prosveta News Second entrant joins the Miss SNPJ Pageant field by KEVIN RICHARDS SNPJ Fraternal Director

Transcription

1 News prosveta for Your Official Publication of the Slovene National Benefit Society YEAR CIV USPS: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2011 ISSUE 6 ISSN: Second entrant joins the Miss SNPJ Pageant field by KEVIN RICHARDS SNPJ Fraternal Director IMPERIAL, Pa. The SNPJ Fraternal Department is pleased to introduce the second contestant to enter the 2011 Miss SNPJ Pageant, Sydney Battersby, a member of Lodge 787 in Boca Raton, Fla. Sydney is the daughter of Dr. Gregg and Amy Battersby; and the granddaughter of Joe and Millie Virant (787), and the late Dr. Jack and Norma Battersby. A senior at one of the few Montessori High Schools in the country, Sydney serves as student council president and has received numerous awards for her art work. A cross-country runner and figure skater, Sydney is also active in tennis, softball and basketball, and is an avid violist. She volunteers her time as a figure skating coach for special needs children. In addition, she is on a team that organizes a charity half-marathon race, raising money to aid in the recovery of cancer patients. Sydney is active with many musical groups in her community, performing in a variety of productions. She is a member of the Celebration Singers, a choir that has traveled and performed at many locations throughout the Carolinas. Sydney has attended several SNPJ Youth Roundup weeks at the SNPJ Recreation Center SEE PAGEANT ENTRANT ON PAGE 9 SYDNEY BATTERSBY (787) In This Issue Up-and-Coming Calendar of Events... 2 Slovenia From the Source... 3 Slovenska Stran... 4 SNPJ Recommender Coupon... 6 SNPJ Fraternal Honorees Winter Classic Bowling Results... 9 SNPJ National Bowl Entry Form SNPJ Fraternal Sympathies briefly Society sympathies for Lodge 3 president IMPERIAL, Pa. The SNPJ Home Office has been notified of the Jan. 30, 2011, passing of Bro. Joseph M. Znidersich, president of Lodge 3 in Johnstown, Pa. On behalf of the entire Society, the members of the Executive Committee and Home Office staff extend their condolences to Bro. Znidersich s family and friends on their loss. See page 10 for the complete obituary. Lodge 41 makes plans for March 27 meeting IRWIN, Pa. The members of Pleasant Valley Lodge 41 will meet Sunday, March 27, at the Pleasant Valley Club, 1100 Valley Club Dr. in Irwin, beginning at 12:30 p.m. All Lodge 41 members are urged to attend. JO ANN RASPOTNIK Lodge 41 Secretary Four Lodges team up to host Rec Center Fraternal Weekend by KEVIN RICHARDS Lodge 106 BOROUGH OF SNPJ, Pa. Everyone is invited to the SNPJ Recreation Center in the Borough of SNPJ Friday and Saturday, Aug , for a weekend of fun sponsored by SNPJ Lodges 6, 106, 138 and 715. The weekend kicks off Friday, Aug. 12, with music by the Western Pa. Button Box Club as they host a jam session in the Gostilna from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Activity on Saturday, Aug. 13, includes balina and horseshoes tournaments beginning at 9 a.m. Get your teams together and enter the competitions. The fun will continue into the afternoon and evening on Saturday with a free dance at the upper pavilion beginning at 3 p.m. featuring the Superstars x 2 SNPJ National President JOSEPH C. EVANISH presented the officers of Strabane, Pa., Lodge 138 with their second SNPJ Super Star Lodge banner in as many years. Lodge 138 is the only Lodge, to date, to twice achieve Super Star status in the Lodge Rewards Program. Pictured are [from left] Lodge 138 Treasurer BEVERLY PABIAN, Secretary BOB LAWRENCE Sr., Recording Secretary COURTNEY PABIAN, Bro. EVANISH, President RICK HERVOL and Youth Circle 19 Director KAREN BRUMBAUGH. Congratulations, Lodge 138! sounds of The Mansfield 5, the Eddie Rodick Orchestra and more. We will be roasting a pig, and the kitchen will be offering a full menu. Be sure to check out the classic cars that will be on display at the car cruise. A beanbag toss tournament is planned as well. Members of all four sponsoring Lodges will sell drawing tickets to help defray the cost of the weekend. Tickets are only $5 each for a chance to win $3,000. The prize will be awarded based on the July 4 Pennsylvania Daily Number drawn at 7 p.m. On behalf of the members of Lodges 6, 106, 138 