The first Hungarian Harvest Festival was a great success!
Thank you volunteers for all the hard work, The Hungary Initiatives Foundation for the generous grant, Videki Hungarian Dancers and Szaszka Band for the great entertainment, Millner family for your kind and warm hospitality and all visitors for coming and sharing this beautiful day.
Moments like these remind us of the importance of nurturing and promoting our culture and heritage and the responsibility of passing it on to the next generation.
Moments like these make us proud to be Hungarians!

Hungarian Harvest Festival in Minnesota

An hour drive west of the Minneapolis, Minnesota one will find a small town called Kimball, the home of Millner Heritage Vineyard and Winery.  It was here where guests were invited to attend the inaugural Hungarian Harvest Festival. Attendees could drive themselves, but because delicious wines were being served, a wonderful shuttle service was provided from Minneapolis.Guests were greeted by rows and rows of grape vines ready to harvest and idyllic rolling hills all heightened by the festive Hungarian music and mouth watering aromas of Hungarian goulash and baking sausage.Adults could tour the winery by tractor, with a stop in the cellar, attend a wine tasting including up to 15 different varieties, compete in the wine stomp event, shop at the Hungarian Bazaar and even a photo corner complete with traditional Hungarian costumes for men and women! The younger guests could take part in various Hungarian arts and crafts, hide-and-seek in the winery, musical chairs, best moustache competition, have their faces painted with traditional Hungarian images or a pick up game of soccer.

 

As the evening progressed and the wine flowed, the band played all the traditional Hungarian songs such as  "Az a szép, az a szép, akinek a szeme kék..." or "Vörös bort ittam az este..." and the crowd favorite "Utcára nyílik a kocsma ajtó, kihallatszik belo"le a szép muzsika szó..." and people joined in singing. The Hungarian dancers performed for the audience and attendees were invited to join in and learn the customary Hungarian dances.From the more experienced to the very young, all generations of our members participated in the festival. Old friendships reacquainted. New ones started. The wine. The food. The music. The women in their beautifully embroidered blouses. The men in their Hungarian polos and hats. The din of the Hungarian language. The Hungarian blood coursing through veins. The Hungarian pride. All made for a truly superb festival reminiscent of being home…in Hungary.

 

The event was orginized by the Minnesota Hungarians.

 

Heavy Table: The Hungarian Harvest Festival at Millner Heritage Vineyard

Nemzeti Regiszter: Magyar Szüreti Fesztivál Minnesotában