William Penn Life, 1987 (22. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-06-01 / 6. szám
June 1987, William Penn Life, Page 7 The International Folk Dancers of Milwaukee County perform a traditional dance. Mike Hrahar shows Mr. Banes his fireman’s collection. Bridgeport, Connecticut While visiting the Bridgeport office operated by Agenc> Manager Matt Longobardi, we inquired about Hungáriái organizations in the area. Ethel Katona informed us about a Pannónia Club. We had to do a lot of leg work, but we were finally able to find and meet the leaders of two Hungarian organizations in that area. Mr. Joseph Balogh, president of the American Hungarian Cultural Association, has been extremely active in the past year. The association has financially supported student exchanges between Hungary and the United States. It has initiated several fund-raising activities and supported various other Hungarian cultural activities. The second group called Pannónia has fund-raising dinners, balls and an annual Christmas party for the children. They try to promote some of the traditional Hungarian Christmas customs at that time in order to help pass these traditions on to the children. Detroit, Michigan A delicious Hungarian dinner at the William Penn Soda Club on Southfield Avenue was our first stop in the Detroit area. We enjoyed great chicken paprikas and toltot káposzta. The special törte that we enjoyed is worth a trip, even from as far away as Pittsburgh. By th< way, only two people have the recipe in America: Julia Danko and Darlene Danko Szatmári. It is apparent why they won’t share it with the world. It’s too special and i keeps people coming back for more to the William Peni Social Club’s restaurant. The restaurant and club is managed by Darlene’s husband, István Szatmári. The club’s dancers are the official dance group of William Penn Branch 18. They will be touring, perform ing and studying in Hungary this summer. Their trip was made possible with support from the Association a.' well as much hard fund-raising work by their own grouf and the Ladies Auxiliary. Darlene succeeded her mothei as the dance group’s director after Julia devoted many years of dedicated service toward developing the group. Another thriving Hungarian cultural group has a beautiful facility located in Taylor, Mich. Other Hungarian organizations we became acquainted with in the Detroit area are the American Hungarian Cultural Club, the Hungarian Arts Club, the Dancers Hungária and the Grand Committee. The 20th anniversary program of the Dancers Hungária was an elegant tribute to the Hungarian culture. President Banes and I were able to meet with officials of all the organizations to present the story of the William Penn and its plans for the future. In Chicago: Branch 15 President Frank Balogh, President Banes and Arpad Laczina. Director Ivancso and friends smoke a pig in Toledo. The Hungarian folk art museum of St. Ladislaus in Lorain. vocation. A quick photo helped us capture only a small part of the collection. While in New Jersey, we visited the Passaic home of Branch 51 President Arpad Barillo and met his lovely family. Ernie Mozef was also on hand to help explain some of the branch concerns in the Passaic area. Arpad also gave us a tour of the Americán-Hungarian Citizen’s League Club and told of their renovation plans for 1987. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania A special March 15 celebration took place in connection with Branch 76 in Philadelphia. President Banes, Executive Vice President John F. Kenawell and I were part of the day’s activities. The day began with a combined Hungarian-English Mass celebrated by Father George Spaits. A traditional Hungarian-style dinner followed with a program including dozens of young people reciting Hungarian verses, singing Hungarian songs and dancing Hungarian dances under the direction of Elizabeth Kakas. Mr. John Provosnik, our new sales agent in that area, and his wife were busily involved in seeing that the day’s events ran smoothly. Mr. Banes presented a donation from the William Penn to the church for their rebuilding project. The church was consumed by fire, but determined parishioners insisted that they would continue to work and raise funds to rebuild. The congregation also supports many young Hungarian refugee families and Father Spaits is teaching them English. President Banes spoke to the mixed audience about the William Penn in both languages. He told them about future programs and extended an invitation to join our Association. Branch 76 President Joseph Karoly presented Mr. Banes and Mr. Kenawell with medals commemorating the Hungarian revolutionary war hero. President Banes exchanges ideas with Louis Takacs, president of the Geauga Cultural Society in Hiram, Ohio. Col. Kovács. Cleveland, Ohio One of the fastest growing American Hungarian groups in the Cleveland area is the Geauga Cultural Society. We were interested in knowing more about their work, since we have been receiving their newsletter for the past half year. We met President Louis Takacs, an old friend of mine, at the club’s property in Hiram. Lou showed us around the grounds and photos on the wall told the story of how club members built the Csarda. Rudy Gall and Mr. McBride were also on hand to greet us. Their property is impressive as are their future plans. The schedule of activities includes monthly dinners, New Year’s Eve celebrations, picnics and soccer games on their beautiful soccer field. Their property also includes a 1,200-foot frontage in the Cuyahoga River for canoeing and water sports. Lorain, Ohio Little known to most of our Hungarians, even those living in Ohio, is the lovely museum built under the supervision of Father Alex Demetzky of St. Ladislaus Parish in Lorain. Parishoners renovated the church basement and built lovely display windows to house the various folk art, cultural and religious exhibits. Tours are scheduled throughout the year to acquaint people with the culture of the Hungarian People. We believe it is the finest Hungarian museum of this nature in America. Father A1 himself is an American-born Hungarian and folkartist. He has done much of the work of painting the Hungarian-style furniture which represents various regions of Hungary. Rooms depicting life in Hungary from the Matyó, Kalotaszeg, Kalocsa and Palóc regions are on display.