and 715, we look forward to seeing you at the SNPJ Recreation Center Aug as we enjoy the spirit of fraternalism throughout the entire weekend. PERIODICAL MATERIAL East Ohio/Western Pa. Fed to meet March 27 GIRARD, Ohio A meeting of the SNPJ Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania Federation is planned Sunday, March 27, beginning at 2 p.m. The meeting will be held at Amen Corner Restaurant, 20 West Main St. in Girard, Ohio. On behalf of the Federation, I would like to express our sincere sympathy to Elsie Furin on the recent loss of her husband, Federation President Adam Furin. All delegates should attend the March 27 meeting as we will need to elect a new president. CATHY KALENITS (776) Federation Secretary Lodge 776 schedules mid-april meeting date BOROUGH OF SNPJ, Pa. SNPJ Lodge 776 members will gather for their regular meeting Sunday, April 10, at the SNPJ Recreation Center. The meeting will begin at 2 p.m. VONNIE DOMBROSKY Lodge 776 Recording Secretary Sharon Slovenian Home hosts SNPJ presentation SHARON, Pa. SNPJ Sales Director Bud Paladino will be presenting information on SNPJ life insurance, annuities and final expense products in the Sharon area Wednesday, March 30. The presentation will be held at the Sharon Slovenian Home, 1037 Baldwin Ave., beginning at 6:30 p.m. For more information contact Bro. Paladino by phoning or ing bpaladino@snpj.com. THE DEADLINE Take the bus to the 75th National Bowl in Detroit by LINDA GORJUP (158) District 4 Athletic Director EUCLID, Ohio That s right. It s time to leave the driving to someone else. District 4 Athletic Director Linda Gorjup is hosting a bus to the SNPJ National Bowling Tournament, scheduled April 30-May 1. The cost is only $50 per person, which includes your round-trip bus ticket, and refreshments and snacks on Saturday s ride. The bus is scheduled to leave C.E. Orr Arena Saturday, April 30, at 7:30 a.m. and return Sunday, May 1, no later than 9 p.m. The bus is open to all SNPJ members in the District 4 area. A stop on the West Side will be considered if needed. Bowling on April 30 will consist of doubles and singles. We will be scheduled on the 1 p.m. shift at Sunnybrook Lanes in Sterling Heights, Mich. The team event will be May 1 at 10 a.m. Bowling entries are due by March 31. Rooms that sleep up to four people are available at Sunnybrook Motel for $39 per night. There are four other hotels nearby, approximately four miles from the lanes, where you can stay as well. The hotels are listed on page 10 of this issue. Prices range from $60 to $79 per night. Please book your own room, but let me know where you will be staying. Now, this bus isn t only for the bowlers, it s also for SEE NATIONAL BOWL ON PAGE 2 Over 70 bowlers participated in the CAL Sweetheart Doubles bowling tournament held Feb. 26. CAL rolling into a new season of athletic activity by RICK GORJUP (158) CAL President EUCLID, Ohio Well, another year has passed, and CAL keeps going and going! We finished our annual Sweetheart Doubles Feb. 26. Another great turnout helped us make this year s event a success. Over 70 bowlers, along with some friends and relatives, had a great time on the lanes. The winners this year were Everi Grahame and Patrick Vojtush in the youth division, and Michelle Vojtush and George Vojtush in the adult division. Our CAL workers made sure everyone had a great time. The CAL Don Gorjup Golf Tournament will be played Saturday, May 28, at Rolling Greens Golf Course in Huntsburg, Ohio. This is our major event of the year, and last year we had our largest turnout since 1997 with over 100 golfers. SEE CAL SEASON ON PAGE 10 The next two issue dates are April 6 and April 20. All material must be received by Monday, March 28, for the April 6 issue, and by Monday, April 11, for the April 20 issue. If you are running short on time and concerned about making the deadline, try faxing your submission to (724) or ing prosveta@snpj.com. Bella and Ruby Woolsey Helper, Utah, Lodge 689 The members of Lodge 689 welcome 2-yearold Bella Rose Woolsey and 5-month-old Ruby Rose Woolsey as their newest additions. Bella and Ruby are the daughters of Bronzen (689) and Crystal Woolsey, and the great-great-granddaughters of Helen Majnik (689). We welcome Bella and Ruby to the SNPJ, and extend our best wishes to their entire family.

