Bethlen Almanac 2001 (Ligonier)

The Hungarian Reformed Federation of America

HRFA Participates in the Hungarian Festival Celebration in New Brunswick, New Jersey

The 26th Annual Hungarian Festival was held on Saturday, June 2, 2001 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. This year’s event commemorated the 150th Anniversary of Hungarian Statesman Louis Kossuth’s visit to America and the 45th Anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

Each year the event is sponsored by the Hungarian Civic Association (HC A), consisting of local churches and organizations.

The day’s festivities opened with a parade of participating organizations down the Festival Mall along Somerset Street with the ringing of neighborhood church bells setting a dignified tone.

Professor August J. Molnár, President of HCA and President of the American Hungarian Foundation, gave the welcome followed by Rev. Stephen Galambos, OFM, Parochial Vicar of St. Ladislaus Church who gave the invocation.

The singing of the Magyar Himnusz and National Anthem was led by László Hajdu-Nemeth followed by a welcome in Hungarian by Rev. Barnabas Roczey, Chairman of the HCA Board of Directors and Pastor of the Magyar Reformed Church.

Greetings from the city of New Brunswick were extended by Councilman Joseph Egan and also by The Honorable Gabor Földvári, Vice Consul of the Republic of Hungary. Rev. Dr. Joseph Bodnar, Pastor of the Bayard Street Presbyterian Church gave the benediction.

From noon until 8:00 p.m. the entire Mall was alive with music and dance provided by the Tivadar Papp and Életfa Orchestras, the Csurdongolo Hungarian Folk Dance Ensemble, the HAAC Folk Dance

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the William Penn Association Anthony C. Beke and HRFA Director Michael Pauli, Jr. at the wreath-laying ceremony.

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