The Pennsylvania German and the American Revolution
William W. Donner received his PhD in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently the Freyberger Professor of Pennsylvania German Studies at Kutztown University. He has been involved with the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, The Kutztown Folk Festival, and other Pennsylvania German organizations for over 25 years. He has published about Pennsylvania Germans in numerous journals including, Pennsylvania History, Pennsylvania Magazine of Biography and History, Yearbook of German American Studies and Sociological Inquiry, among other journals. He has published a book about Pennsylvania German expressive culture, Serious Nonsense: Groundhog Lodges, Versammlinge, and Pennsylvania German Heritage (2016, Penn State Press).
Patrick Donmoyer is Director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University, a folklife museum and research center on the Kutztown Campus. An avid speaker of Pennsylvania Dutch, Patrick’s research blends the study of folk art, vernacular language, rural architecture, seasonal customs, and healing traditions. In 2022, Patrick received the American Folklore Society’s Archie Green Public Folklore Advocacy Award for significant contributions impacting folk traditions and their communities in the United States. Patrick is the author of numerous articles, and four books, including Hex Signs: Myth and Meaning in Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Stars (2013), Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Braucherei and the Ritual of Everyday Life (2018), and Painter of the Stars: The Life and Work of Milton J. Hill (2021).
The all-you-can-eat Buffet will feature German specialties from the Reading Liederkranz German Singing & Sports Society Kitchen, including a special dessert. Vegetarian plate available with advance notice. A cash bar will be available.
Sign-in and payment starts at 4pm
Buffet Opens at 4:30 pm
Presentation starts at 5:15 pm