ˇ ´ VESTNIK S P J S T Benevolence
Volume 106 Number 37
H E R A L D
★ Humanity
★ Brotherhood
October 17, 2018
ISSN —07458800
SPJST, Texans join Czechs in celebrating 100 years of independence on October 28 by Supreme Lodge President Brian Vanicek On October 28, 1918, the sovereign state of Czechoslovakia was established when the National Committee in Prague proclaimed independence from the Austrian Hapsburg emperors. The Czechs were supported in this move by President Woodrow Wilson, who sent a note to the Austro-Hungarian foreign minister urging that the various nationalities of the empire be allowed to determine their own political future. And thus, the First Republic came into being under the presidency of the much celebrated philosopher and statesman Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. Despite a storied hundred years that included occupation by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and the separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, Czech National Day — observed annually on October 28 — remains a day of celebration in the Czech Republic. In addition to observing the 100th anniversary of independence from the Aus-
“
We shall always be a small minority in the world, but, when a small nation
accomplishes something with its limited means, what it achieves has an immense and exceptional value . . . It is a deliberate and discerning love of a nation that appeals to me, not the indiscriminate love that assumes everything to be right because it bears a national label. Love of one's own nation should not entail non-love of other nations. Institutions by themselves are not enough. —Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
”
tro-Hungarian Empire, 2018 is the 50th anniversary of “Prague Spring,” the period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia which took place in 1968 during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II. Prague Spring appealed to democratic values of freedom, tolerance and sovereignty and rejected the dictates of Communism, planting the seeds for the ‘‘Velvet Revolution’’ in 1989 which resulted in the downfall of the Communist regime. The Czech Republic is also observing
25 years as a sovereign nation in 2018 following the peaceful separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia and the formation of the new Czech state on January 1, 1993. As an emerging nation on the world stage, one of the early objectives of the Czech Republic’s foreign policy was to join the Euro-Atlantic security community and become a full NATO member. This goal was realized when the Czech Republic joined NATO on March 12, 1999. Correspondingly, the Czech Republic, which has long shared European civilization and cultural values, became a member of the European Union on May 1, 2004. In 2018, relations between the Czech Republic and the United States of America are excellent. The long friendship of the United States and the Czech Republic is cemented by the millions of Americans Continued on Page 20.
Rain can’t stop cookers at 18th Annual SPJST Lodge 29, Taylor Cook-off
Lodge 29, Taylor member Nancy Bigon helps prepare the entries for judging.
For the second consecutive weekend, rain drenched Taylor, but it did not wash away cookers for the 18th annual SPJST Lodge 29, Taylor Barbecue Cook-Off on Saturday, September 29. Despite the weather, 74 teams from all across the state competed in the cook-off. This year, the fifth Taylor BBQ Legend Award was presented to Irene Michna of Taylor. Michna and her family have been involved in cook-offs in Taylor for many years. The award is given to someone who has been influential in the barbecue
by Jason Hennington • Taylor Press community in the Taylor area. The More cook-off pictures award is presented on behalf of Taylor on pages 7 to 9. SPJST, Taylor Chamber of Commerce, Taylor Rodeo Association, and Taylor International BBQ. Members of SPJST Lodge 29, Taylor thanked all of the cookers and judges for weathering the elements to make the cook-off a success. Lodge 29 Youth Club also held a silent auction inside the hall on Saturday. Proceeds from the auction will go towards adopting needy families in the Cook-Off Chairman Jesse Pospisil proudly displays the trophies the awards ceremony. Jesse and member Frankie PusteTaylor community during Christmas. before jovsky, not pictured, constructed the wood part for the top 10 —SPJST— trophies, and they also made the other 54 awards.
N N N N N N N N Inside This Week’s Věstník N N N N N N N N Interest Rates.......................................3 Important Dates ...................................3 District News .......................................4 Recipe...................................................5 Lodge Section......................................6 Youth Section.....................................16
In Memoriam ......................................16 Death Claims......................................17 Czech Culture ....................................18 Czech Heritage Contests .............21,24 Advertisements .................................21 Lodge Calendar .................................22
Scenes from Lodge 47 Seaton Outdoor Extravaganza
Lodge 13 Dime Box hosts successful casino night Page 6
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Lodge 142 Houston honors Alice Jochen for 39 years of service Page 13