Calendar of Events

Saturday, June 15, 2013

SLOVAK FOLK ARCHITECTURE: A TWO-PART TALK:
• TRADITIONAL HOMES AND VILLAGES
• VILLAGE WORSHIP SPACES

Talk by Prof. Joseph M. Samson

Where: Second-Floor Meeting Room, Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA (located midway between the Virginia Square-GMU and Ballston-MU Metro stations) (Map )

When: “Traditional Homes and Villages” – 1:30PM
“Village Worship Spaces” – 3:00PM

Cost: free

Traditional lifestyles in rural Slovakia were adapted to the country’s many varied landforms, while in the cities merchants and craftsmen lived lives similar to their counterparts in Western Europe. Villages and towns, as well as the houses in them, were designed to protect people, minimize the use of energy, and be flexible and efficient. They varied from region to region, adapting to the unique climatic and cultural situation of each region, and making use of craftsmanship and unique design elements.

Urban churches in Slovakia are similar to churches in Western Europe, and are often simply not as old. In contrast, churches in rural areas tend to use economical, common, local materials, as well as craftsmanship techniques that are creative, while still being of the people. It is in the northeast of the country, where the Lutheran, Byzantine-Rite Catholic, and Orthodox faiths (discouraged under Roman Catholic Habsburg domination) co-exist, that the most unique folk architecture developed. Often designed to meet economic or political restrictions and constraints, these churches nevertheless were spiritual and inspirational spaces.

Joseph Samson is a professor in the Architecture and Facility Management Department at Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI. He: is the lead faculty member in the Facility Management program area; teaches in the Architecture program; is a Certified Facility Manager; is licensed as an architect in Michigan; and has worked as an architect, project manager, and staff architect in the greater Cleveland area. His mother was Slovak and his family maintains regular contact with their Slovak relatives. He has travelled to Slovakia three times for personal, as well as academic, purposes, and in 2003, as his sabbatical project, he studied the historic wooden folk churches of northeast Slovakia, which led to publications and lectures.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

SLOVAK-AMERICAN WRITERS: LITTLE KNOWN OR NOT AT ALL

Talk by Diana Zidova

Where: Second-Floor Meeting Room, Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA (located midway between the Virginia Square-GMU and Ballston-MU Metro stations) (Map )

When: 2:00PM

Cost: free

Diana Zidova will introduce little-known American writers who embrace their Slovak ancestry in novels, short stories, memoirs, or poems. These authors usually write in quest of an identity, recollecting pieces of their lives or retelling the stories of parents and grandparents who emigrated from Austria-Hungary to find a new home in America. Thomas Bell, Vasil Stefan Koban, and Milan Kovacovic are just a few such writers.

Diana Zidova is a PhD student in the Department of English and American Studies, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia. She is currently working on her dissertation about literary works produced by the descendents of Slovak emigrants to America.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

SV. MIKULÁŠ (ST. NICHOLAS) PARTY

Join us for a traditional celebration of Slovak customs, music, and food, featuring a buffet dinner of traditional halušky, pirohy, guláš, kapustnica, ham, Slovak potato salad, and Slovak pastries; the music of the renowned Slovak folk band Pajtáši; and for the children, a scheduled visit by Sv. Mikuláš himself.

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 2:00pm - 5:00pm (doors open at 1:30pm)

Cost: $30/person for SASW members; $35/person for non-members; children age 12 and under free

Admission is payable in cash or check at the door. To expedite entry, please have your check already made out, payable to SASW. You may also join or renew your SASW membership at that time. Also, we hope you will consider a donation toward SASW scholarships at VSM/City University in Slovakia.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
RSVP to Valerie McNeill, 703-241-0951 or vbuss714@hotmail.com, by November 29.

Those with small children should bring one small gift per child (wrapped and clearly labeled with the child’s name) to receive from Sv. Mikuláš.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

SASW Annual General Membership Meeting

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 12:30 - 4:30pm (A light luncheon will be provided.)

Cost: free

The meeting will include the election of three board members for three-year terms and a book talk by Dr. Joan Mohr (see below).

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Saturday, October 13, 2012

BOOK TALK: THE CZECH AND SLOVAK LEGION IN SIBERIA, 1917-1922

Talk by Dr. Joan Mohr

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 2:00pm

Cost: Free, but an RSVP is required, as space is limited. Please RSVP to SASW by the end of Wednesday, October 10, either via dcslovaks@yahoo.com or at (571) 265-4436.

