Elk Toss Survey

We wanted to get some feedback from Danville German Society members to help improve the 75th Annual Elk Toss, Charity Auction, and Winter Festival, so we created an online survey using SurveyMonkey. Please help us by completing the survey.

Click here to take the survey

Elk, Wolves, Montanans, Oh My!

From Van (see article below)...

"How does this effect elk toss? Does this mean people seen tossing elk could also be shot? We may want to make a disclaimer in future emails that anyone tossing an elk may be shot by a Montanan. That said, many people dream of one day being shot by a Montanan. I do."


Montana: Governor Approves Killing Wolves
February 16, 2011

(AP) Gov. Brian Schweitzer says the state will defy federal protections for gray wolves and kill packs that have been hurting elk herds. Mr. Schweitzer said Tuesday that he was encouraging livestock owners north of Interstate 90 to shoot wolves that harass their animals. The governor, who is fed up with litigation that has kept the wolves on the endangered list even as their population has swelled, says game wardens will stop investigating wolf shootings in that part of the state.

Top Ten Reasons to Come to the Elk Toss - No. 2

With just over two weeks before the Elk Toss, it is time to announce the number two reason to attend the Elk Toss, and it is...

...Franz Klingermann and the Elk Toss.



Franz Klingermann, Elk Handler



For those who do not know already, Franz Klingermann is the Greatest Elk Tosser in history.

His greatness is not just measured by the length of his tosses. His greatness is measured by quantities such as the length of his Lederhosen, the height of his memorial outhouse, and the time it takes him to "handle" the elk before tossing it. Speaking of the outhouse, Franz is such an amazing elk tosser, he had a memorial outhouse (see below) named after him, and he is still alive.

Some of the other amazing things accomplished by Franz can be found on a website dedicated to him.

The Danville German Society has held the Elk Toss for 75 years, although we only have records of the event since 2001. This is the best we can do in terms of records because all records before that date were destroyed in a fiery flood or something like that.* 



Franz Klingermann Memorial Outhouse

 

*We lost records concerning the loss of the records too. Speaking of that, we are currently accepting nominations for an official DGS Recordkeeper.

2010 Charity Totals

We're still working on getting things organized, but we should be getting donations to charities very soon. We had some money left in our account from previous years, so we were able to donate a total of $2500 this year. The following charities will receive the following amounts:

Gatehouse Shelter, Danville - $500
Daily Item Needy Family Fund, Sunbury, Northumberland, Danville area - $500
Montour County Summer Concert Series, Danville - $200
Deb's House, Lancaster - $500
Mount Nittany Conservancy, Centre County - $400
Centre Grounds, Centre County - $400

Thanks to everyone who participated or donated to the 2010 Elk Toss and Charity Auction. We could not have raised so much money without you. We hope that you had a good time and we hope to see  you again next year for our 75th year.

Elk Toss Newspaper Article

The Elk Toss was featured in a Sunbury Daily Item newspaper article.

We are not sure how long they will keep the story on the Daily Item website, so you can also view a pdf of the article on the DGS Website.

Exiting Information from Van

Once again, more interesting information from Van:

"Great news! I got a phone call after 3am last night from biologist Gary Clemson in Clinton County. We have a live capture! They snared a nuisance elk near the Crossforks Tavern using a bait and switch trap. I have fast-tracked all paperwork for the Commonwealth, and this elk is currently being transported to a highway shipment crate to be delivered Saturday at 3pm! Can you believe it? Finally, a live elk. First time since 1988. I am worried about the size. Let's just say it's a biggin'."

More Elk Toss Reminders

To add to the information provided in emails last night, we wanted to provide more reminders for the upcoming 75th Annual Elk Toss, Charity Auction, and Winter Festival to be held this Saturday February 20.

Things to Bring:

1. Items to auction and cash/checks to buy things in the auction.
2. Non-Perishable Food Items to donate to the Food Bank.
3. Drinking Vessel.
4. Lederhosen or a Dirndl.
5. Pot-luck food to share at the Wagner Farm.

Make sure you check other DGS Blog posts for more information including maps, schedules, and other interesting DGS tidbits.

As of today, our official DGS Meteorologist (aka the National Weather Service) is calling for a partly sunny day on Saturday with a high temperature of around 36 °F. No significant snow is forecast between now and Saturday. Sounds like perfect conditions for an Elk Toss.

There were reports of a snow covered driveway at the Wagner Farm. We will provide additional information on the driveway and parking conditions as that information becomes available.

