Wednesday, July 7, 2021 Vol. 44, No. 27
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YOUR LOCAL PAPER
Czech Republic ambassador visits Prague community Patricia Harcourt Editor
Czech Republic’s ambassador to Canada visited the rural community of Prague southeast of Viking to honour the local settlers from his home country, and their descendants. Prior to that, Ambassador Borek Lizec met with Camrose constituency MLA Damien Kurek at the CN Station House in Viking for a private luncheon. Then the two arrived in the afternoon to meet with people gathered in the hall before touring the church and cemetery just down the road from the hall. The hall was built in 1939, but the St. John Nepomucene Roman Catholic church and cemetery was there for many years prior having been built in 1906. Previously to the church’s presence, parishioners would meet in the home of the Ruzicka family to hear mass. Beatrice Zemanek, 90, was one of those waiting to meet the ambassador and remembers the earlier days well. She was the oldest person at the gathering. Her parents were original settlers to
Prague. Louis and Mary Drhoba arrived in Canada in 1924 and 1926 respectively, before marrying. The couple raised a family of three daughters and farmed two places with the girls attending schools in Prague and then Cobourg. Beatrice recalled the buzzing of activity in those early days, with the hall and church the focal point for many weddings and dances, and other events. People would bring coffee in cream cans along with sandwiches and cakes for lunch at the hall while they danced the night away. There was also an annual Prague picnic that everyone always came out to enjoy with each other, and held in June with big crowds. The hall was built in 1939 so dinners could be served inside from that point on as people enjoyed ball games and visiting. Beatrice married Stan Zemanek and together they had five children of their own. Now as the oldest person attending the reception many decades later, she looked around remarking on how well the hall has been kept up all these
Czech Republic’s Ambassador to Canada Borek Lizec (left) and his wife Katerina vist with one of the organizers of the event at the Prague Hall on Monday. years by the people who loved this place. When the MP and ambassador arrived there was an audible ripple that went through the crowd as people pressed forward to catch a glimpse of the ambassador and his family. The entourage also included his wife, Katerina and her mother, along with son Jakub. MK Kurek introduced Lizek, who has been the ambassador since 2019, as “a friend of Canada. “Welcome to Alberta and it’s great to share an afternoon with you,” Kurek said. Lizek said he “appreciates very much being shown around,” adding: “I know about your history.” “We were not in touch with you for many
The Prague Hall was built in 1939 and has housed many wonderful times for the people of the area. decades,” he said, adding: “I have a great admiration for you and your ancestors.” Lizek is on a tour of Czech settlements in Alberta. He thanked these communities for their help over the
decades when what was then Czechoslovakia was under siege. He especially recalled the time when the German Nazis invaded his country in 1939. “I am now incredibly grateful,” he said, knowing that these settle-
ments “haven’t forgotten their Czech roots,” and the fundraising that was done by such communities to help his country recover after going through such turbulent times. See PRAGUE P8