During World War I and the Russian Revolution, a specialized battalion of ethnic Czech and Slovak former prisoners of war – the Legion – became a pawn in an international game of power and deceit. Fighting with hopes of founding a nation, the Legion's heartbreaking detour through Siberia became one of the greatest human interest stories of the war, and was chronicled weekly in the New York Times and the New York Herald. During their harrowing journey through Siberia, the legionnaires grudgingly became protectors of the Russian Treasury and of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, while accidentally precipitating the murder of the Russian royal family. Stripped of their weapons and betrayed by their former allies, over half of the legionnaires lost their lives. For political purposes, tales of the Legion's odyssey have been buried or expunged. The Czech and Slovak Legion in Siberia, 1917-1922 offers a thorough account of a once-hidden yet epic journey, shedding light on a fascinating but forgotten facet of World War I.

Joan McGuire Mohr is a U.S. historian and writer in military history, historical fiction, and biography. As an immigration historian, she specializes in Slavic immigration to the United States, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak homeland and host-settlement conditions between 1850 and World War I. She consults as a Research Fellow for the Institute for Learning, a think tank at the University of Pittsburgh, and for museums throughout the United States and the Iparmuveszeti Muzeum (Museum of Applied Arts) in Budapest. Dr. Mohr earned her BA at the University of Colorado at Boulder, an MA at the University of San Diego, and her PhD at the University of Pittsburgh She became a professor at the University of Pittsburgh while intermittently studying at Charles University in Prague, and at Comenius University in Bratislava. She served as contributing historian to the Czech & Slovak National Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, organizing, designing, and lecturing on an exhibit of rare World War I-era photographs and material culture.

Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Co-sponsored by the Czech and Slovak Heritage Association and the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences, Washington Chapter (SVUW).

Sunday, September 16, 2012

SASW picnic

Where: 606 Kentland Drive, Great Falls, VA (the home of Tonya and Nick Harmon), Phone: 703-444-2202. To get there: The Harmon family lives at 606 Kentland Drive in Great Falls, Virginia, near the intersection of Route 7 and Georgetown Pike, not far from Reston, VA. From Georgetown Pike, turn right on Seneca Road and go one mile, then turn left onto Kentland Drive. Their house is at the end of Kentland Drive, approximately one mile down, on the cul de sac, in the house on the left hand side. Park along the cul de sac or in the driveway.

When: 2:00-5:00PM

Cost: $12/members; $18/non-members; children 12 and under free. Members who are not current in their dues can either 1) pay non-member prices or 2) renew their membership for 2012 to qualify for member event prices. Admission is payable in cash or check upon arrival (consider also making a donation toward SASW scholarships at VSM/City University in Slovakia).

Join us for a Slovak-style picnic with our very own homemade Slovak sausage, chicken paprikash, pirohy, pumpkin strudel, and other dishes inspired by our homeland in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. We’ll be serving Slovak Zlatý bažant beer. Drinks will also include wine, bottled water, soft drinks, and iced tea.

Live Slovak music: A quartet from Orchester Praževica, which plays Slovak and Gypsy jazz, will play for us at 3:00pm. You can listen to some of their music at their music at http://www.prazevica.com/#!music.

Brush up on your cooking skills! This year, we’ll be having a Slovak Chef Idol Competition, with three teams competing to make the best "cauldron" style goulash (kotlíkový guláš). Each team will be provided with a basket of the same ingredients, and will assemble and cook their goulash in caldrons over an open fire. If you don’t cook, you can certainly judge!

For the kids, we’ll have activities such as a moon bounce, water slide, and trampoline. We’ll make sure there is plenty of kid-friendly food as well.

If you like, you’re welcome to bring a Slovak-inspired dessert. Or better yet, come by Tonya’s house on Saturday, September 15, to help prepare the food. We’ll be having an intense sausage-making session, with expert sausage makers on hand sharing Slovak family recipes passed down over several generations.

RSVPs are needed by 12:00 midnight, Thursday, September 13. Call Tonya Harmon at 703-444-2202 or email your intentions to attend the party, the food prep day, or let us know any food you would like to bring, to tharmon63@gmail.com. Carpooling may be available from the Metro – let us know if you need it.

Leftover food will be sold afterwards, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Sunday, June 03, 2012

REFLECTIONS ON MY TIME AS AMBASSADOR TO SLOVAKIA, AND SLOVAKIA TODAY

Talk by Former Ambassador Vincent Obsitnik

Where: Second-Floor Meeting Room, Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA (located midway between the Virginia Square-GMU and Ballston-MU Metro stations) (Map )

When: 2:00pm

Cost: Free, but an RSVP is required, as space is limited. Please RSVP to SASW by the end of Friday, June 1, either via dcslovaks@yahoo.com or at (571) 265-4436.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Vincent Obsitnik will discuss his personal and professional experiences, and the current state of affairs in Slovakia and Europe.

