Back to Home... Annual Events... New Member Borrel Annual Meeting Koninginnedag Golf Outing Belgian Festival Summer Picnic Rijsttafel Dutch American Heritage Day Sinterklaas Holiday Reception Circle Dinners   Click on the events above for further info.	Circle Dinners are a great way for members to get to know each other better! On pre-designated dates, long time members, newer members, singles, and couples get together for dinner in small groups hosted in one of their homes. Initiated by a designated host, everybody brings a dish and they spend a wonderful evening, or sometimes afternoon, together. Circle Dinners are ongoing so contact Carola (see below) to see when the next dinner is being held. Once dinner groups have been formed, hosts need to arrange the time and date with their guests. If you prefer not to travel you may want to volunteer to be the host and let everyone come to you! This is a lot of fun and many friendships have been made at these dinners! For More Information on Circle Dinners contact: Carola Struyk: carola@pil.net A Member's Experience With Circle Dinners... By Nell Daniels On Saturday, April 5, 1999, we drove over country roads and through the rolling hills of Lancaster County to the "Windswept Farm" of Sue Loewenstein and Ernst Harting. They were going to be our hosts for this Circle Dinner and we were happily anticipating an afternoon out in the country. Sue and Ernst had invited us for the afternoon so we could see the farm and surroundings during daylight. The directions Ernst had sent us took us into a country lane and to the second and last farm on top of a hill. What a wonderful view! Rolling fields dotted with cows and a farm here and there as far as you could see. We parked our car in front of the barn and Ernst came out to meet us in his 'klompen.' He took us into the log cabin, where we met Sue and their 3 1/2 year old daughter, Rebecca. The log cabin dates from the 1700's and is lovingly and beautifully restored, first by Sue who bought it 10 years ago and, since their marriage some years back, by both of them. We toured the old wooden barn with stalls for the twelve sheep and plenty of space for hay (Sue and Ernst had their wedding party in this barn complete with fiddlers!); we walked the fields, petted the sheep, met the large black labrador and some of the nine cats who roam around; we admired the orchard and the vegetable garden being readied for planting, and we did get a good feeling for the self-sufficient lifestyle Sue and Ernst have chosen for themselves and their lively, bi-lingual daughter. The large and enclosed front porch provided a perfect setting for the appetizers we had brought and we sampled some of Ernst's homemade elderberry liqueur (very flavorful and potent). For dinner we retreated into the large, main room of the cabin, beautifully furnished with an eclectic mix of old and antique furniture, with a huge fireplace radiating a warm glow. The room is restored to display its original log walls and the heavy beamed ceiling and wide plank wood floor contribute to a very 'gezellige' atmosphere. What a wonderful setting for the marinated London broil Carla had prepared and the fresh green salad and pasta dish provided by Kim van Donk. a Lancaster resident with Dutch parents, who completed our dinner group. Sue had set an elegant and cozy table, Ernst poured fantastic wine and we all had a great time eating, talking and drinking. After dinner Rebecca joined us again, she had gone to play at a neighbor's down the road for a while. For dessert we moved back to the porch to catch the late afternoon sun, and we enjoyed a colorful fruit flan served with coffee and homemade mint tea. After we consumed all that food it was time to provide for the animals, so we all went into the field to help feed the sheep and all the cats were invited in the porch too for their meal. What a splendid way to spend a spring afternoon. Our thanks to hosts Sue, Ernst and Rebecca who made us feel so welcome in their home. Thanks also to Carla for organizing the circle dinners. Keep them coming!! ©1997-2004 The Netherlands-America Association of the Delaware Valley