Northampton, PA, the sister town of my hometown Stegersbach has just celebrated the 27th year of our partnership, the centennial of the Borough of Northampton, and the 250th anniversary of Northampton County, which lies in the Lehigh Valley. As the representative of Stegersbach, I was pleased to participate in the festivities for a weekend as the guest of the Borough.

My sister, having married an American, has been living in the USA for over thirty years, and she and her husband drove to Northampton with me as we made the acquaintance of this colony of transplanted Burgenlaenders.

I began the visit on Friday, July 12, with some trepidation, because I had never met any of my hosts and had only a vague conception of the program for the weekend. I carried with me, however, to deliver at the proper moment, the official greetings of Dr. Walter Dujmovits, which my brother-in-law had translated into English. What I wasn’t certain of , on the other hand, was whether the expected letter from the Town Council of Stegersbach had arrived, or, even more important, whether the Austrian wine that was to be sampled at the „wine-tasting“ that evening had arrived.

Well, there we were at the Ramada Inn that was to be our base for the next three days, and we phoned Tessie Teklits, who said we would be picked up shortly. Our driver for the evening, who took us first to the Liederkranz for informal introductions, was a genuine American sheriff - Sheriff Willard Keller of Lehigh County (who had a grandparent from Guessing and who also provided us with our first momentos - Lehigh County sheriff’s caps). Friendly greetings followed: „Ich heiße Frank, das ist meine Frau Mitzi und meine Schwester Hilde.“ „ I ‘m Tessie“, „ich bin Sissi“..... We constantly mixed German and English, but everyone understood everyone else. The animated sounds of our conversation cannot be reproduced in print. As wine was poured, the talk went on: „My grandparents are from Sulz...“ „Mine are from Slovakia“, „My wife’s parents are from Bocksdorf...“ „How do you like it here?“ „So, your sister lives in the US? Where? [Connecticut] Since when?“ „My parents came after the First World War, but during the Depression they returned to Europe. I was born there and lived for several years with my grandparents until my parents could bring me back over.“ Soon the first round of Jaegermeister was poured. „Der Wirt [barowner] heißt Jandrisits....“. The families of some of those at the Liederkranz come from places in the Pinka Valley that, due to the windings of the border, have never belonged to Austria. In their minds, however, there is no distinction between Burgenland (or Austria) and Hungary, because their ancestors for the most part immigrated to America before parts of Hungary became Burgenland.

We moved to the scene of the „wine-tasting“ at Northampton’s Community Center, and the talking continued. I was too busy to worry about why the wine from Stegersbach had not arrived. The California wines we were sipping were quite satisfactory, but I myself, because of all the questions thrown at me, and because of straining to understand everyone, hardly had time to enjoy the wine or the food. „I’m Mayor Tom Greenock; my mother-in-law came from Burgenland.“ „I ‘m Joe Leitgeb, vice-president of the Borough Council“. To the crowd at the Community Center I read the letter from Walter Dujmovits, and I conveyed in my own words the warm greetings of the Town of Stegersbach.

The time flew by, and we went on to the Edelweiss Tavern, where every Friday a number of button-accordian players meet to carry on the culture of their homeland in musical form by playing and singing all the old tunes. „Zuahean kann i net“; I could not just listen; I joined in the singing. Meanwhile, more rounds of Jaegermeister were poured. As it was getting late, we had to say goodnight, but we knew we would meet again next day at the Sister-Towns Picnic.

The celebration on Saturday started with a solemn ceremony at Stegersbach Platz in the Borough Park, with the unveiling of a new monument to the sister-town relationship. The ceremony included a parachute jumper landing with an American flag, the singing of the U.S. and Austrian anthems, and some short speeches. I was presented with a memento of the Borough - a Northampton beer mug, and, as the evening before, I again conveyed greetings from Stegersbach. I also took the opportunity to present a candle from Stegersbach’s parish priest, Father Karl Hirtenfelder, to Father Edwin Schwartz, the priest of Our Lady of Hungary parish in Northampton. On the next following Sunday similar candles were to be lit in church in both towns to symbolize the sister-town relationship.

The ceremony was followed by a picnic in the Borough Park, accompanied by Burgenland music played by two local groups. Again I was surrounded by people who wanted to speak with the guest from Stegersbach. „Do I know such-and-such from Gerersdorf/Guessing or from Lake Neusiedl?“ Most of the time I had to answer „no“, because unfortunately I don’t know everyone in Burgenland. It was a moving experience for me, however, to hear how the ancestors of the people I met, even though they had left their homeland forever, had passed on their mother tongue to their children and grandchildren. The German dialect I heard in Northampton was both familiar and strange to me at once. It is no longer spoken today, but when I was a child in Stegersbach I heard older people speaking it.

With all the conversation I hardly had time to fortify myself with the bratwurst with sauerkraut and the beer being served. I received more mementos as well as presents to pass on to people in Stegersbach. I did manage to visit the nearby Museum of the Cement Industry. All in all, a most enjoyable day.

Sunday was another day of Gemuetlichkeit - the gathering of the elders of the Liederkranz. We began at noon with the goulash cooked by Tessie and her helpers, and this was followed by music and dancing. „After dinner I’d like to speak with you, because my niece works with you.“ It took a while, however, before we could get together, because the hall was so crowded. Time passed much too fast, and the celebration was nearing its end. But saying farewell was not so easy. First there was another round of Jaegermeister, then Frank brought out his button-accordian, and we sang in German, Hungarian, Croatian, and English. Then a final round of Jaegermeister.
„I’m saving this green drink chit for next time; I’m taking it home with me.“ And finally, „So ein Tag, so wunderschoen wie heute, so ein Tag, der duerfte niiiiie vergeh’n.“

When I think back on that weekend everything that happened seems so unreal. Did I dream this? But I have all the keepsakes - the green chit for a Jaegermeister, the beer mug, the Monopoly set with Northampton streets, the Fire Department t-shirt, the sheriff’s cap, the video, and all the photos. This was no dream! In conclusion I must thank in my report everyone who gave me such a friendly reception and who made my role as representative of Stegersbach in the US such a happy experience — Tessie Teklits, Mayor Tom Reenock, Frank Spitzer and his family, Joe Leitgeb, Sheriff Willard Keller, Edward Pany, Sandor ... I will never forget this weekend, and it would be a great pleasure once to welcome all these new friends to Stegersbach. Then I will ask, „What shall we drink?“, and the answer will sound, „A round of Jaegermeister.“
 

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Sissy Stipsits