2 2 ENLIGHTENMENT (USPS ) (ISSN ) The Official Publication of the Slovene National Benefit Society 247 W. Allegheny Road Imperial, PA Phone: (724) Toll-Free: (THE SNPJ) Fax: (724) web site: Ed i t o r: Jay Sedmak Associate Editor: Kimberly Gonzalez Subscription rate is $8 per year for non-snpj members in the United States (Fla. subscribers, please add 6 percent sales tax). Canadian and foreign subscriptions, $50 per year. Advertising information available by writing our office. Material concerning the official workings of the Slovene National Benefit Society is given publication priority. Unsolicited manuscripts returned only if a self-addressed, stamped envelope is enclosed. Postmaster: Send all address changes to:, 247 W. Allegheny Rd., Imperial, PA (Issued biweekly on Wednesday) (Periodical postage paid at Imperial, Pa., and additional mailing office.) SNPJ National Board Executive Committee: National President Joseph C. Evanish National Secretary Karen A. Pintar National Treasurer Robert J. Lawrence Correspondence received at: 247 West Allegheny Road Imperial, PA Office hours are Monday -Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays 7:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Finance Committee: Chrm.: Roger C. Clifford 568 Lang Road, Sewickley, PA Robert Lawrence, Secretary Joseph C. Evanish Kenneth Anderson 2400 Derby Road, Birmingham, MI Richard Hervol 183 Wylie Ave., Strabane, PA Supervisory Committee: Chrm.: Phyllis Wood 9519 Evergreen Lane, Fontana, CA Vincent Baselj 1001 Grandview Ave., Apt. 903, Bridgeville, PA Louis J. Novak 6308 Highland Rd., Highland Heights, OH Stan Repos 1255 McCaslin Rd., Imperial, PA Joseph M. Grkman Jr. P.O. Box 584, South Park, PA Regional Vice Presidents: Frank Bregar, Region 1 25 Willow Crossing Rd., Greensburg, PA James L. Curl, Region Orchard St., Carnegie, PA Nancy Koutoulakis, Region Beverly Dr., Aliquippa, PA Dorothy Gorjup, Region Farringdon Ave., Euclid, OH Tracey Anderson, Region Edgewood Dr., Royal Oak, MI Justina Rigler, Region Berkley Lane, Lemont, IL John Zibert, Region N. 200 St., Arma, KS Fred Mlakar, Region Onkayha Cir., Irvine, CA SNPJ Recreation Center 270 Martin Road Enon Valley, PA (724) fax (724) Toll-free: web site: snpj@snpjrec.com Have something for Up-and-Coming? Lodge/Organization Type of Event Site If a concert or dance, who is performing? Date Time Who to contact Phone ( ) Complete and return to: 247 W. Allegheny Road Imperial, PA prosveta@snpj.com Loyalites ready for 100 th anniversary by GINA VOLPE Lodge 158 EUCLID, Ohio Our March Lodge meeting was held Thursday, March 10, at Recher Hall in Euclid. It was nice to see Eileen Markusic back at her post of sergeantat-arms. Eileen is recovering from open heart surgery, and she would like to thank all who sent get well cards and best wishes. Unfortunately we missed her birthday, so happy belated birthday to Eileen, and to Stephen Godic as well. The annual Button Box Bash is here! Don t miss out on one of the most attended musical events of the year Sunday, April 3, at Recher Hall. This event always proves to be a great time. Contact Karen O Donnell at (216) for ticket information. We hope to see you there. This year marks the Loyalites Lodge 100th anniversary. We will be hosting a dinner dance Oct. 8 to celebrate. Loyalites will New garden honors Lodge 603 member for years of dedication by JEANNETTE HUMPHREY Lodge 603 SAMSULA, Fla. On Jan. 30, a ground-breaking ceremony for a community garden in honor of lifelong Lodge 603 member Georgia Nyburg was held on the property of the BPOE Lodge 1557 Elks Club on Park Ave. in Edgewater, Fla. Georgia was recognized for her many years of service to the Elks Ladies and Elks Club, including her donations of apple strudel, banana bread and rum cake that she is best known for. Georgia and her