Changing to meet the needs of fraternalists.
"Joining Hands To Touch Lives-Fraternalism for the Family and Our Nation"
VESTNIK SPJST Herald Official Publication of The Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas, Founded 1897
BENEVOLENCE
HUMANITY
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 to: SPJST Home Office, P. 0. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76503
VOLUME 87 NUMBER 39
3uizak: Moravia' toast -to the Town
ISSN-07458800
Bringing New Life to Old Traditions
By Jeffrey trown
Birthplace of the original ilsner eer, the Czech Republic • switches gears to wine tasting during the annual Vinobrani (Wine Harvest) festivities of its eastern province Moravia. During this time, southern Moravians, renowned for their relaxed pace of life and warm hospitality, throw open the doors of wine cellars to visitors from neighboring provinces as well as around Europe as the murky, burnt-orange-colored burcak — the harvest's first wine which resembles a hearty, freshly-squeezed juice — begins to flow.
"Like brewers of other spirits, regional vinters, usually straightforward and open, shroud the process in mystery."
By official proclamation of the Governor, October is Czech Heritage Month in Texas. Lodge 92, Fort Worth got a jump start on things when lodge members and friends observed their annual Czech Heritage Day Celebration on September 18 at National Hall. This year's Lodge 92 celebration was dedicated to the memory of longtime lodge booster Carl Zich, who passed away in August. Norman Blazek, pictured above, performs for attendees during band intermission. (See related photos on page nine.)
Family Furl and Important SPJST Dates October
Czech Heritage Month in Texas
October 16-17 Lickskillet Fest Days, Fayetteville October 17 While nearly every village in the 65,000-acre wine region recognizes the event in some way, from parades to outdoor concerts, the largest, bestknown events have usually been held simultaneously in Znojmo and Mikulov, the pearl of south Moravia. Burcak remains available across the republic at outdoor , market booths and on street corners until the end of October, the close of the tasting season. Just five or six days after the September grape harvest, the process of maturation is supervised in the cellars until the new wine
flows. Like brewers of other spirits, regional vintners, usually straightforward and open, shroud the process in mystery. (Continued on page 3.)
Heritage Day at the State Fair of Texas (Marine Parade Grounds) Meeting hosted by Lodge 17, Ngw:
October 17
District One
October 22 -..24 October 23 October 23 October 23 •••••:.October:q4.• .
:•• Texas Fraternal Congress Fund Raiser at SPJST Lodge 47, Seaton National Make a Difference Day Lodge 48, Beyersville :Progressive "42". Tournament pisfrict Three Fall Meeting hosted b y Lodge 180,
•:...October 24 -
Texas Czech Heritage Week
Burleson
October
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District Four Czech :E.est at St AMbrose Parish :Hall
:in Wall (Lodge 160, San AngelOCOhosting) October 30Czech • Heritage Dap .4.LOdge . 24, Cyclone October 30
Czech Heritage Day Dance at Lodge 47, Seaton
October 30 October 31 October 31 November 6 November 7
Arts and Crafts Show and Sale at Lodge 66, Waco
Halloween Dance at Lodge 79, Corpus Christi Lod66:8&::HOUStotkeiech LOdtte 24: Cyclone Barbecue cook7Off Lodge 161 La Panta Jourdantot hOStSIDistrict Seven:::::: Fall Meeting at LonghornMuseum Pleasan4)n. November 13 State Volleyball Tournament, Temple
October 13, 1999
Pianist Richard Urbis performs CEFT concert October 28 Virtuoso pianist and composer Richard Urbis, a member of SPJST Lodge 117, Robstown, will perform "A Celebration of Czech Composers Past and Present" on October 28 at the Richard Urbis Presidential Conference Center at Texas A&M University. The free concert, sponsored by the Czech Educational Foundation of Texas (CEFT), begins at 7:30 p.m. Urbis' performance marks the inauguration of the CEFT William J. Hlavinka Fellowship in Texas A&M's College of Liberal Arts. Prior to the concert, CEF1' and university officials as well as a representative from the Czech Republic's embassy, will discuss the fellowship, which was funded by a $250,000 endowment. They also will introduce the first fellowship recipient, Daniela Kukrechtova, a Ph.D. student in English, from Brno in the Czech Republic. Urbis, a music professor at the University of Texas at Brownsville, is noted for his performances of Czech classical works. His concert will feature pieces by Jan Dusik, Jan Vorisek, Bedrich Smetana, Antonin Dvorak and Leos Jariacek. Urbis also will perform works by contemporary composer Robert Dvorak, and his own pieces, "Ghosts of Lidice" and "Czech American Fantasy." The CEF1 was established in 1954 to promote the Czech language and culture in Texas. One of the founders, John M. Skrivanek of College Station, developed a Czech program at Texas A&M in which his brother, Joseph J. Skrivanek, taught. Clint Machann, an English professor at Texas A&M, currently chairs the CEFT. David Chroust, a Slavic collections librarian at Texas A&M' Sterling C. Evans Library, also is a CEF1' director. For additional information, please contact Clint Machann (409) 845-4898 or by e-mail: c-machann@tamu.edu
SPJST Statewide Charities Benefit When You Order Copies of the Richard Urbis cassette and CD "Music from Prague, 200 Years of Czech Piano Music are available for $10, including postage and handling. The recording, which is available on cassette or compact disc, (Continued on page 3.)