Updated Charity List

We've added another charity recipient to the list below. This probably will be the final list, unless something comes up before the Elk Toss.

Gatehouse Shelter, Danville
Daily Item Needy Family Fund, Sunbury, Northumberland, Danville area
Montour County Summer Concert Series, Danville
Deb's House, Lancaster
Mount Nittany Conservancy, Centre County
Centre Grounds, Centre County

We will be again collecting non-perishable food to donate to the Danville-Riverside Food Bank, so make sure you bring cans and boxes of food. They will also be happy to receive grocery store gift cards (Weis and Giant have stores in the Danville area).

2010 Elk Toss Date

We apologize for the lack of recent blog postings, but here's some news to make you forget about our idleness...

Mark your calendars...the 75th Annual Danville German Society Elk Toss, Charity Auction, and Winter Festival will be held on Saturday February 20, 2010 in, near, and around Danville.

Also we would like to announce that our Commercial Donations Liaison (formerly Goutweed Control Technician), Aaron Jensen, married Karen Hagemeier on 9/9/09.

2009 Results

We apologize that it took this long to get the results on the blog. So without further ado, here are the results of the events at the 75th Annual Elk Toss, Charity Auction and Winter Festival:

Jerseytown Burger Eat Off
1st - Tim (4:05)
2nd - Tait

Elk Bugling
1st - Gunter Canterbury
2nd - Franz Klingermann
3rd - Karl Shellenberger

Scrap Iron Toss
1st - Pam Shellenberger
2nd (tie) - James Spayd and Dave McGovern

Dog Sled Race
1st - Wrench Ruggairo
2nd - Karl Shellenberger

Salad Toss
1st - Joe McMonagle and Unnamed Female

Beard Competition
1st - Aurelia Summers
2nd - Karl Shellenberger

Ice Roping
1st - Jean Fox
2nd - Karl Shellenberger

Elk Toss
1st - Chaz Wall - 51'9"
2nd (tie) - Mike Wilkinson and Franz Klingermann - 49'4"
4th - Joe McMonagle - 45'8"
5th - Jim - 44'0"
6th - Karl Shellenberger

These results are based on our notes from the events and our memories. Let us know if you feel they are incorrect or if you have additional information to add (i.e. last names or spelling corrections).

2009 Elk Toss is Scheduled

The 75th Annual Danville German Society Elk Toss, Winter Festival, and Charity Auction will be held on February 21, 2009. All events will be held in and around Danville.

This year promises to be an Elk Toss that is dumber than any of the other 74 Elk Tosses. If you do not attend, you will miss out on the stupidity that is the Elk Toss.

The most up-to-date and useful information about the event will be posted to this blog, so be sure to check back often.

Note: if you have access to a large and docile elk, please email us if that elk would be willing to be tossed.

Preliminary Elk Toss Schedule

Here's the preliminary schedule for the 2008 Elk Toss, Charity Auction, and Winter Festival:

Saturday February 16, 2008

8:00 am - Pappas Restaurant for Annual ScrappleFest

9:00 am - Salvation Army Shopping Trip

10:00 am - Jerseytown Tavern in Jerseytown Jerseytown - Burger Eat-Off, Presentation of Certificate of Appreciation

11:30 am - Arrive at Wagner Farm - Scrap Iron Toss, Salad Toss, Ice Roping, Sled-Dog Race, Chicken Race, Block Shoot, Beard Contest, etc.
Charity Auction and live music will be held between each event
Annual meeting and officers reports
Pot luck style food

4:00 pm - ELK TOSS followed by more competitions and auction

7:00 pm - Leave Wagner Farm and head to downtown Danville

8:00 pm - Tour of Danville begins at Pine Barn Inn bar, continue to fine establishments such as Mulberry's, BJ's, American Legion, LT Evans, etc.

10:00 pm - Music by Slimfit and Van Wagner, and magic by Fred Iobst at the Pub

Late - Cheese Cosmos at Danville Sub Shop

Where is the Elk Toss Trophy?

As of Sunday night, the Elk Toss trophy was not in the possession of the winner, Mike Wilkinson. If you have the Elk Toss Trophy, please email us and let us know so we can get it to Mike.

Recap of 2007 Elk Toss Events

The 2007 Elk Toss, Charity Auction, and Winter Festival was quite a success considering the weather conditions. Here's a quick recap of the event results. More will follow here and on the DGS Website.