son, Bill Tomazin, have also donated a ton or two of fresh produce from her farm in Samsula to many Elks functions. She chaired numerous dinner parties for the club, and raised money for the Harry Anna Trust Fund by running bingo for 20 years. Georgia, now 89, has resided in a hospital or nursing home since Oct. 6, Every day she talks about returning to the farm and planting crops the Slovenian way. She is a lifelong resident of Samsula, born Nov. 10, 1921, to Jennie and John Luznar, be having a patron sponsor program. Watch for details in future prosveta articles regarding the various sponsor levels available. Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded. Our annual picnic at the SNPJ Farm in Kirtland, Ohio, will be held July 17. Gina Volpe will be sending drawing tickets out to Loyalites members next month. Please consider entering this drawing; not only does it support the Lodge, but the prizes will be quite impressive since this is our 100th anniversary. Tickets will also be available for purchase that day. Congratulations to our March anniversary celebrants, Karen and Tim O Donnell, as well as Pat and Fred Nevar. While we re on the subject of marriage, we congratulate Bobby Russ on his recent engagement to Stacy Black. Our travelers for this month were Fred and Faye Martin. They enjoyed their visit to Punta Cana in the How does your garden grow? Up-and-Coming... A look at events planned by the Slovene National Benefit Society MARCH 27...Herminie, Pa., Lodge 87 polka dance in the Crystal Ballroom; 2-7 p.m. Music by Mickey Dee and Dale Sinchak. Admission is $8 and the kitchen will be open. For details contact Shirley Bailley at (724) APRIL 9...Lodge 778 craft show at the Lodge 778 Hall, Spring Hill, Fla.; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Vendors, crafters and the public invited. Table fee $10. For more information contact Daria Perse at (727) APRIL 10...Herminie, Pa., Lodge 87 free polka dance in the Crystal Ballroom; 2-7 p.m. Music by Ray Skovenski and Jim Rhoades. Kitchen will be open. For details contact Shirley Bailley at (724) APRIL 17...Heritage Center Spring Fling in the Alpine Room at the SNPJ Recreation Center. Contact Carol Sadar Maruszak at (440) for reservations or additional information. APRIL 24...Samsula, Fla., Lodge 603 Easter egg hunt and dinner at the Lodge 603 Hall; 12:30 p.m. For details contact Mary Ann Reichel at (386) APRIL 30-MAY 1... SNPJ National Bowling Tournament hosted by Detroit Lodges 564 and 677. For tournament information contact SNPJ Fraternal Director Kevin Richards at or krichards@snpj.com. MAY 21...Strabane, Pa., Lodge 138 hosts the Don Wojtila Band at the Lodge 138 outdoor pavilion from 6-10 p.m. MAY 28...CAL Don Gorjup Golf Open at Rolling Green Golf Course, Huntsburg, Ohio. For details contact Rick Gorjup at (440) or (440) MAY 29...Herminie, Pa., Lodge 87 Spring Fling in the Crystal Ballroom; 2-7 p.m. Music by Silver Sky Duo. A buffet will be offered; tickets must be purchased in advance. For details contact Shirley Bailley at (724) one of the pioneering families of our community. Georgia married the late Joe Tomazin Jr. and raised their children on the farm. After Joe s passing, she married the late James Nyburg. Five of her surviving children, Albert and Bill Tomazin, Mary Ann Reichel, Pauline Lockwood and Jeannette Humphrey, attended the dedication. Also present were her son-in-law, John Reichel Jr.; her oldest grandchild, Rhonda Tesauro; and her youngest grandchild, John O Rourke. Georgia has 19 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren. Elks Exalted Ruler Patty Greatrex talked about Georgia s service to the Elks organizations and the $9,000 grant that will be received each year for the next three years to be used in the planting of eight plots in the community garden. Patty