Vincent Obsitnik was born in Slovakia and is the first Slovak-American to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Slovak Republic. He immigrated with his parents to the United States prior to the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany. His father first worked as a coal miner in Pennsylvania, and eventually the family moved to New Jersey, where Ambassador Obsitnik grew up. After graduating from the Naval Academy with honors, Ambassador Obsitnik served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for five years. An MBA degree from American University led to a highly successful business career that included joint projects between the U.S. and Central Europe. Ambassador Obsitnik was also appointed by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, during which time he worked to bring international attention to the plight of the 17th- and 18th-century Greek Catholic wooden churches of Slovakia. This led to the restoration of two of the most endangered churches. Ambassador Obsitnik is fluent in the Slovak language.

Co-sponsored by the Friends of Slovakia.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

BOOK TALK: THE LINDEN AND THE OAK

Talk by Mark Wansa

Where: Braddock District Governmental Center, 9002 Burke Lake Rd., Burke, VA

Directions: From I-495, take the VA-620 W/Braddock Rd West exit, EXIT 54A. Keep right at the fork to go on to Braddock Rd (VA-620 W). Drive on Braddock Rd. about two miles. Gradually move into the left lane. When you see Holy Spirit Catholic Church on the right, you should be in the left lane to turn left onto Burke Lake Rd (VA 645). On Burke Lake Rd., the Kings Park Shopping Center will be on the right. You should be in the right lane. Go through the next traffic light at Rolling Road. The Braddock District Governmental Center will be just ahead on the right (Map ).

When: 2:00pm

Cost: free

The Linden and the Oak is a highly-acclaimed novel about two Carpatho-Rusyn families in a village of northeastern Slovakia, caught up in the tidal waves of World War I, revolution, and emigration from the Old Country to America. Author Mark Wansa will discuss the use of genealogy and family memories in writing a historical novel.

Mark Wansa was born in California and graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in history. Intrigued by the mysterious stories he heard in his youth, he became the first member of his family in 82 years to return to the Carpathian Mountain village of his father’s birth. The result of several years of research and interviews with long-lost family members in Slovakia, The Linden and the Oak is Mark’s first novel.

Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Co-sponsored by the Carpatho-Rusyn Society, National Capital Chapter.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

SLOVAK NEEDLEWORK ART TREASURES: THEIR TECHNIQUES, MOTIFS, AND MEANINGS

Talk by Dr. Inez Giles

Where: Second-Floor Meeting Room, Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA (located midway between the Virginia Square-GMU and Ballston-MU Metro stations) (Map)

When: 1:30pm

Cost: free

From the earliest times, every society has used the cross-stitch and the satin stitch as basic embroidery techniques. Over time, as skill levels increased and refined tastes developed, other techniques were added, reflecting political and economic influences in societies. In Slovakia, these advanced embroidery techniques include vyrez (cut work), mriezka (open work), kriva ihla (tambour), and beading, culminating in the zlata vysivka (gold work) embroidery from Piest'any and Trnava. Dr. Giles will look at creative needlework artistry that is uniquely Slovak, examine the motifs that Slovak embroiderers use to create their needlework art treasures, and look at specific Slovak textiles and folk costume pieces (kroj) and reflect on their context within Slovak society.

Attendees are invited to bring no more than three Slovak embroidered textiles for Dr. Giles to comment on (no appraisals will be done).

Inez Giles, is a professor of business and management, but her passion is, and always has been, Eastern European textile traditions. She is a certified judge with the National Academy of Needlearts (NAN) and a certified textile appraiser with the American Needlepoint Guild (ANG), specializing in Eastern European textile appraisals. Currently working on her NAN Honors research, Inez spends her free time traveling and researching Eastern European textile traditions. This summer she visited, and worked with, museum curators in Trnava, Slovakia, and worked with an artisan to learn kriva ihla, the tambour embroidery of Slovakia. The question which guides her research is: "How does this embroidered textile reflect the society in which it was created?"

Sunday, December 4, 2011

SV. MIKULÁŠ (ST. NICHOLAS) PARTY

Join us for a traditional celebration of Slovak customs, music, and food, featuring a buffet dinner; the music of the renowned Slovak folk band Pajtáši; and for the children, a scheduled visit by Sv. Mikuláš himself.

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 2:00pm - 5:00pm (doors open at 1:30pm)

Cost: $25 per person for SASW members; $30 for nonmembers; children age 10 & under, free.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. RSVP to Valerie McNeill, 703-241-0951 or vbuss714@hotmail.com, by November 25.
THE DEADLINE FOR RSVPs HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1st.

Those with small children should bring one small gift per child (wrapped and clearly labeled with the child’s name) to receive from Sv. Mikuláš.

Monday, November 21, 2011

SLOVAK FAMILY TRADITIONS

Talk by Professor Marta Botiková

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 6:30 pm (A light meal will be provided.)

