St. Vitus Summer 2009 Picnic

Aloha and a Success

The annual St.Vitus Parish summer picnic, held on July 19, 2009 at Slovenska Pristava in Harpersfield , Ohio , concluded as a successful day filled with fellowship, friendship, and support by parishioners, friends, and benefactors of the parish. The event began with a Noon Mass celebrated by Father Joseph P. Boznar, pastor, St. Vitus. Fr. Boznar’s homily centered on the theme of enjoying the beauty of God’s creation in the world. He also noted that there is always time for each person to pray and work, each person should also make time available to relax and enjoy the company of people. He noted that while each person has personal responsibility in life, there is also responsibility to a family as well as the broader community.  

Immediately following the Mass a well-prepared dinner was provided under the direction of Linda Plecnik and dedicated volunteers from the parish. The 414 dinners were quickly served with the main portion of the dinner consisting of chicken and a variation of pork, in line with the Polynesian/Hawaiian theme. Side dishes included Slovenian home style potatoes, a wide variety of salads, rice, various summer vegetables, bread/butter, choice of beverage and home-made pastry.  

The afternoon consisted of children’s games, as well as enjoying the newly installed playground area for younger children, and the wonderful listening and dancing sounds of Veseli Godci (Happy Musicians) Orchestra. As a special treat, Polynesian/Hawaiian dancers, including a fire dancer, performed around 5:30PM and gave a thrilling 45-to-60 minutes of entertainment for all in attendance.

The weather was perfect: sunny, some clouds, a nice breeze and low humidity that made this July annual parish picnic a most enjoyable day. Hundreds of people attended the event to enjoy good food, a wide variety of refreshments, good entertainment, the pleasant company of many people, and the overall welcoming and family atmosphere of Slovenska Pristava. For those seeking to cool off during the day, the junior sized Olympic pool was a welcomed relief.  The kitchen provided more than ample servings of food during the remainder of the afternoon under the direction of Ani Zitko and the many wonderful parish volunteers and friends. A food specialty, known as “cevapcici (rolled lamb, veal, pork, etc., with a number of spices and cooked on an open barbeque grill),” was provided under able direction of the Bratkovic and Jurkovic families. Every person in attendance commented on how pleasant the volunteers were as well as the wide variety of food.     

Side Chinese and special raffles were held. The Main Raffle was held at 7:15PM with an assortment of prizes for one and all. The parish had on display in the Lausche Hall an a series of photographs to provide a visual presentation of the (old) wooden church as well as when the new church was built, on the parish school building, auditorium, and other photos of parish life.    

The main purpose of the annual summer parish picnic is to promote fellowship, cooperation, and friendship between parishioners and friends of the parish as well as a time to socialize and meet old and or new friends while the secondary purpose is to raise funds for specific parish projects. This year’s net proceeds are to be used for the current restoration of the historic Holtkamp church organ, built and installed in 1932. This is the first entire restoration of the church organ. The organ work itself will cost up to $230,000 with additional cost of $50,000 for the blower room and related tasks. The entire project will therefore cost at least $285,000.   

Over $100,000 has been raised to date for this project. An announcement was made at the picnic that an anonymous family had a “challenge matching grant” whereby for each $1.00 raised another $1.00 would be matched by this family, up to a maximum matching amount of $100,000. Father Boznar was presented with the matching grant of $100,000 at the picnic. It was noted however that while this was a tremendous gift the remaining funds for this project still need to be raised by the end of the year. Fr Boznar also reported that the organ and component parts are at the Holtkamp Organ Co shop undergoing restoration work with a targeted completion and installation date in fall 2009. Significant donations toward the organ restoration project include a $30,000 grant (three-year grant, $10,000 each year for 2007, 2008, and 2009) from the Frances and Jane S. Lausche Foundation and a one-time $25,000 grant from the Kulas Foundation. Our gratitude to both foundations for thier encourging support; and specifically the Lausche Foundation for its continued support of the mission of St Vitus Parish.    

A note of thanks to Slovenian American Times, KSKJ Voice, Our Voice (AMLA), News Herald, Catholic Universe Bulletin, Tony Petkovsek Jr., Edi Mejac and Friends of Slovenian Program, Tony Ovsenik (Slovenian Hour), Plain Dealer, and all other media outlets for announcing this event to the general public. An accounting report should be completed within the next 45 days. ON a closing note, congratulations to Frank Zitko, chairperson, and members of the parish summer picnic committee for planning and implementing a pleasant summer event as well as for the great cooperation with the management and board of Slovenska Pristava.