Page 7 - GC-JULY-AUGUST-2026

Members and friends cruise the Danube River

From page 5 If I am fortunate enough to go again, had a wonderful time, and we came
concert in Vienna, and hiking tours. I will definitely visit the Kafka Mu- home with memories to last a life-
Given the region we traveled in, we seum and the old Jewish quarter. time. We may decide to organize
learned a lot about the Hapsburgs, Alas, all good things come to an another European river cruise; per-
the Ottomans, and astronomer Jo- end, and we returned home to our haps in 2028. It would be great to
hannes Kepler. On AMA Water- “Alltag” (everyday life). Everyone travel with Buffalonians, too!
ways, some of the excursions offer
an optional ‘gentle’ pace, which is
perfect for people with mobility is- Federation Quilt part of exhibit
sues. Guests may also borrow walk-
The Federation of German American Societies in Western New York
ing sticks from the ship. For the submitted a quilt block to be included in the Patchwork of Our Community
adventurous, our ship offers bicy-
Panel. The quilt “We the People” commemorates 250 years of the Decla-
cles excursions or passengers can ration of Independence. An exhibit opening was held June 1 at the Buffalo
borrow them for a causal ride along
and Erie County Central Library, 1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo. The quilt
the river or in town. Budapest parliament building. will be at the Ring of Knowledge Display, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. through July
We visited large vibrant cities
beverages, clothes, and crafts, of all ‘royalty’ provided an Oktoberfest- 10.
and charming small towns. As it
was Easter season, every city, town, kinds for sale. like celebration just for our ship.
The weather was not kind to us Due to holiday noise ordinances, the
restaurant, and retail establishment
was festively and charmingly deco- – there were only four sunny days fest was held onboard rather than on
out of 12. But the ship has umbrellas shore. Nonetheless, the music, sing-
rated. Several of the cities we visit-
ed have Easter markets, akin to the for its passengers, which were use- ing, and food made for an enjoyable
ful and appreciated. The dreary evening.
well-known Christmas “Christ-
kindl” markets. I had not heard of weather didn’t dampen our spirits as Several of our group members
we were on a wonderful vacation! It had opted to take advantage of the
Easter markets, so attending them
was a delightful surprise. Just as at was easy to take a break from walk- cruise line’s pre-cruise extension in
ing in the damp weather by stopping Budapest, so had time to acclimate
the “Christkindlmärkte”, there are
individual stands (“Buden” in Ger- in a café to enjoy delicious coffee to the six-hour time difference and
and pastries. to Hungary’s beautiful capital city.
man) offering traditional foods,
Our last cruise stop was in the A three-day, post-cruise exten-
town of Vilshofen, Germany. We sion in historic Prague was taken
arrived just a bit advantage of by most of the group.
too late to attend Of all the places visited, Prague
Good Friday made the biggest impression on me.
service in the I had never been there and was in-
city center stantly smitten by the city. The ar-
church, but were chitecture is stunning (with the
fortunate to see exception of the Soviet-era build-
the post-service ings). Although it is a large city,
procession of each neighborhood has its own feel.
parishioners, It’s easy to get around on foot and
most of whom by public transportation. As we
were dressed in were there over Easter weekend,
traditional Tra- there were many thousands of tour-
cht. In the eve- ists, but we had plenty of time to see
ning, the local the sights that were of interest to us.
Viennese coffee.

WNY Tombstone Trail 250 announced as Signature

Regional Initiative for America’s 250th anniversary

he WNY Tombstone Trail
T250 Project, a major regional
educational and promotional initia-
tive commemorating the 250th anni-
versary of the United States, has
officially been announced by the
Concordia Foundation Inc. in part-
nership with the Erie County Histor-
ical Commission and with funding
support from Erie County.
The WNY Tombstone Trail 250
Project will present 26 historic cem-
eteries throughout Erie County and
Western New York as living muse-
ums – places where the stories of
immigration, labor, resilience, mili-
tary service, and community build-
ing come to life.
The project operates under the Image by Pexels
“We the People” Committee, estab- reflect the broader history of Amer- Cemetery AKA Jefferson Shul
lished by the Erie County Historical ica’s growth and transformation. Cemetery,
Commission to develop program- Participating cemeteries will • Mount Calvary Cemetery, United
ming for the nation’s Semiquincen- host guided tours and educational German & French Cemetery
tennial in 2026. The committee is programming focused on immi- • Glenwood: Glenwood Maltby Me-
focused on exploring how the di- grants, veterans, laborers, abolition- morial Cemetery
verse cultures and peoples of the ists, industrial workers, religious • Hamburg: Abbotts Corners AKA
region contributed to the develop- leaders, and civic figures interred at Hillcrest Cemetery, St. James
ment, identity, and continued
their sites. Through these stories, UCC Cemetery
growth of Erie County and Western the project aims to foster historical • Holland: Humphrey Cemetery
New York.
understanding, cultural apprecia- • Lancaster: Hull Homestead
“The Tombstone Trail recogniz- tion, civic pride, and meaningful • Newstead: Mount Olive Cemetery,
es that cemeteries preserve the most
reflection on the shared experiences Pioneer Cemetery AKA Hunts
authentic and complete record of that continue to define the American Corners Cemetery
our region’s history,” said Diane
story. • Niagara Falls: Witmer Cemetery
Pesch-Savatteri of the Concordia The 26 participating cemeteries • North Tonawanda: Sweeney Cem-
Foundation. “These sacred spaces
are: etery
tell the stories of the workers, immi- • Akron: Evergreen Lawn Ceme- • Sanborn: Mount View Cemetery
grants and transients, veterans, fam-
tery, Ledge Lawn Cemetery, • Tonawanda: City Cemetery, Fail-
ilies, and civic leaders who built our Maple Lawn Cemetery ing Cemetery, North Bush Cem-
communities and shaped Western
• Alden: Alden Evergreen Cemetery etery, St. Peters German
New York into what it is today.” • Buffalo: Beth Jacob Cemetery Cemetery, Werkley AKA St.
The initiative will feature coor-
AKA Doat Street Cemetery, John’s Cemetery
dinated cemetery tours, interpretive Concordia Cemetery, Forest Additional details regarding par-
programming, educational events,
Lawn Cemetery ticipating cemeteries can be found
and public history experiences • Cheektowaga: Ahavas Achim on the website https://www.wny
across participating sites throughout
Cemetery, Ahavath Sholem tombstonetrail250.org and on Face-
the region. Visitors will have oppor- book at “WNY Tombstone Trail
tunities to engage directly with the
250.”
stories of individuals whose lives July - August 2026 • THE GERMAN CITIZEN • 7