Cost: free

The study of family relations and traditions is an important focus in the field of ethnology, looking at what families have in common and what features are specific to families in different areas. Slovakia’s families, traditionally large and extended, were significantly affected by the urbanization and industrialization of the 19th and 20th centuries, the politics and ideology of the second half of the 20th century, and the new political, economic, and social changes of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. In her presentation, Prof. Botiková will explore whether there are still any family traditions left today.

Please RSVP to SASW by the end of Thursday, November 17, either via dcslovaks@yahoo.com or (703) 869-7088.

Marta Botiková is chair of the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology at Comenius University, in Bratislava, with nearly thirty years of teaching and research experience in ethnology and cultural anthropology. Her areas of expertise are theories of ethnicity, family studies, ethnic and national minorities in Slovakia and abroad, and gender and area studies.

Friday, October 21, 2011

"Let the Earth Be Glad: Sacred Hymns of the Carpathian Mountains"

Concert by the Seminary Choir of the Blessed Paul Gojdich Seminary, Pre‘ov, Slovakia.

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 7:00pm

Cost: free

The Slovak Embassy and SASW are co-sponsoring this concert of sacred music based on the singing tradition of the Carpathian Mountains of eastern Slovakia and southwestern Ukraine. The program will include a liturgical selections and hymns in Church Slavic. For more information on the choir's tour, go to http://www.seminaryconcerttour.com.

Please RSVP to the Slovak Embassy at emb.washington@mzv.sk.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

SASW Annual General Membership Meeting

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BOOK TALK: The Prague Spring and the Warsaw Pact Invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1968: Forty Years Later

Talk by Professor Mark Stolarik

When: 2:00 pm

With the opening of the formerly inaccessible archives of the Warsaw Pact after the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989, scholars were able to use these sources to answer many lingering questions. Forty years after the forces of the Warsaw Pact invaded Czechoslovakia and put an end to the 'Prague Spring', eight scholars from the member states of this former military alliance gathered at the University of Ottawa in the fall of 2008 to present fresh interpretations of these tragic events. Leading scholars from the United States and Canada critiqued their work. Prof. Stolarik's book provides the latest scholarship on the 'Prague Spring' and the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Mark Stolarik is Professor of History and holder of the Chair in Slovak History and Culture at the University of Ottawa. From 1979 to 1991, he was president and CEO of the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies in Philadelphia, and director of its press. Prof. Stolarik is a specialist in the history of immigration and ethnic groups in North America, with emphasis on the Slovak experience. He has published seven books and over 60 articles in the field, including Slovaks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1880-1976 (1985) and Immigration and Urbanization: The Slovak Experience, 1870-1918 (1989). He was a consultant and contributor to the Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups (1980) and to the Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples (1999). At present, Prof. Stolarik is researching and writing the book Where Is My Home? A Slovak Odyssey in the 20th Century.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

SASW picnic

Where: 12910 Westbrook Dr., Fairfax, VA (home of Millie Schoepe-Evans)

When: 1:00 - 4:30pm

Cost: $10/members; $12/non-members; children 12 and under free. Members who are not current in their dues must either 1) pay non-member prices or 2) renew their membership for 2011 to qualify for member event prices.

Admission is payable in cash or check upon arrival (consider also making a donation toward SASW scholarships at VSM/City University in Slovakia). Includes food, desserts, drinks (i.e. soft drinks, wine, or two bottles of beer), recorded Slovak music, and volleyball.
Join us for a Slovak-style picnic, this year organized jointly with the Washington Slovak Meetup group and Slovakcooking.com. We will be grilling specially-made Slovak sausages and will have segedínsky guláš (sauerkraut stew with pork) with bread. Additionally, we will have živánska (pork or beef marinated with paprika and baked with potatoes, onions, peppers, and klobasa), with tvarohové, orechové, and cabbage rezance-for kids and vegetarians, and Slovak Zlatý bažant beer.
Please consider bringing a small dessert or side dish (enough for about four persons). Everyone should also bring chairs.

RSVPs Needed by 12:00 midnight, Thursday, September 29. Call Tom Marton at 301-946-9174, or send an e-mail to dcslovaks@yahoo.com.

Leftover food will be sold afterwards on a first-come, first-served basis. We will also have a fundraising raffle.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

COMMUNISM'S TWISTED PATHS INTO CHRISTIAN SLOVAKIA

Talk by Dr. George Meško

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 2:00 pm

Cost: free

What were the ideological origins of the Marxist and socialist ideas that made their way into heavily Catholic Slovakia? George Meško will discuss these beginnings based on the research he did for his book Po stopách komunizmu a míľniky slovenskej krútňavy [In the footsteps of Communism and milestones of the Slovak maelstrom].