hopes they will have an abundance of fresh produce to be used for Elks Club functions and for those in need through gifts of love. A lifelong SNPJ member, Georgia has promoted SNPJ and our Slovenian heritage all of her life. She has donated so much through the years for Lodge 603, the Samsula Woman s Club and SNPJ Youth Circle 57, and has chaired more dinners at the Lodge 603 Hall than we can count. When we were Dominican Republic. Pat and Fred Nevar returned from Laughlin, Nev. Nobody will ever know if they returned as big winners. Colleen Frank, Jan Smrdel, Gina Volpe and Terri Halaburda represented the Loyalites at the SNPJ Winter Classic Bowling Tournament in February. We re not sure if we were successful bowlers, but we had a great time. Isn t that what really matters? Happy birthday wishes go out to Madelyn Johnson, Nancy Vasilko and Greg Volpe. Don t forget that every birthday you have is a blessing. Lodge 158 Secretary Linda Gorjup and Donna (Gorjup) Sebusch will be traveling to the Cayman Islands April 3. Best wishes for a wonderful trip, and don t forget to bring back some nice weather. Our prayers and thoughts go out to all of our ailing members and families. Continue to support not only the Loyalites, but all SNPJ Lodges. MAY 30...The SNPJ Farm hosts Val s Memorial Day Picnic, 1:30-7:30 p.m. at the SNPJ Farm, Kirtland, Ohio. Music by the Del Sinchak Band and Don Wojtila Orchestra. JUNE 5...Orange Coast Lodge 786 wine tasting party and picnic at Wiens Family Cellars, Temecula, Calif.; noon-5 p.m. Music by Fontana Button Box Club members and others. For reservations phone Jean Koci at (949) or ajkoci@cox.net. JUNE 5...Westmoreland County (Pa.) Federation polka picnic at the Evanstown Picnic Grove, Evanstown, Pa.; 1-7 p.m. Music by the Frank Stanger and Jim Rhoades bands. For details contact Mary Ann Bebar at (724) JUNE 12...Tony Mlinar Memorial Golf Outing, Milwaukee. For additional details contact Tony Mlinar at (414) JUNE 12...SNPJ Western Pa. Golf Tournament at Rolling Green Golf Course, Eighty Four, Pa. JUNE 12...Westmoreland County (Pa.) Federation presents Mikey Dee s Polka Picnic at the Evanstown Picnic Grove, Evanstown, Pa.; 1-7 p.m. Music by the Mikey Dee and Del Sinchak bands. For details contact Mary Ann Bebar at (724) JUNE 14...V-Boj Lodge 53 bus trip to the Flight 93 Memorial and Quecreek Mine Rescue site. For additional information contact Martha Meglich at (440) or Pauline Barbish at (440) JUNE 19...Westmoreland County (Pa.) Federation presents Steve Novosel s Father s Day Polka Picnic at the Evanstown Picnic Grove, Evanstown, Pa.; 1-7 p.m. Music by the Don Wojtila and Dick Tady bands. For details phone Mary Ann Bebar at (724) A community garden in Edgewater, Fla., was dedicated in honor of GEORGIA NYBURG (603) [center] for her service to Elks Lodge children, she was instrumental in our learning the art of floral decorating and corsage making for Mother s Day. She had Mrs. Musson, a local florist, teach us some of the basics of growing flowers. Georgia had many flower gardens on the family farm where we picked many bouquets to give away. I can best remember all of the carnations, zinnias and pansies, along with many more varieties. She has been lucky to have traveled all over the world, but loves Slovenia best and longs to see it once again. Former Samsula resident Paula Jane (Edmonston) VanHuss of Blairsville, Ga., visited Samsula for Car cruises returning to Lodge 106 in June by KEVIN RICHARDS Lodge 106 IMPERIAL, Pa. Summer car cruises are returning to Lodge 106 in Imperial. Every other Sunday afternoon starting June 12, the Lodge 106 parking lot will be full of classic cars, motorcycles, oldies music and great times. The car cruises start at noon. A food buffet will be available for purchase, and door prizes will be awarded. If you