William Penn Life, 1984 (19. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1984-10-01 / 4. szám
Hungarian Summer Week at Lake Hope, Ohio America’s Answer to Lake Balaton In Memóriám Katherine (Katie) T. Gall We are saddened to again lose a most valuable, dedicated and true fraternalist, thus, once more thinning the ranks of those who dedicated almost as much time to the branch and its members as to their own family. Mrs. Gall was born in Scalp Level, Pa., October 15, 1920. She died September 25, 1984. She was the branch manager of our very active Branch 52 in Windber, Pa. Prior to that, her late husband Steve, who preceeded her in death ten months ago, served as branch secretary and branch manager for over 40 years. Even during the years her husband was the branch secretary, she performed most of the services required by the membership. No member ever went to her with any request that she did not take care of immediately. If she didn't have the answer, without hesitation she would call the Home Office for information and direction. Katie Gall, as we all so fondly called her, served as delegate to the last three quadrennial conventions. She served the past six years as Tax Collector for the boro of Windber and was very active in St. Mary's Church. Final respects were paid on behalf of the Association by National President John Sabo and National Vice President and Mrs. Albert J. Stelkovics. Funeral services were held Saturday, September 29, 1 984 from St. Mary's Church and Hugh Marron Funeral Home. Surviving are her son, Stephen J. Gall, Jr., his wife nee Dorothy Kiss; grandchildren Suzanne, Bernadette, Caroline, Robert, James and Stephen III. Sisters Anne Single and twin sister, Mrs. Stephen (Mary) Ivancso, wife of our National Director from Toledo, Ohio and a brother Joseph Krempasky. The family suffered another loss when Elizabeth Sweeney, sister of Katie, died one day before her on Monday, September 24 in New Jersey. The Officers and Directors of the William Penn Association extend sincere sympathy to the family of Mrs. Katherine Gall, a most valued member of this Association. Requiescat in Pace. By A1 Bártfay Columbus, Ohio For an entire week, each summer, Lake Hope State Park in the hills of southeastern Ohio, turns into a “little Hungary,” attracting about 200 Hungarians of all ages from many states stretching from Connecticut to Illinois. During this week, in late August, Lake Hope becomes America's equivalent to Hungary’s Lake Balaton and the language you will hear spoken there—whether by toddlers and teens or college students or the middle-aged and senior citizens—is Hungarian. It is the annual “Hungarian week” of summer fun and sun sponsored by the Itt-Ott Society (Here and There) and the MBK—Magyar Baráti Közösség (the Hungarian Communion of Friends). Why has this event become a magnet for American Hungarians—from far and wide—for over a decade? First, because it provides an opportunity to socialize and talk with others in Hungarian. Second, because the gathering provides an ideal location for families, couples, and singles to relax in a beautiful outdoor setting, cut off from the pressures of urban living. (The nearest sizeable city is Nelsonville, with a population of less then 5,000, which is 17 miles away.) In short, it is a pleasant and inexpensive place to spend a couple of days or an entire week in “a Hungarian oasis” in America. Make no mistake about it, accommodations at Lake Hope are not like at a luxury Hyatt Hotel, but neither are the prices. In 1984, a “deluxe housekeeping cabin” (that could easily accommodate a family of four) cost $198 for seven nights. The cabin included two bedrooms, each with two twin beds, a bathroom, a living room, plus a large screened porch. The “standard housekeeping cabins” are a bit more spartan and priced at $156 a week, but have all the same essentials, including sheets, blankets, some dishes, and kitchen utensils. A one bedroom “sleeping cabin” (with two twin beds) was available for $32 a night or $140 a week. Sleeping cabins with up to four bedrooms (eight beds) ran $200 a week. For those who have their own tents, campgrounds are available for $3.50 a day. Those who come as “singles” can be housed for about $25 a day or less. For example, in 1984, I shared a two bedroom deluxe cabin with a physicist from Maryland and an engineer from Chicago, who brought his teenage son. The registration fee for the informal summer get-together is a modest $25 per person for the entire week or $40 per couple. Students and retirees pay even less. You can buy breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the Main Lodge Dining Hall, but most of the time most of the Magyars engage in creative cabin cooking or warm up some things that they have brought from home. Thus, you will find gyuyás leves, pörkölt, and töltött káposzta on the Magyar menus in the cabins, along with standard American favorites. The only “official meal” of the week is on Wednesday night when the “tábor tűz” (camp fire) is held. At that time, you can buy some Hungarian bacon and kolbász to roast in the fireplaces of the picnic grounds. This “szalonna és kolbász sütés” is capped off with the singing of Hungarian songs around the camp fires. The official program of the Itt-Ott summer week centers around presentations about cultural, historical, and literary aspects of Hungary, past and present. All of the presenters spend at least some time there, engaging in informal conversation before and after. Programs have included presentations by the head of Children’s TV programming and Cultural TV programming on Hungarian television, professors from the U.S. and Canada, a guitar player/Hungarian singer from Transylvania, slide presentations on folk customs and ceremonies, as well as dramatic and literary presentations in Hungarian by teenagers in attendance. These presentations (all held in the Hungarian language) are held each morning from about 9:30 A.M. to 1 P.M. Afterwards, for most, it is off to the beach for sunning, swimming, or boating. For others, it is time for jogging, hiking on the nature trails in the hills, bird watching, or perhaps playing chess. Following an evening presentation that starts at 8 P.M., the Itt-Otters head back to their cabins for some rest or some conversation with old friends or newly-found friends. There is also likely to be a party going on in some cabins, so perhaps you’ll hear some Hungarian songs off in the distance. The idea for the MBK summer week was born almost 20 years ago in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at Louisiana State University, when two Hungarian-born American graduate students, Louis Éltető and Andrew Ludányi, were 8