Dr. George Meško, a retired pediatric cardiologist, practiced in Slovakia until the Warsaw Pact invasion of Slovakia in 1968 stranded him and his family outside the country. Eventually they made their way to the U.S., where he practiced medicine and taught, while pursuing his love of history as a hobby. His previous book, combining the topics of history and medicine, was published in English as The Silent Conspiracy: A Communist Model of Political Cleansing at the Slovak University in Bratislava After the Second World War.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

BOOK TALK: MY SLOVAKIA, MY FAMILY (MOJE SLOVENSKO, MOJA RODINA)

Talk by John Palka

Where: Second-Floor Meeting Room, Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA (located midway between the Virginia Square-GMU and Ballston-MU Metro stations) (map)

When: 6:30pm (A light meal will be provided.)

Cost: free

My Slovakia, My Family simultaneously tells the story of the Slovak nation and of John Palka’s extended family, which includes his grandfather, Milan Hodža, the Czechoslovak prime minister from 1935 to 1938.

John Palka, Professor of Biology Emeritus at the University of Washington, is a two-time refugee who acculturated to, and built a successful career in, the United States, but who never lost a deeply-felt connection with his Slovak homeland or his facility with the language. Video clips of John's interview for the Oral History Project conducted by the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library can be seen at http://www.ncsml.org/Oral-History/All-Interviews/20100407/39/Palka-John.aspx.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

BOOK TALK: TALES FROM SLOVAK CASTLES

Talk by Lucy King and Sylvia Lorinc

Where: Bertucci’s Restaurant (private room), 2000 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. (next to George Washington University) (map)

When: 11:00am

Cost: The talk is free, but individuals will order and pay for their own lunch (Restaurant menu)

Tales from Slovak Castles, written by Lucy King and Sylvia Lorinc, is based on Dr. Ludovit Janota's Slovenske hrady, a collection of oral tales that was published in 1935 and is currently out of print. The stories from 15 castles in Slovakia include romance, war, mystery, comedy, and myth. Each chapter introduces a castle and then follows it up with a tale and notes explaining the historic significance of the people in the tale.

Lucille P. King was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, to parents of Slovak descent. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelors degree in economics and later received a teaching certificate in mathematics from California University. Lucy studied the Slovak language with Sylvia Lorinc, at the University of Pittsburgh, and at Comenius University in Bratislava. Currently, she owns the store La Boheme and the Connellsville Bed and Breakfast, located along the Great Allegheny Passage in Connellsville, Pennsylvania.

Sylvia M. Lorinc was born in Bratislava, but left Slovakia with her mother after the Soviet Invasion in 1968, living as refugees in Austria until Canada offered them political asylum. It was in Montreal that she met her future husband, John Lorinc, an American, and moved to the United States after marrying. At the University of Pittsburgh Sylvia earned a bachelors and a masters degree, then taught Slovak at the University of Pittsburgh, and Russian for the Pittsburgh School District. Sylvia knew Dr. Janota, the author of the original work, when she was a little girl in Bratislava. A close friend of the family, he often entertained them by telling these stories. So rapturously did Sylvia listen, that Dr. Janota, who had no heirs, willed her these books.

Copies of Tales from Slovak Castles will be available for purchase and signing.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Sv. Mikulas (St. Nicholas) party

Join us for a traditional celebration of Slovak customs, music, and food, featuring a buffet dinner of traditional mushroom soup, pork schnitzels, Slovak potato salad, holubky (meat and vegetarian), pirohy, ham, salad, and desserts; the music of the renowned Slovak folk band Pajtáši; and for the children, a scheduled visit by Sv. Mikulá‘ himself. Ms. Toni Brendel, author of Slovak-American Touches, will also attend and sign copies of her book.

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 2:00pm - 5:00pm (doors open at 1:30pm)

Cost: $25/person for SASW members; $30/person for non-members; children age 10 and under free

Admission is payable in cash or check at the door. To expedite entry, please have your check already made out, payable to SASW. You may also join or renew your SASW membership at that time. Also, we hope you will consider a donation toward SASW scholarships at VSM/City University in Slovakia.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
RSVP to Valerie McNeill, 703-241-0951 or vbuss714@hotmail.com, by December 1.

Those with small children should bring one small gift per child (wrapped and clearly labeled with the child’s name) to receive from Sv. Mikuláš.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

SASW Annual General Membership Meeting

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 12:30 - 4:00pm (A light luncheon will be provided.)

Cost: free

The meeting will include the election of three board members for three-year terms and a talk by Marcel Jesenský (see below).