have a classic car or bike and would like to show it off, be sure to make your way to the SNPJ Lodge 106 parking lot to pick out your favorite spot. Even if you just enjoy admiring these beautiful machines, head out to Lodge 106 for an enjoyable Sunday afternoon. Hop aboard the bus to the 75th SNPJ National Bowl NATIONAL BOWL FROM PAGE 1 the gamblers. The bus will also be taking interested parties to the Detroit casinos both days. Don t pass up this opportunity to have fun in Detroit for the weekend. Please reserve your spot on the bus as soon as possible. Bowling entries are due March 31, and I need to have a head count for the bus that day as well. Make checks payable to Linda Gorjup, 790 E. 250th St., Euclid, OH For questions or any additional information, I can be reached at (216) a weekend and entered her art in the Images Show in New Smyrna Beach. She was joined by her childhood friend, Pauline Lockwood, and her cousins, Mac and Barbara Turberville, at a recent Lodge 603 Friday night dinner. Paula s grandfather was Joe Oresnik, and there was another Joe Oresnik who also lived in Samsula with his wife, Lucy. Joe and Lucy donated their land to SNPJ for the Lodge 603 Hall. Another piece of Samsula history has been cleared up for me! I very much appreciate people taking an interest and letting me know how the pieces fit. JUNE Youth Roundup at the SNPJ Recreation Center. Contact Fraternal Director Kevin Richards at or krichards@snpj.com for registration forms. JUNE SNPJ Young Adult Conference at the SNPJ Recreation Center. For registration information contact Fraternal Director Kevin Richards at or krichards@snpj.com. JULY 2...Strabane, Pa., Lodge 138 hosts Klancnik and Friends at the Lodge 138 outdoor pavilion from 6-10 p.m. JULY 3...Westmoreland County (Pa.) Federation presents Prime Time Polkas Picnic at the Evanstown Picnic Grove, Evanstown, Pa.; 1-7 p.m. Music by Klancnik & Friends and Silver Sky Duo. For details contact Mary Ann Bebar at (724) JULY 4...The SNPJ Farm hosts Val s Summer Dance, 1:30-7:30 p.m. at the SNPJ Farm, Kirtland, Ohio. Music by the Wayne Tomsic Band and Stan Blout & Friends. JULY Slovenefest XXX and the 55th Miss SNPJ Pageant at the SNPJ Recreation Center, Borough of SNPJ, Pa. For additional information phone the Recreation Center toll-free at JULY 16...Strabane, Pa., Lodge 138 annual Duck Race and family picnic. JULY First Family Week at the SNPJ Recreation Center, Borough of SNPJ, Pa. For additional information phone the SNPJ Recreation Center toll-free at JULY Second Family Week at the SNPJ Recreation Center, Borough of SNPJ, Pa. For additional information phone the Recreation Center toll-free at

3 3 DENISE HERRON SNPJ Marketing Department Keep it simple Saving for retirement is necessary for a secure future, but sometimes the many options are just too confusing for the everyday layman. We become overwhelmed with the many different choices offered by the many different institutions, so rather than make a decision, we put it off a little longer. Not good! The longer you put it off, the more catching up you have to do to reach a comfortable retirement. The Roth IRA provides tax-free growth of your money and, as a result, is one of the simplest and most effective savings vehicles. The Roth IRA is a retirement account that is funded with post -tax income. You pay taxes on your income this year as you would any year. You invest some of your money into a Roth. Since your taxes were paid before you invested, you ll never pay income taxes on those funds again. And the really beautiful benefit is that all of your earnings on the principal amount will also grow tax-free. There are several restrictions to remember concerning withdrawing your money and receiving the full benefit of the tax-free growth. The growth on your Roth account can t