German-American Steuben Parade

The German - American Steuben Parade is a traditional parade, which takes place on the third Saturday in September each year on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The parade is one of the biggest events in the German - American festival calendar. It was founded by German -Americans in 1957. They wanted the traditions of their homeland maintained.

The German Americans are still the largest group of immigrants in the United States. About 15 percent of all Americans are German origin or descent. In New York City alone there are about 500,000 people of German descent.

History

The first Steuben Parade was held in the neighborhood of Ridgewood in Queens, New York in 1957. The area had at most German Americans in the city. Since signed up over the years more and more participants, the parade on Fifth Avenue was moved to Manhattan, where she pulls up to 86th street from the 64th today. The 86th Street is for the German Americans, in turn, are of particular importance. Here, in the neighborhood of Yorkville, until the 1970s was the German American Center of New York. The 86th Street itself was the unofficial nickname " Sauerkraut Boulevard " and was home to German restaurants, club houses, bakeries and butchers.

Von Steuben and the parade

The founders agreed to call the parade after Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, a highly decorated Prussian officer, who as American General renewed the Continental Army in his second career, and became the hero of the American Revolutionary War under the command of George Washington. Steuben was a very active Freemason, he was taken around 1778 in the Trinity Lodge # 12 in New York.

The Steuben Parade is not a military event, but rather to compare with a costume parade. Each year, numerous groups from Germany participate in this, especially music clubs, folk costumes, carnival organizations and shooting clubs. After the parade for many years had a Bavarian focus, she has opened up in recent years and presents numerous groups from all other parts of Germany.

Grand Marshal and Guest of Honor

Each year, the Steuben Parade is led by two personalities: The Grand Marshal is mostly an American with German ancestry, and the annually honor guest (Guest of Honor ), a German with a special personal relationship or a special interest in the United States.

2007, the 50th anniversary, was born in Germany, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger Grand Marshal was the parade. Guest of honor was former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

In recent years, numerous celebrities have led the Steuben Parade. Among the Grand Marshals Donald Trump, Siegfried & Roy, George Steinbrenner, Carol Alt, Ralf Möller, Eric Braeden, John Roland, Louis Freeh and some politicians who are not of German descent, but have always been strong partners for the German Americans find including the New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Rudolph Giuliani.

Additional guests Walter Scheel, Richard von Weizsäcker and Johannes Rau, to out of the political and economic environment, including the Prime Minister Albert Osswald, Erwin Teufel, Kurt Biedenkopf, Bernhard Vogel, Ole von Beust and Lothar: Among the special guests, there were already three German Federal President Späth.

" The Steuben Parade is the only parade in New York, where the streets are cleaner than before then. "

Organization

The Steuben Parade and all related events are organized by the German - American Steuben Parade Committee, a nonprofit organization with only volunteers. Since 2005 Lars Halter Chairman ( General Chairman ) of the committee, assisted by three deputies ( Vice Chairmen ): Geraldine Brand, Thomas Hacker and Herb Seeff. The committee members are representatives of the great German-American clubs in the New York region.

Weblink

  • Official website of the Steuben Parade

Swell

  • Culture ( New York City )
  • Volksfest (United States)
  • German in the United States
  • Parade
  • Event ( New York)
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