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BETWEEN REALPOLITIK AND IDEALISM: THE SLOVAK-POLISH BORDER, 1918-47

Talk by Marcel Jesenský

When: 2:00pm

In 1918-19, when Czecho-Slovakia and Poland failed to settle their border issues by themselves, they consented to accept the decision of the Paris Peace Conference. Unfortunately, border delimitations between the two countries very rapidly degenerated into Realpolitik arm-twisting. An idealistic idea of a self-determination plebiscite ultimately gave way to a solution that combined Realpolitik, negotiations, and behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

Marcel Jesenský is a doctoral candidate (ABD) and a Sessional Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Ottawa. He received an M.Sc. and an M.A. from universities in Slovakia and Canada, has worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, and served as a diplomat at the Slovak Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. He specializes in the history of international relations and diplomacy, and Central Europe and European integration.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

HOW YOUR ANCESTORS CAME TO AMERICA AND HOW TO FIND THEIR RECORDS

Talk by Tom Sadauskas

Where:McLean Government Center, 1437 Balls Hill Road, McLean, VA

When: 12:00 noon

Cost: free

Every family with immigrant ancestors has stories of how their family first arrived in America. Many of these stories contain grains of truth as well as unsubstantiated myths. This presentation looks at the immigration process that our ancestors went through to come here to America, as well as the kinds of records that document their travels from their European village to America.

Tom Sadauskas has been conducting genealogical research actively since 2000, focusing primarily on his Lithuanian ancestry and making several trips to Lithuania and Germany. He has been successful in reestablishing contact with relatives in Lithuania, as well as contacting newly uncovered relatives. Tom was part of the first group of genealogists to visit the International Tracing Service (ITS) archives, with its 50 million records on 17.5 million individuals, in May 2008, following the opening of the archives to the public. He is a 2008 graduate of the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR), and has been a speaker at several genealogical conferences.

Co-sponsored by the Carpatho-Rusyn Society, National Capital Chapter.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

SASW picnic

Where: 12910 Westbrook Dr., Fairfax, VA (home of Millie and Jim)

When: 1:00 - 4:30pm

Cost: $10/members; $12/non-members; children 12 and under free

Admission is payable in cash or check upon arrival (consider also making a donation toward SASW scholarships at VSM/City University in Slovakia). All are asked to bring a small dessert (enough for about 4 persons) to share. Everyone should also bring chairs.

Please RSVP, BY THURSDAY, JUNE 24, to Tom Marton at 301-946-9174 or e-mail SASW at dcslovaks@yahoo.com.

This year's Slovak-style picnic is organized jointly with the Washington Slovak Meetup Group and Slovakcooking.com. We will be grilling specially-made sausage and fašírka (a Slovak-style hamburger), with boiled potatoes and parsley (varené mladé zemiaky s maslom), a cabbage and noodle dish (kapustové halušky), cucumber salad (uhorkový šalát), with watermelon slices (čerstvý melón) and Slovak Zlatý bažant beer. Leftover food will be sold afterwards on a first-come, first-served basis. We will also have a fundraising raffle.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

TO JE ALE MUZIKA! WHAT'S SO SLOVAK ABOUT SLOVAK POP MUSIC?

Talk by Ben Sorensen

Where: 2nd Floor Meeting Room, Arlington County Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St, Arlington, VA (midway between Virginia Square and Ballston Metro stations)

When: 2:00pm

Cost:free

What's so Slovak about Slovak popular music? Ben will explore its folk-music roots to identify the elements that have been carried over into Slovak pop music, giving it a distinct flavor. He’ll show us examples of what’s out there now and talk about how it’s evolved.

Ben Sorensen graduated with a BA in History and Music, only to move to Slovakia to fall in love with ethnomusicology and Slovak folk music. He learned to play the fujara and píšťalka in the fields of Podpolanie while also fronting a bluegrass band (Longhorns) and a progressive rock band (SIX) in Poprad.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

SVADOBNÉ NÔTY: CEREMONIAL WEDDING TUNES AND SLOVAK TRADITIONAL CULTURE

Talk by Jadranka Važanová

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 2:00pm

Cost:free

Svadobné nôty are wedding tune(s) that are unique to a locale and are sung a cappella, usually by women, during ritual moments of the ceremony. What role do these tunes play in the traditional wedding ceremony and how do they fit into the broader context of traditional village culture?

Jadranka Važanová graduated in musicology and aesthetics from Comenius University in Bratislava and received her PhD in ethnomusicology from the City University of New York, with a dissertation entitled “Svadobné nôty: Ceremonial Wedding Tunes in the Context of Slovak Traditional Culture“ (2008). Ms. Važanová is a senior editor at RILM Abstracts of Music Literature in New York, where she translates, abstracts, and indexes music writings in Slavic languages and German.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

COOKING WITH MILLIE (HOLUBKY)

SASW founding member Millie Schoepe-Evans will conduct a hands-on lesson in making holubky, the Slovak stuffed cabbage rolls that are such a hit at our annual Sv. Mikuláš party. Participants will watch Millie demonstrate the various steps, then will make holubky themselves, taking home the finished product. A recipe will be provided, but bring a pen or pencil to take notes and an apron to wear while you work.

