In late September, I traveled to eastern Pennsylvania. For me, travel often means new friends to meet and places to explore. The weather was wonderful. The lengthy journey from Chicago suddenly did not seem bad once I crossed the Ohio border and climbed the elevations into rural Pennsylvania. I was greeted with a mountainous landscape and wonderful autumn color.
I decided to go to the Raabtal reunion to take advantage of this music culture and to meet many of the people I had heard about for years from Bob Strauch, as well as fellow Burgenland Bunch members. I have no ancestry from this Raabtal area beyond the border of today’s Burgenland. Bob Strauch and I had never met each other in person, but have been friends for years before the BB began. We often compared notes about the differences in our „Burgenland Enclaves“. This was also true with the BB editors and members I spoke with during the reunion. Margaret Kaiser and I had some previous e-mail contact. From her I learned that New York City had a thriving German/Austrian culture that her family experienced. It was interesting to find that Tony Reinisch had a Chicago connection that I hope to help him with. Judy Snyder fascinated me with her fluency in the Pennsylvania German dialect. We discussed my Pennsylvania German ancestor Hannah Jacobs, of which I still know little about. I was excited to find a week later, a magazine quarterly in the mail from Tim and Judy about the Pennsylvania Cultural Heritage Center in Kutztown and other literature. I also enjoyed talking with Frank Teklits, Dennis and Frieda Eberhardt, Günter Decker, and many others. I believe this is the first time active BG members were present at an event in the Lehigh Valley. Burgenländische Gemeinschaft members Alois and Maria Fandl also made the trip from Chicago. We were captivated by the music because this Burgenland tradition no longer exists in Chicago. I had never heard live choral music in dialect such as Bob Strauch and his Hianz’n Chor. Alois and I were also impressed with Emil Schanta and his band. Alois suggested that they all might be interested in playing in Chicago. Maria Fandl is grateful to Bob Strauch for sending the music and words to some of his Hianz’n dialect music for our November BG Martini-Fest in Chicago. 
Bob Strauch was a gracious tour guide! He took me to visit with Pennsylvania musician of Burgenland descent Walt Groller. I also had only previously corresponded with Walt. On my last day of the trip, Bob took me through many ethnic neighborhoods in Allentown and Bethlehem as well as a cemetery where many Burgenlaender are buried. We also toured Old Bethlehem and saw some fine well preserved Moravian architecture. We finished the trip with a fine meal at Elisabeth’s Hungarian Diner in Hellertown. 
Much is written and discussed concerning travel to Austria to experience Burgenland culture. 
Our roots are there. However the Lehigh Valley enclave still has a lot to offer! 

Tom Glatz

Ich freue mich, daß die Kontakte der Burgenländer in Amerika untereinander immer besser werden und daß die zweite Generation die Tradition der Einwanderer erfolgreich weiterführt. Danke. 
Walter Dujmovits, Präsident