William Penn Life, 2011 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2011-12-01 / 12. szám

Magyar Matters

AHF welcomes visitors to Annual Festival of Trees

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ -- A holiday tradition with an international flavor will return to the Museum of the American Hungarian Foundation with the opening of the 23rd Annual Festival of Trees Dec. 11.

Visitors are invited to get into the holiday spirit and enjoy the cultural traditions of America, Belarus, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latin America, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and Ukraine.

During the festival, which runs through Jan. 29,2012, a total of 11 Christmas trees, all decorated by volunteers from different ethnic groups, will be on view. The trees are trimmed with handmade ornaments, cookies and treats. Along with the trees, there is a unique Menorah to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

The public is invited to the opening reception on Dec.

11 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Individuals representing the decorating groups will be present in folk dress, entertaining with holiday music and verse. Many will also be serving their special holiday treats for visitors to sample.

Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.. The suggested donation is $5. Guided tours are available for groups. The Museum is located at 300 Somerset Street in New Brunswick, NJ. For more details, call 732.846.5777 or see the museum's website: www.ahfoundation.org.

Member Honored

Branch 129 member Arthur Bartfay (pictured above) was presented the Árpád Szövetség Medal by the Hungarian Association at a Nov. 26 dinner in Cleveland. The award honors those who serve the Hungarian community and are actively engaged in keeping Hungarian achievements in the public conscience. Mr. Bartfay was honored particularly for his lectures on Hungarian Americans and Louis Kossuth both here and in Hungary. He is a past president of Branch 129 Columbus, Ohio, and is actively involved with the Columbus Hungarian Cultural Association. (Photo by Dave Scott)

To our family at William Penn Association-1

FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS, the William Penn Association Magyar Folk Dancers performance group has travelled around the Pittsburgh area to spread Hungarian culture and traditions. We thank our family at William Penn Association for continuously supporting our efforts. We greatly appreciate their help with our performance group's endeavors to share Hungarian culture in the past and look forward to the future.

Our dancers have had lively, fun-filled summers performing at local events, including the Girl Scouts' World Thinking Day program, the International Children's Festival hosted by the Pittsburgh International Children's Theater and McKeesport's "International Village" ethnic food festival. We celebrated within the Hungarian community

at the Hungarian Reformed Church of Duquesne on their

100th anniversary in 2010 and at the Bethlen Communities'

90th Anniversary in 2011. But our dancers always look forward to WPA's annual Fraternal Fest at Scenic View each September as the grand finale to our performance season.

With all this in mind, we want you to encourage the young people in your lives to actively engage in their own Hungarian heritage. Take charge and join a local dance group or other Hungarian youth organization.

Our group is in the process of expanding, and we welcome singers and dancers alike. If you or someone you know in the Pittsburgh area is interested, we encourage dancers and singers at all levels, boys and girls, between the ages of 3 and 25, to join our group and broaden your knowledge of all things Hungarian. We welcome members with Hungarian backgrounds, but don't require it, because you don't need to be Hungarian to love performing!

For a preview of what you can expect with our group, you can see photos and video clips on our web page at www.freewebs.com/hungariandancer or find us on Facebook or Twitter at twitter.com/hungariandancer .

From all of us, we wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday season. Kellemes karácsonyi ünnepeket kívánunk!

The William Penn Association Magyar Folk Dancers

William Penn Life 0 December 2011 0 11