09/03/2026
🇭🇺❤️🇺🇸 A Visit We’ll Never Forget! 🇺🇸❤️🇭🇺
The German Family Society of Akron was honored to welcome our friends from Németkéri Tánccsoport and Biatorbágyi Fúvós Kisparti / Kleinturwaller Musikanten Hungary to Akron for a few unforgettable days of friendship, culture, history, and plenty of fun.
Their visit gave us the chance to share some of what makes Akron special while learning more about each other and strengthening the friendship between our communities. We even discovered some unexpected family ties!
🌳 Monday: We explored the history of the Ohio & Erie Canal at the Canal Exploration Center, visited beautiful Brandywine Falls, stopped at the Boston Mills Visitor Center and enjoyed lunch in Peninsula before introducing our Hungarian friends to something completely new—Topgolf! We ended the day at the club with a light dinner and time for our guests to meet their host families.
🏛️ Tuesday: We toured the incredible Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens with Aaron Engelhart, learned about Akron’s canal and immigrant history at Mustill Store, and visited St. Bernard’s Church, where we heard about its German roots and the beginnings of the German Family Society. We then had the special honor of visiting Akron City Hall, where Mayor Shammus Malik welcomed our guests and presented the mayor of Németkér, Hungary with a proclamation.
🎶 Tuesday evening: The highlight of the visit was an SOLD-OUT performance by our Hungarian friends at the GFS clubhouse! Their dancers and musicians put on an absolutely incredible show despite the summer heat. The talent, energy, and joy they brought to the stage made for a truly special evening. And of course, a huge thank-you to all of our volunteers who prepared the food, served our guests, handled cleanup, helped with the sound system, and made the evening possible. ❤️
🚌 Wednesday: We gathered one more time to send our friends off as they continued their journey to Chicago, where they will perform alongside the German group from Esslingen.
What a wonderful few days filled with friendship, history, music, dancing, laughter, and cultural exchange. We are so grateful to our friends from Németkér for spending this time with us and sharing their traditions and incredible talents with the Akron community.
Thank you for visiting us, we hope this is only the beginning of many more memories together! 🇭🇺🇺🇸❤️ See you again soon at the Landestrachtenfest in Chicago!
Summit County Executive's Office City of Akron, OH Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens Cascade Locks Park Association
