Volume 97 Number 35
ˇ ´ VESTNIK S P J S T Benevolence
H E R A L D
Humanity
ISSN —07458800
SPJST to sponsor Czech Feszt October 31 at Miller Park in Temple
Please make plans to be in Temple, Texas, for the Third Annual Czech Feszt to be held on Saturday, October 31 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The event, which celebrates the color and vitality of Czech heritage and culture, is hosted by the Czech Heritage Museum and sponsored, in part, by SPJST. Last year, approximately 2,000 people enjoyed Czech Feszt. To accommodate a larger turnout this year, this year’s celebration will be held at Miller Park, located at 1919 North First Street in Temple. For those of you who have been to Temple before, Miller Park is approximately 10 blocks north of the SPJST Home Office. The park was selected for the location of this year’s celebration on the basis of its pastoral location — 30 wide-open acres, tree-shaded play area, free-standing facilities and ample parking space. Gates open at 10 a.m. for this year’s festival which will include varied events ranging from pig scrambles, exhibitions, petting zoo, car show, parade of costumes and pageant to dancing to music by Jerry Haisler and the Melody Five, Fritz Hodde and the Fabulous Six and Brave Combo. SPJST Beseda dance circles will also perform. Watch for times and related contest information in upcoming issues of the Vestnik. Special guest performer this year will be the reigning Miss Texas Kris-
ten Blair. An honor student at the University of North Texas, Kristen was the featured soloist in the UNT School of Music’s 2008 Czech Republic Tour, What’s more, she is a fifth generation Czech-Texan on her mother’s side and Iroquois, Cherokee, German and Irish decent on father’s side. Kristen’s performance is being underwritten by our friends at RVOS - Farmers Mutual Protective Association of Texas. Champion accordion player Mike Middleton is also scheduled to perform his melody magic on the keyboard. Those of you who are into Czech heritage and culture already know that the Czech Republic celebrates two harvest festivals in the fall of the year. The first one is a spiritual festival called Posviceni. Much like our Thanksgiving, Posviceni is a church celebration where people give thanks to God for a good harvest and also ask God to bless the grain. The other celebration is called Obzinky, Obzinky involves dancing and feasting in celebration of the fall crop season. Combine Posviceni and Obzinky and you get the Temple Czech Feszt! Well, not exactly, but what you do get is a fun event that brings together men, women, boys and girls in the spirit of fraternalism.
Family Fun Dates ................................3 Interest Rates.......................................3 District News........................................3 Supreme Lodge Minutes.....................4 Lodge Section....................................10 Reunions ............................................17
Brotherhood
Where You Can Find My Grandma By Rachel Dunlavy of Lodge 88, Houston
You can find my Grandma in the morning sun rolling out kolaches to make a poppy seed bun. You can find my Grandma right before lunch in her rose garden cutting a bunch.
You can find my Grandma in the afternoon sewing with a needle and thread making a pretty dress of red.
You can find my Grandma on a Saturday night dancing a polka with my Grandpa in the moonlight.
The poem was written by Rachel Dunlavy in 1998 when she was 10 years old in honor of her grandparents, Rudy and Celestine Darilek. Thanks to Rachel’s mom, Jo Ann Darilek Dunlavy, for sharing the poem. —SPJST—
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Inside This Week’s Vestnik
Youth Section.....................................20 In Memoriam ......................................24 Death Claims......................................26 Czech Culture ....................................27 Advertisements..................................29 Activities Calendar ............................30
September 9, 2009
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Lodge 4 Hallettsville hosts annual Family Day
SPJST Lodge 88, Houston members Rudy and Celestine Darilek. Rudy met Celestine in May 1942 at Lodge 88 during a polka and waltz dance. They were engaged on November 3 and married three weeks later at that same lodge on Thanksgiving Day because that was the only day Rudy had off of work. Their granddaughter Rachel Dunlavy wrote a poem in honor of them for Grandparents Day in 1998.
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Lodge 130 Dallas Beseda Dancers perform
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Lodge 107 Floresville youth visit Happy, Texas