Thank you to the board members that generously donated their time and stamppot.
We know that you like to gather when there is Dutch food involved, and so we are looking into planning more of these in the future. Maybe a "snert" evening with roggebrood? An Indonesian Rijsttafel? Please contact us if you want to contribute or have ideas.
Then, on to more formal topics. Recently, we learned that, due to budget cuts, the Dutch Government is planning to close some Consul General posts around the world, including Milan, Munich and Chicago. These posts mean a lot for Dutch trade and the many Dutch people living in the affected areas. Connect with the Dutch in Chicago, tell them that you care and support their effort to keep their post open. Go to https://www.facebook.com/KeepDutchCGinChicagoOPEN , "like them" and find out what they are dealing with and what the Dutch Consulate means to that area.
That brings me to a different topic. As you know, the consulate in Seattle closed almost 5 years ago. That was the last time that a large group of people renewed their passport in Seattle, without the required biometric data. It means, that we have a lot of new renewals coming up in 2014. Rumor has it that due to budget restrains, the Dutch Consulate in San Francisco is re-assessing whether or not to visit the Seattle area in 2014 for the biometric passport renewal. We already have a lot of people on the list that contacted us for a renewal, and we are engaging to stress the importance of the mobile passport renewal for people without biometric data in their passports. (Note: people who already have biometric data in their passport have the option to renew their passport by sending it in the mail to Washington, DC.)
We would like to hear from you. Do you have a renewal coming up in 2014? We believe in strength in numbers. Let us know who you are and how many renewals needed in your family. We would like to come up with a list that can be presented to San Francisco, Washington DC or The Hague. The Holland America Club represents all Dutch people and friends of the Netherlands in the Pacific Northwest and we feel it is our duty to let your voice be heard.
We are officially represented on the West Coast by the Consul General in San Francisco, and we now officially welcome the new Consul General of the Netherlands in San Francisco, Mr. Hugo Von Meijenfeldt. We say goodbye to Consul General Bart van Bolhuis, who we had the pleasure of meeting in Seattle a while back. It is easy to stay in touch with the Consul General and I can advise you to follow his blog: http://sanfrancisco.the-netherlands.org/organization/follow-us/hugo... or check him out and talk to him through twitter @HvMeijenfeldt.
I hope to see you in person at one of our upcoming events. Remember, together we all make up the Holland America Club. We depend on your patronage and support in order to be a healthy, prosperous and forward looking organization.
Keep in touch with the Dutch!
Andre van der Most
President Holland America Club of the Pacific Northwest
October 2013
Hello Friends of the Holland America Club,
I hope this message reaches you in good health and spirit. The not so light days of fall and winter are ahead of us and that is actually something we look forward to. It means that the Sinterklaas celebration is near. This year we will celebrate this age old tradition with the arrival of Sinterklaas - "de intocht".
On Sunday November 17th, Sint and Piet will arrive in the Pacific Northwest, kicking off the season to start singing the Sinterklaas songs and to put our shoes out at the fireplace next to the chimney. I hope to see you there to experience the arrival with us as well as have access to traditional Sinterklaas baked goods.
Did you know that we just added a pay function online? Go to the new Holland America Club website http://hollandamericaclub.weebly.com. or to the Dutch Seattle website. www.dutchseattle.com for more information. You will be able to pre-register on-line for only $10 per person, at the door (cash) will be $12 per person.
The Sinterklaas luncheon will take place on December 6th, mark your calendars! Details about timing, payment and location will follow soon. Keep following the Dutch Seattle website for more information.
In September we organized a fun family picnic at Lake Sammammish State Park. The weather was nice and about 40 people showed up: young, old, and in between. It was great to see so many new faces! It shows that the club is reaching several generations of Dutchies in the area.
And then, just a few weeks ago, we had the Stamppot Dinner at the KR Trigger Building in SoDo. We filled the room to capacity and the food was delicious. Thank you to the board members that generously donated their time and stamppot.
We know that you like to gather when there is Dutch food involved, and so we are looking into planning more of these in the future. Maybe a "snert" evening with roggebrood? An Indonesian Rijsttafel? Please contact us if you want to contribute or have ideas.
Then, on to more formal topics. Recently, we learned that, due to budget cuts, the Dutch Government is planning to close some Consul General posts around the world, including Milan, Munich and Chicago. These posts mean a lot for Dutch trade and the many Dutch people living in the affected areas. Connect with the Dutch in Chicago, tell them that you care and support their effort to keep their post open. Go to https://www.facebook.com/KeepDutchCGinChicagoOPEN , "like them" and find out what they are dealing with and what the Dutch Consulate means to that area.
That brings me to a different topic. As you know, the consulate in Seattle closed almost 5 years ago. That was the last time that a large group of people renewed their passport in Seattle, without the required biometric data. It means, that we have a lot of new renewals coming up in 2014. Rumor has it that due to budget restrains, the Dutch Consulate in San Francisco is re-assessing whether or not to visit the Seattle area in 2014 for the biometric passport renewal. We already have a lot of people on the list that contacted us for a renewal, and we are engaging to stress the importance of the mobile passport renewal for people without biometric data in their passports. (Note: people who already have biometric data in their passport have the option to renew their passport by sending it in the mail to Washington, DC.)
We would like to hear from you. Do you have a renewal coming up in 2014? We believe in strength in numbers. Let us know who you are and how many renewals needed in your family. We would like to come up with a list that can be presented to San Francisco, Washington DC or The Hague. The Holland America Club represents all Dutch people and friends of the Netherlands in the Pacific Northwest and we feel it is our duty to let your voice be heard.
We are officially represented on the West Coast by the Consul General in San Francisco, and we now officially welcome the new Consul General of the Netherlands in San Francisco, Mr. Hugo Von Meijenfeldt. We say goodbye to Consul General Bart van Bolhuis, who we had the pleasure of meeting in Seattle a while back. It is easy to stay in touch with the Consul General and I can advise you to follow his blog: http://sanfrancisco.the-netherlands.org/organization/follow-us/hugo... or check him out and talk to him through twitter @HvMeijenfeldt.
I hope to see you in person at one of our upcoming events. Remember, together we all make up the Holland America Club. We depend on your patronage and support in order to be a healthy, prosperous and forward looking organization.
Keep in touch with the Dutch!
Andre van der Most
President Holland America Club of the Pacific Northwest