Major Steuben Parades are held in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, all during the month of September. The most famous of these is in NYC. An event of German pride, it is the culmination of the officially proclaimed German-American Friendship week.

The festivities for Parade 2001 will open on September 21, at 11:30 am with greetings by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and the Parade Committee Chairman William Hetzler. This takes place at City Hall were the groups from oversees are welcomed. At 1 pm, Oktoberfest starts at South Seaport. A Parade Reception and Gala Benefit Banquet are held at New York Hilton & Towers.

Parade Day, September 22, begins with an ecumenical church service in St. Patrick's Cathedral with his Eminence, Archbishop Edward Carl Egan. It is an impressive moment when the participating groups with their flags and in costume process into the church and take their places around the altar. The Parade Queen and her court present offerings, while German choirs and visiting bands perform, and hundreds join in singing old German chorales.

Led by Siegfried & Roy from Las Vegas, the 44th Annual German-American Steuben Parade starts at 12 noon, marching up famous 5th Avenue, from 63rd Street past Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum, then into 86th St, to disband on 2nd Avenue in Yorkville, the old German section of New York City. There will be dance groups in their Trachten, Schützen Guilds and bands in uniform, choirs, historical and carnival societies. In 2000, besides the 60 groups visiting from Germany, there were groups from Switzerland, and other German-speaking areas. Hundreds of German-American organizations were represented. It is a spectacular sight to look down 5th Avenue and see all the banners, flags, costumes and floats, moving along to the music of the many bands. It takes between 2 and 3 hours for all the groups to pass the Grand Stand at 5th Avenue and 68th St for review. Among the many participating dignitaries in the past were, besides NYC's Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the state's Governor G!eo!rge Pataki, the Hon. Ute Lally of the New York Supreme Court, builder and developer Donald Trump, Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner, actor Eric Braden, and governors of German Länder, mayors and former Federal President Walter Scheel.

After the Parade the grand German-American Friendship Party takes place under the Big Tent in Central Park. P> This parade honors Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben for his invaluable contributions in the training of Gen. Washington's troops during the Revolutionary War. He was the first Inspector General of the U.S. Army. For more on Steuben: http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/steuben.html

Ruth Reichmann