From the desk of the Editor
At the Annual General Meeting in March, Entertainment Chairman Alex Blank said that the members, the actual people that belong to our club do things together on a weekly basis all year around. This is in addition to the various events we hold yearly as a club, banquets, penny parties, Kirchweih, Christmas Party, etc. Our … Continue reading Let’s Embrace The Living Years, by Michael Fricker
In July and August rumors began to circulate that the Amateur Cup* within Eastern Pennsylvania was likely to have a new format this season. The format: a round robin followed by a semi and a final. Eastern Pennsylvania Soccer Association (EPSA) President Ron Burnett confirmed by email on the 3rd of August that the EPSA … Continue reading EPSA Reformats State Amateur Cup and We Don’t Know Why, by Michael Fricker [UPDATED]
I don’t know how many are really familiar with our club By-Laws. What today encompasses our dance groups of any and all ages is outlined near the end of the document under Article XVII. The subtitle of that article is “Children’s Cultural Group.” This article includes six numbered by-laws outlining the purpose, function, and coordination … Continue reading No, We Don’t Have a “Kindergruppe.” by Michael Fricker
A book review of the Cannstatter Volksfest-Verein 150. Jubiläum Anniversary book.
In part IV, we discussed the various buildings that our club has called home and the names we gave them. Now this month we will finally tell the story of how our club went from the Banater Männerchor to the United German Hungarians of Philadelphia and Vicinity.
A club is not a building. It is not a field or a stadium. It is not a bar, a dance floor or a grove. A club is a social gathering of people around common feelings, ideas or goals. You, the members are and always were the club. Naturally, a club needs a gathering place and we have had a variety that we have given numerous names.
In Part II, we expanded the definition of German-Hungarians as an ethnic group. With an eloquent passage from Rudy Rack we described the feeling of community these people gathered around in America. Then in 1922, our athletic club formed and in 1930, it took on the familiar name.
Last week we discussed the Banat, the region that was once the home of our founders and many of our members. We ended on a note that after its founding in 1910, the Banater Männerchor became a rendezvous for all German-Hungarians in Philadelphia.
This essay, originally printed in parts in 2014 in the "Monthly Progress," will take you on a journey to find out the true meaning of who we are and why our names are important.
For our club, being a dedicated part of the whole is not only freeing, but it has allowed continuity to flourish all together as one. There is a beauty in that particular kind of order.