Where: 12910 Westbrook Dr., Fairfax, VA (Millie's house)

When: 10:00am

Cost: $5/person, payable in cash at the start of the event. PLEASE NOTE THAT SASW MEMBERS WILL BE GIVEN PRIORITY.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED, AND WILL BE LIMITED TO THE FIRST 10 PERSONS TO RSVP TO dcslovaks@yahoo.com .

Saturday, March 6, 2010

COOKING WITH MILLIE (HALUSHKY)

SASW founding member Millie Schoepe-Evans will conduct a hands-on lesson in making halushky, delicious Slovak dumplings made from potatoes. Participants will watch Millie demonstrate the various steps, then will make halushky themselves, taking home the finished product. A recipe will be provided, but bring a pen or pencil to take notes and an apron to wear while you work.

Where: 12910 Westbrook Dr., Fairfax, VA (Millie's house)

When: 10:00am

Cost: $5/person, payable in cash at the start of the event.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED, AND WILL BE LIMITED TO THE FIRST 10 PERSONS TO RSVP TO dcslovaks@yahoo.com .

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Sv. Mikulas (St. Nicholas) party

Join us for a traditional celebration of Slovak customs, music, and food, featuring a buffet dinner of kapustnica, pirohy, stuffed cabbage, and dessert, the music of the renowned Slovak folk band Pajtáši, and for the children, a scheduled visit by Sv. Mikuláš himself.

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 2:00pm - 5:00pm (doors open at 1:30pm)

Cost: $25/person for SASW members; $30/person for non-members; children age 10 and under free

Admission is payable in cash or check at the door. To expedite entry, please have your check already made out, payable to SASW. You may also join or renew your SASW membership at that time.
Also, we hope you will consider a donation toward SASW scholarships at VSM/City University in Slovakia.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
RSVP to Valerie McNeill, 703-241-0951 or vbuss714@hotmail.com, by December 1.

Those with small children should bring one small gift per child (wrapped and clearly labeled with the child’s name) to receive from Sv. Mikuláš.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

SASW Annual General Membership Meeting

Where: Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 E. Capitol St., Washington, DC.

When: Noon - 4:00pm (A light luncheon will be provided.)

Cost:free

The meeting will include the election of three board members for three-year terms and a talk by H.E. Dr. Branislav Lichardus on the opening of diplomatic relations between Slovakia and the U.S., and on City University in Slovakia (which we support with scholarship funds).

Branislav Lichardus was the first ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the U.S., and is currently the rector of the College of Management of City University in Bratislava.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN SLOVAKIA: FROM THE UNDERGROUND TO THE VELVET REVOLUTION, AND 20 YEARS LATER

Talk by Professor David Doellinger

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 1:30pm

Cost:free

Professor Doellinger will talk about the Slovak secret church before 1989, the part it played in the Velvet Revolution, and the church’s role in the 20 years since the collapse of communism.

David Doellinger is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of History at Western Oregon University, Monmouth, OR.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

INTERRUPTED LIVES: CATHOLIC SISTERS UNDER EUROPEAN COMMUNISM

Documentary

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 3:00pm

Cost:free

A one-hour documentary that explores the lives and experiences of Greek-Catholic and Roman-Catholic nuns in Eastern and Central Europe under communism. Filmed on location in Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, and the United States.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

SASW picnic

Where: 12910 Westbrook Dr., Fairfax, VA (home of Millie and Jim)

When: 1:00 - 4:00pm

Cost: $8/members; $12 non-members; children under 12 free

Admission is payable in cash or check upon arrival (consider also making a donation toward SASW scholarships at VSM/City University in Slovakia). All are asked to bring a dish to share: those whose last name begins with A-O should bring a salad or a side dish, and those whose last name begins with P-Z should bring a dessert. Everyone should also bring chairs.

Please RSVP to (301) 946-9174

Come enjoy specially-made klobasa (Slovak sausage), hamburgers, side dishes, desserts, and Slovak beer. Bob Rychlik will entertain us with hauntingly beautiful music on his fujara (Slovak shepherd's pipe).

Saturday, April 25, 2009

THE MEDIA AND THE NATION IN 20TH-CENTURY SLOVAKIA

Talk by Professor Owen V. Johnson

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 2:00pm

Cost:free

During the last century, the Slovak mass media used a variety of ways to foster a sense of nation among the people of Slovakia. In return, public opinion and the Slovak people’s responses influenced the forms that the media took and the way that it operated throughout the 20th-century: under Hungary, during the interwar republic, in the wartime Slovak state, during postwar democracy, in the communist period through the "Prague" Spring, under post-1968 communism, and in the 1989-92 coda.

