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Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 to: SPJST Home Office, P. 0. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76503 VOLUME 91 NUMBER 40
ISSN-07458800
October 15, 2003
Family Fun and Important Dates October October 17 -18 October 18 October 18 October 19 October 19 October 19 October 25 October 26 October 26 October 28 - 30 November 4
Czech Heritage Month Texas Fraternal Congress, Houston Lodge 48, Beyersville Progressive 42 Tournament Lodge 88, Houston Youth Club Halloween Party District One Fall Meeting at Lodge 17, New Tabor Lodge 35, Elk Turkey Dinner Fund Raiser Lodge 48, Beyersville 100th Anniversary Make a Difference Day Lodge 88, Houston Czech Day District Three Fall Meeting hosted by Lodge 154, Fort Worth SPJST Supreme Lodge Meeting, Temple Election Day —SPJST-
of Wallachian bell, belfry scheduled for November 1
October is Fire Safety Month Is anything more terrifying than hearing the wail of a fire siren near your home? The most important fire and life safety related things you can do for your family are to: Properly install, maintain, and test smoke detectors on each floor level, outside each sleeping area, and in each bedroom. Develop and then practice your family's home fire escape plan. Everyone should know exactly what to do if you need to escape from your home. On a related note, members of Lodge 97, Placedo recently heard from guest speaker Roger Stuart of the Victoria Fire Department. Pictured above, Mr. Stuart presents Lodge 97 President Yvonne Garret with "First Call" brochures, detailing what do to in case of emergencies, including chemical spills and other hazardous materials.
Rededication
Observe Czech Heritage Month in Texas in October!
On November 1, the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center (TCHCC) in La Grange rededicates the Wallachian Bell and Belfry — a gift from the Czech Heritage Society of Texas. Lodge 79, Corpus Christi Fraternal Activities Coordinator Jerry Elzner, who also serves as a TCHCC director; provides us this behind the scenes story on how the bell and belfry got to Texas.
In September 1992, a group of historians and performers from the Wallachian Open Air Museum in Roznov pod Radhostem visited Texas as guests of the Czech Heritage Society of Texas. Museum Director Dr. Jaroslav
Lodge 48, Beyersville Celebrates 100th Anniversary on Sunday Lodge 48, Beyersville observes its 100th anniversary on Sunday, October 19. Festivities begin at 2 p.m. with a program at 3 p.m., followed by a barbecue chicken dinner at 4 p.m. Plates will be $6. A dance with music by Fritz Hodde follows at 5 p.m. For dinner tickets, please call Bobby Wuensche at (512) 3653013 or Bonnie Wolf at (512) 365-3733. Lodge 48 was organized October 18, 1903 and chartered in a former church building which the members had purchased in the community of Beyersville, southeast of Taylor. The present lodge hall, dedicated on July 4, 1929, is on the same site. Pictured above, lodge members congregate in front of the hall for a celebration in the early 1940s.
Stika and Houstonians Victor Peter and Linhart Steffek guided the group on a tour of Texas-Czech communities. One of the stops on the tour was Praha. Dr. Stika was touched by the fact that so many persons of Czech descent from this area had died in World War II and was impressed that these loved ones are remembered annually with a memorial service. In 1995, the Smithsonian Institution invited the Czech Republic to participate in the annual "Festival of American Folklife" in Washington, D.C. Victor Peter's friendship with Dr. Stika and his willingness to spend every day of the festival in front of the belfry explaining its significance led to the Czech Republic's decision that (Continued on page 13.)