More than four decades ago, 1975 to be exact, the Borough of Northampton and the Village of Stegersbach, Austria, agreed to a partnership - a Sister City bond - that, although an ocean apart, has become a tradition celebrated each September.

With an aging Austrian population in the borough, the Sister City observance could become history. This is the third year no program was held at the monument and grounds on Laubach Avenue, which in the past has included raising of the American and Austrian flags, short remarks and polka music, followed by a picnic at nearby Municipal Park.

Councilman Ed Pany, whose father, Anthony, then mayor, met Stegersbach, Burgenland, Mayor Alexander Pratl, and a simple handshake sealed the deal for a Sister City partnership.

Pany and Mayor Thomas Reenock are doing their part in recognizing the bond between Northampton and Stegersbach. The pair have placed flowers at the base of the Sister City monument for the past two years and will do so again. Pany mentioned the tradition must be kept alive, even if only at a brief ceremony.

There are residents hoping the borough, in the 2017 budget, will fund a Sister City program.

Northampton Liederkranz, the unofficial club for Austrian heritage, held an annual flag-raising program at the club; national anthems of the two nations were played. But with a younger generation, a shift in the club’s programs put the Austrian observance on the shelf.

With individuals as Tessie Teklits and Joseph Leitgeb no longer around, the mantle has not been picked up by a younger generation. There have been visits abroad on several occasions by borough residents and others to Stegersbach, a town of 2,500 people, and likewise visits to Northampton by residents of the Austrian community.