HUNGARIAN HARVEST DANCE 2007

 The Annual Hungarian Harvest Dance took place on Saturday, October 6, 2007 at the American Legion Hall on Hwy. 43 near Springfield. The activities began at  6:00 p.m. with an introduction by the AHSCA president, Jim King. Suzie Green sang the National Anthem, which was then followed by an invocation given by Rev. Ernest Breaux. Next on the program was Hungarian singing performed by Jake Green, Christina Mocsary, and Megan Green. (See photo to the left.) Accompanied on the guitar by their aunt, Vicky Mocsary, these children sang three popular Hungarian songs: Kis Kutya Nagy Kutya, Piros Piros Piros, and Az a Szep, which is a community favorite and one of the songs of the Harvest Dance itself. This was followed by Hungarian singing performed by Vicky Mocsary and her niece, Suzie Green. They sang Megismerni a Kanászt,  Ég a Város, Debrecen, and Kék Nefelejcs.

The crowd was then entertained by guitarist, Davy Brooks, who performed the following songs: Hungarian Dance No. 5, Sunrise Sunset and Stranger on the Shore. After the fantastic performance of Mr. Brooks, Jim King introduced the Harvest Dancers for this year: Amanda Arceneaux,  Jake, Megan, and Samantha Green (all three siblings), Molly Anthony, Emily Anthony, Adam Green,  Michaela Balfantz, Barbara Yuhasz Robinson, Christina Mocsary, Steven Good, Meagan Riggs, Raymond Murray, Laura Brooks, Tom Mocsary, Tonya King and dance group leader, Nichole King Smith. These dancers performed the traditional Harvest Dance beneath a canopy of fruit that  consisted of apples, oranges and grapes. After their dancing was complete, the audience began jumping for the hanging fruit. (Above photo: Tom Mocsary and Nichole King Smith, Meagan  Riggs, Steven Good, Michaela Balfantz and Adam Green  performing the Harvest Dance beneath a canopy of fruit.)

After the Harvest Dance Performance, Jim King conducted a wine auction with wine donated by Pete Pffifner. Following the auction, Ernest Breaux’s Poo-Yai Band played a variety of music for public dancing. The food booth served some authentic Hungarian-style food such as cucumber salad, cabbage noodles and kolbasz sandwiches throughout the evening. Helen Kropog, Margaret Resetar, and Elizabeth Bordok cooked freshly-made palacsintas, filled with jelly or a cottage cheese filling. Kathleen Mocsary Green served a variety of Hungarian pastries, such as kifli, kalacs, huszar kisses and túrós tészta, from the Olde World Bakery.

(Photo Above: Harvest Dancers perform the Szureti Tanc, the final dance of the Harvest Dance series.)