The Letters Patent, Canada Corporations Act.
2002Wayne Wettlaufer’s second reading to implement German Pioneers Day German Pioneers Day (watch video).
(Note: German Pioneers Day Act, Bill 28-1999 was passed, the Bill proclaimed that in Canada the day after Thanksgiving Day each year as German Pioneers Day.)
The Glockenspiel located at Benton & King Street, Kitchener, was unveiled in 1976. It arrived from Holland and has played to happy crowds of sneezy kids and sleepy parents for 33 years. In 2015 it received a $400,000 rebirth, with the City of Kitchener picking up half the tab and Oktoberfest and GCRS picking up the rest.
2015October 11, 2016 - GCRS worked together with the Arbeitsgemeinschaft under the leadership of Gerhard Griebenow, to create the annual German Pioneers Day in the Rotunda at Kitchener’s City Hall. The official program includes recognition of achievements, music by Transylvania Brass Band, exhibits by various clubs from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, German organizations and messages from dignitaries.
2016November 13, 2016 - Ernst Friedel, Gerhard Griebenow and GCRS worked closely with the German Consulate in Toronto to organize Volkstrauertag, the German Day of Remembrance to honour the 187 German Soldiers of the 1st and 2nd World War who are buried in Woodland Cemetery German War Graves Section. Wreaths were placed by the Federal Republic of Germany, representatives of Federal, Provincial, Regional and Municipal Government; members of the Canadian Armed Forces as well as many representatives of German-Canadian clubs and organizations. Music and presentations by Transylvania Brass Band, Concordia Choirs, Alpine Club and Hubertushaus. Many volunteers made this first annual event possible.
2016Anna Tuerr Memorial (watch video) ~ Paul Tuerr, Founder of GCRS, created this memorial in memory of his wife Anna.
2016In recognition of KW Oktoberfest's 50th Anniversary Celebrations, 18-bell Carillon, timeteller and its interior were restored and upgraded. It was originally constructed and dedicated in 1984. (Read news article.)
2018In 2019, a grant from Ontario Trillium Foundation for 8 New Huts and 8 Accessible Bavarian Eating Stands for Kitchener's Christkindl Market was made possible by GCRS working together with the Christkindl Market Committee. (Read the Press Release)
2019In 2020, the German Pioneers Day event was cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic. German Pioneers Day ceremony traditionally honours those who helped shape Canada into the land we live in and look with confidence to our shared future.
2020