Burger Eat-off: Jason Zerbe (3:45)
Elk Bugling: John Zerbe
Salad Toss: Joe and Mickle McMonagle (Franz and Steve disqualified after photo review)
Scrap Iron Toss: Van Wagner
Chicken Races: not held due to weather
Beard Competition: Karl Shellenberger (photo)
Elk Toss: Mike Wilkinson (52'0"), Dave McGovern (45'5"), Franz Klingermann (44'7"), Todd Summers
Ice Roping: Ryan Zerbe (award purchased in auction)

If you have photos of the event, email them to us.

2007 Charities

The money raised at the 2007 Elk Toss, Winter Festival and Charity Auction will benefit the following organizations:

• Good Samaritan Mission of Danville
• Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy
• Centre Wildlife Care
• Montour County Recreation Authority Summer Concert Series

We will also provide donations of non-perishable food to the Danville-Riverside Food Bank and jeans to the Good Samaritan Mission.

If you plan to attend, make sure you bring jeans and food to donate.

Updated Elk Toss Schedule

Actually, there are no major changes to the schedule, but it has been confirmed that Jerseytown will open at 10 am for us. We will only stay there until about 11 am before heading to the Wagner Farm. We'll provide directions if you want to stay in Jerseytown a little longer than that. Here's the schedule again.

Elk Toss Schedule - February 17, 2007
8:00 am - Pappas Restaurant for Annual ScrappleFest
9:00 am - Salvation Army Shopping Trip
10:00 am - Jerseytown Tavern in Jerseytown (570-437-2251)

• Jerseytown Burger Eat-Off
• Presentation of Certificate of Appreciation
  

11:30 am - Arrive at Wagner Farm

• Scrap Iron Toss, Salad Toss, Ice Roping, Sled-Dog Race, Chicken Race, Block Shoot, Beard Contest, etc.
• Charity Auction and live music will be held between each event
• Annual meeting and officers reports
• Pot luck style food
  

4:00 pm - ELK TOSS followed by more competitions and auction
6:00 pm - Leave Wagner Farm and head to downtown Danville
7:00 pm - Tour of Danville begins at Pine Barn Inn bar
8:00 pm - Music by Slimfit and Van Wagner, and magic by Fred Iobst at the Pub
10:00 pm - Continue Tour of Danville with stops at other fine establishments (Mulberry's, BJ's, American Legion, LT Evans, etc.)
Late - Cheese Cosmos at Danville Sub Shop

Elk Toss Reminders #1

Here's what you should bring to the Elk Toss:

• Items to Auction
• Cash (or checks) to pay for events and the auction
• Non-perishible food to donate to the Danville-Riverside Food Bank
• Jeans to donate to the Good Samaritan Mission of Danville
• Food to share with others
• Lederhosen
• Ability to speak Pennsylvania Dutch
  

If you plan to stay in Danville overnight, you should book a room. We recommend the Pine Barn Inn. It is within walking distance of downtown, and they like Lederhosen.

Elk Toss Schedule

Here's the preliminary schedule for the 2007 Elk Toss - February 17:

8:00 am - Pappas Restaurant for Annual ScrappleFest
9:00 am - Salvation Army Shopping Trip
10:00 am - Jerseytown Tavern in Jerseytown (570-437-2251) - Jerseytown Burger Eat-Off
11:30 am - Arrive at Wagner Farm

• Scrap Iron Toss, Salad Toss, Ice Roping, Sled-Dog Race, Chicken Race, Block Shoot, Beard Contest, etc.
• Presentation of Certificates of Appreciation
• Charity Auction and live music will be held between each event
• Annual meeting and officers reports
• Pot luck style food
  

4:00 pm - ELK TOSS followed by more competitions and auction
6:00 pm - Leave Wagner Farm and head to downtown Danville
7:00 pm - Tour of Danville begins at Pine Barn Inn bar
8:00 pm - Music by Slimfit and Van Wagner, and magic by Fred Iobst at the Pub
10:00 pm - Continue Tour of Danville with stops at other fine establishments (Mulberry's, BJ's, American Legion, LT Evans, etc.)
Late - Cheese Cosmos at Danville Sub Shop

Welcome to the DGS Blog

To help get spread information about the 2007 Elk Toss, Charity Auction, and Winter Festival, we've set up this blog. Our website gets constipated when too many people look at it at the same time, and this blogging thing is much quicker to update. So, welcome to our blog.

Check back here for updated schedules and other information related to the event.