Owen Johnson is an Associate Professor in the Indiana University School of Journalism, Bloomington, IN, where he specializes in the sociocultural roles and functions of journalism in Central and East European societies, and in selected topics in U.S. journalism history.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

BABA'S KITCHEN: SLOVAK & RUSYN FAMILY RECIPES AND TRADITIONS

Talk by author Lisa Alzo

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 3:00pm

Cost:free

Some of Lisa Alzo’s fondest memories from childhood are the times spent in her Baba's kitchen: the aromas of fresh bread baking in the oven and chicken soup simmering on the stove, the blending together of voices young and old, and her grandmother in her apron and babushka. The kitchen served as the center of their home and as the place where some of life's most important lessons were taught and learned, simple principles of generosity, honesty, and love. It was also in this kitchen that Lisa learned to eat the foods and celebrate the traditions that were central to her Slovak and Rusyn heritage. Baba's Kitchen is a collection of recipes and traditions passed down through the generations in Lisa’s family. In this book she shares them as a tribute to her grandmothers and to the Rusyn and Slovak women everywhere who continue to preserve and share their cooking, rituals, and traditions.

Lisa Alzo grew up in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, and is the author of several books on Slovak and Rusyn subjects: Three Slovak Women, Baba's Kitchen, Finding Your Slovak Ancestors, and Slovak Pittsburgh. She is also an avid genealogist.

Copies of Baba’s Kitchen will be available for purchase and signing.

Co-sponsored by the Carpatho-Rusyn Society, National Capital Chapter.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

WHAT’S SHAPING MODERN SLOVAKIA’S DEMOCRACY?

Talk by John A. Scherpereel of James Madison University

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 2:00pm

Cost:free

Many different internal and external forces have influenced Slovak policymakers in re-organizing and re-orienting Slovakia during the past 20 years. New regions have been established and real power sometimes shared with them. How do ordinary Slovaks see this and how have they reacted to the changes?

John A. Scherpereel is assistant professor of political science at James Madison University.

Copies of Governing the Czech Republic and Slovakia: Between State Socialism and the European Union will be available for purchase and signing by Prof. Scherpereel.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Sv. Mikulas (St. Nicholas) party

Join us for a traditional celebration of Slovak customs, music, and food, featuring a buffet dinner of guláš, kapustnica, stuffed peppers, and dessert, the music of the renowned Slovak folk band Pajtáši, and for the children, a scheduled visit by Sv. Mikuláš himself.

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Cost: $25/person for SASW members; $30/person for non-members; children age 10 and under free

(Please note that the increase in admission is to offset our specially-prepared menu.)

Admission is payable in cash or check at the door. To expedite entry, please have your check already made out, payable to SASW. You may also join or renew your SASW membership at that time.
Also, we hope you will consider a donation toward SASW scholarships at VSM/City University in Slovakia.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
RSVP to Valerie McNeill, 703-241-0951 or vbuss714@hotmail.com, by December 3.

Those with small children should bring one small gift per child (wrapped and clearly labeled with the child’s name) to receive from Sv. Mikuláš.

For printable flyer please click here.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

ANNUAL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 1:00pm

Saturday, November 1, 2008

1989 in Slovakia: Why Communism in Czechoslovakia Failed So Spectacularly

Talk by Professor T. Mills Kelly of George Mason University

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 2:30pm

Cost: free

The 20th anniversary of the end of Communist rule in Central Europe is fast approaching. With the perspective of 20 years, how do we remember those exciting days and what have we learned about why Communism in Czechoslovakia failed so spectacularly?

T. Mills Kelly is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and Art History, and the Associate Director of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.

Wednesday, October 9, 2008

Siren of the Waters

Book presentation and signing

by Michael Genelin

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 7:00pm

Cost: free

Michael Genelin will read from his new book Siren of the Waters, the first in a new series of crime novels featuring Jana Matinova, a commander on the Slovak police force.

Michael Genelin, a graduate of UCLA and the UCLA Law School, has served in the LA District Attorney’s Office and the US Department of Justice in Central Europe. He has written for film and been adviser to television series. He now lives with his wife and daughter in Paris.

Books will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

Co-sponsored by Soho Press

Saturday, September 20, 2008

"Crossing the Continents and the Atlantic: An Early Slovak Account"

Talk by Professor Martin Votruba of the University of Pittsburgh

Where: Slovak Embassy

When: 2:00pm

Cost: free

An observant Slovak farmer wrote a remarkable, detailed account of his journey to the U.S. in 1913. Its careful reading gives us a rare insight into the logistics of the endeavor undertaken by hundreds of thousands of others, and into their personal experiences and first impressions of their new homeland.

Martin Votruba is a professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, and the head of the Slovak Studies Program, at the University of Pittsburgh.