William Penn Life, 2007 (42. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2007-09-01 / 9. szám
Branching Out with Endre Csornán WPA hosts another successful Hungarian Heritage Experience ONCE AGAIN, THE HUNGARIAN Heritage Experience is just another fond memory. This year, it took place from Aug. 5 to 11 (Sunday to Saturday), and it was a fairly warm week. Thanks to the recently installed air conditioning, we were quite comfortable. A total of 24 wonderful students registered for this year's Experience. Students came from Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania. We were privileged to have a new instructor—the Rev. Imre A. Bertalan—who, along with returning instructor Imre Markus, gave the students great instruction in the Hungarian language. Registration took place on Sunday afternoon. At 5:00 p.m. that day, a delicious Hungarian dinner of chicken and mushroom paprikas with dumplings and cucumber salad was served along with the finest Hungarian pastries. The dinner was enjoyed by all. Following the dinner, orientation was held during which students, instructors, cooks and kitchen helpers introduced themselves. This laid the foundation for the wonderful Experience. This year, we were again able to spend a delightful evening at the Bethlen Home in nearby Ligonier, Pa., enjoying the hospitality of the staff there. The culmination of our visit was the music, which inspired many in our group to take part in the csárdás. Of course, one of the most important draws to the Experience is the great Hungarian food. It has been a tradition for the Experience to serve exceptional food. This year, we were privileged to have Ilona (Ica) Martincsek as our cook and Anita Varga as her assistant. We were not disappointed in lea's demonstration on palacsinta making. This became a "free for all" with exceptional palacsinta flipping and great fun for all. We cannot express enough how close the students became during the week. They indeed blended to become one big family. The new students this year made up about half of the class. The granddaughters of Nancy and Bob Kovach—Sarah, Rachel and Hannah—brought new life to the Experience with their youthful enthusiasm. The Friday evening barbeque and closing events were the culmination of the week, capped off by the Hungarian "cheerleaders" led by Mimi Veres Taylor. We wish to thank the many people who helped The youthful enthusiasm of the granddaughters of Bob and Nancy Kovach-Hannah, Sara and Rachel Liesau-brought new life to the Experience. Enjoying a well-deserved moment of relaxation on the deck of the Lakeside Lodge are the Experience’s “Kitchen Crew’’ (from left): Nancy Kovach, Ilona Martincsek, Arlene Csornán and Anita Varga. make this week a success-all the students, National Officers, National Directors and their spouses, kitchen crew, photographer, resident manager and everyone who supported the Experience. Please make plans to attend next year's Hungarian Heritage Experience and participate in this wonderful week. William Penn Life, September 2007 3