German Cultural Programming

Making Philadelphia a German Town: Looking Forward to German-American Day

 Irish-Americans have St. Patrick’s Day, Mexican-Americans have Cinco de Mayo and Italian-Americans have Columbus Day.  Not wanting to be left out, German-Americans will have a retooled and re-energized way to celebrate German-American Day on October 6, 2007 and everyone is invited to participate!  There is much to celebrate and this is why!

The 325 anniversary of the arrival of the first German families to America and the founding of Germantown, PA, after which approximately 8,000,000 inhabitants from German-speaking countries followed, will be celebrated on October 6, 2008.   This gives the German-American community the perfect opportunity to showcase 325 years of contributions made by German immigrants and their descendents to many aspects of American life. 

These innumerable contributions to the American mosaic have been well documented.  In his 1993 German-American Day Proclamation, President Clinton proclaimed:

"All of us can take pride in the accomplishments of German Americans – as soldiers and statesmen, scientists and musicians, artisans and educators.  It is fitting that we set aside this special day to remember and celebrate how much German Americans have done to preserve our ideals, enrich our culture, and strengthen our democracy."

Many still reminisce about the German-American Tricentennial observance in 1983, when the academic, educational, musical, cultural, historical and business communities collaborated to offer a rich variety of programs and events commemorating these contributions.   The German American Day Celebration Committee will recreate this model, using October 6, 2007 as a dress rehearsal for the 325^th celebration in 2008.  Organizations like the University of Pennsylvania, the German-American Chamber of Commerce – Philadelphia, the German Society of Pennsylvania, the German-American Committee of Philadelphia, Historic RittenhouseTown, the American Association of Teachers of German – Philadelphia Chapter, the Immanuel German School, Immanuel Lutheran Church, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Concordia Trust have already enthusiastically committed to sponsoring events.  To this end, a diverse and innovative calendar of events is being planned for the weekend of October 6, 2007 concentrating in Center City Philadelphia, but also including the neighboring counties. 

The current calendar of events for October 5-7, 2007 includes:

• Mayor Street’s Reception” at City Hall,

• Uwe Kind Concert” for middle and high school students of German, sponsored by the AATG – Philadelphia Chapter. (Uwe Kind is an international communicator who escaped from the former East Germany to the West in 1960. As a German teacher at the New School in New York City, Uwe Kind developed SingLing, a language learning technique based on familiar tunes, which he later refined as a graduate student at Harvard University.)  

• German Fair”, sponsored by the Immanuel German School

• Restaurant Promotion” with German beers and foods

• German Film Evening: Das Leben der Anderen sponsored by the German Society

• Colonial German Cooking Program”, sponsored by Historic Rittenhouse Town

• Bier und Wurstfest”, sponsored by the German Society

• Sing-a-long of German Folksongs”, sponsored by the German Society

• Susanne Linke Lecture and Dance Demonstration”, sponsored by the German Society.  (The internationally renowned Viennese choreographer will share her background, style and dance philosophy through a moderated discussion, dance video and demonstration by Jeanne Ruddy Dance dancers.  Ms. Linke unites in her dance both her origins in the historic German dance tradition and the development of contemporary German dance theatre.)

• Cabaret Performance”, sponsored by the German Society

• Beck Brass Band Concert”, sponsored by the German Society

• Wine Tasting with Marnie Old”, sponsored by the German Society

• Ecumenical Worship Service”, the Immanuel Lutheran Church

• Culinary Event”, sponsored by the German-American Chamber of Commerce–Philadelphia

• Lecture”, sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania

• 5K Walk/Run”, in collaboration with the Liberty Bell Wanderers and the United German-American Committee to benefit the National Heritage Center in Washington, D.C.

For more current and detailed information, please visit www.GermanAmericanDay.org.

Benjamin Franklin may well have articulated it best when he observed, "America cultivates best what Germany brought forth."

Karlsruher Konzertduo

Danube Swabian Cultural Exhibit 

A cultural exhibit, representing the heritage of the ethnic Germans who, during the 18th century, settled along the Danube River in what became Hungary, Romania and the former Yugoslavia, took place on April 8 and 9, 2006 at the Philadelphia Danube Swabian Society.

The exhibit was sponsored by the Philadelphia and Trenton Danube Swabian Associations, as well as the United German Hungarian Club.  Various items, reflecting this heritage, such as costumes, pictures, tools, genealogies, maps, books, crafts and dolls were displayed.

The same three groups sponsored the Third Trachtenfest on May 20, 2006 at the United German Hungarian Club in Oakford, PA .  The evening spotlighted ethnic dances performed by dancers in the colorful costumes (Trachten) of the Danube Swabian region, poem recitations and skits spoken in regional dialect, and lively dance music.

A collection of the original household tools, utensils, decorative linens and recipe books used in Danube Swabian homes in Hungary, Romania and the former Yugoslavia.	Authentic Danube Swabian  costumes (Trachten)	These photos reflect life in the Carpathian mountain region of Slovakia, known as the Zips, which was also settled by Germans.

Rosalie E. Matico, the President of the Donauschwaben Philadelphia wrote:

“I want to thank the Concordia Trust for your support of the Danube Swabian Cultural Exhibit.  Through your help, we were able to reach out to the German teachers in the area.  I also wanted to thank you for your generous contribution towards the exhibit.  Your support of the German language and culture is greatly appreciated.”

Lieder Konzert on April 24, 2004 

Internationally renowned Uwe Kind performed for the Immanuel German School on Saturday, November 22^nd at 10:30 a.m. in the Audion of Lower Moreland High School.    

Monty Weathers of Royal Oaks High School, in Michigan recently wrote: “Uwe Kind never fails to bring down the house with his unique interactive foreign language performances.  All concerts begin with an inspiring video to warm up the audience. Then the music starts and Uwe gets them singing, rapping, and dancing in no time. A live performance is a great way to break down inhibitions, to motivate, and to build enrollment in German classes.

Uwe is an inspiration to students and teachers around the world with his Lingo Tech method. Lingo Tech builds on the premise that music helps language students with memorization, intonation, and pronunciation. Uwe Kind has created a new breed of dance music – and a new way to acquire languages.”    
 

Uwe Kind maintains: "It is my mission to demystify language learning, - to facilitate quick learning, memorization, communication and to make it an easy and fun experience."  After all, he taught a David Letterman audience to order a beer and schnitzel in 2 minutes.

For more information on Uwe Kind, please visit his web site:

 http://www.kindinternational.co