St Elizabeth of Hungary Church 130th Anniversary 9016 Buckeye Rd. Cleveland Ohio September 25, 2022
St Elizabeth Hungarian Church held a Fall festival event to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the historic church. The Church was the earliest ethnic parish established for Hungarians in the United States. In 1976, St. Elizabeth's Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, qualifying both because of its place in the area's history and because of its historically significant architecture.
A bilingual Mass was celebrated followed by a delicious lunch with traditional Hungarian foods, including gulyás and lángos in the courtyard.
Attendees could tour the beautiful Church as well as items from the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Museum which was established in 2010.
Then the entertainment began with Mark Yonke serving as MC.
Mark Yonke
It began with the singing of the Himnusz, the national anthem of Hungary and the US national anthem.
The band Harmonia performed.
Harmonia
Next, children and adults from the Donauschwaben German-American Cultural Center in Cleveland performed. In the 1700's German immigrants settled near the Danube River and were later named Danube Swabians. The Danube Swabians continued to speak German and keep their German traditions alive. Both the Cleveland Donauschwaben Kinder (children) and Kultur (adult) groups performed.
Next, the Gottscheer Tanz Und Spielkreis Austrian Dance Group performed. This dynamic group specializes in Austrian Folkdances and Viennese Ball venues. They are part of the First Austrian Mutual Aid Society, or Erster Österreichischer Unterstützungs Verein (EOUV) which formed over 130 years ago in Cleveland.
They were followed by the Cleveland Junior Tamburitzans. They are a non-profit cultural organization that works to preserve their Croatian heritage through music, song, and dance - taught by professional instructors. The Cleveland Junior Tamburitzans has been active for over 60 years.