be withdrawn until age 59½ without incurring a 10 percent penalty (plus taxes) from the Federal government. In addition, the account must be open for at least five years before you can withdraw any of the growth (interest), even if you turn 59½ in the interim. To keep it simple, just remember that in order to access the great benefit of tax-free interest, the account must be open for at least five years and you must be over 59½ years old. Because you took care of your taxes up front, you ll have fewer restrictions later. For example, you do not need to start withdrawing money from your account at age 70½, a requirement of the Traditional IRA. In addition, as long as you have an earned income, you can continue to contribute to the Roth IRA beyond age 70. Since money going into a Roth is post-tax money, it s very simple when it comes to the IRS. There is no need to report a deduction on your 1040 form when you make a contribution, like you would with a Traditional IRA. And likewise, as long as you follow the five-year and over 59½ rule, there s no need to report a withdrawal from your Roth as taxable income. Keep it simple and start investing in an SNPJ Roth IRA. If you open an account before April 15, you can still make your maximum contribution for 2010 and contribute for 2011 as well. Call your local agent, Lodge secretary or the Home Office at for complete details. Thought for the Week Everything should be made as simple as possible... but not simpler. Albert Einstein POTICAS Keep your holiday tradition alive Order NOW from Wojtila s Bakery (216) lb. potica for only $ plus s/h Available in Nut, Poppyseed and Raisin Nut Family owned by Don Wojtila Baker and Polka Musician Chrissy Wojtila Miss SNPJ 2000 Leadership of Alpine Convention handed over Brdo pri Kranju (STA) Slovenian representatives ceremoniously handed over the presidential baton of the Alpine Convention to Swit zerland on March 9 as the country s two-year stint at the convention helm came to an end. Slovenian Environment Minister Roko Zarnič expressed satisfaction with Slovenia s work over the past two years, especially regarding the expansion of the convention initiative through the Dinaric Alps. Zarnič handed the baton symbolically to the head of the Swiss delegation, Robert Reich, as the 11th Alpine Con ference wrapped up at Brdo pri Kranju. During the two-day event, representatives of the Alpine Convention signatories exchanged views and restated the importance of potential in the Alps, both for the region as well as for Europe. Representatives of Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Switzerland expressed dedication to future cooperation, and laid down guidelines and priorities for the coming six years, according to Zarnič. The minister enumerated the greatest achievements of Slovenia s presidency to the press, saying that expanding the convention initiative to the Dinaric Alps was perhaps the biggest achievement. Slovenia represents a natural bridge between the Alps and the Dinaric Alps. Slovenia invested heavily in raising awareness about the Alps and the Alpine Convention. The country also strengthened its relations with its Alpine communities and with Triglav National Park, as well as with and various experts, Zarnič pointed out. An event dubbed EcoRun was also held, marking Alpine Convention Day in August The event was a great success, and Slovenia will organize it annually, Zarnič said. After symbolically receiving the baton from Zarnič, Reich listed the Swiss priorities for the Alpine Conven tion, which include increased cooperation among the signatories and raising awareness of the importance of the Alps on the European level. Apart from the Alpine Conference, the two-day meeting also featured the first Dinaric Conference, during which the partici pants signed a sustainable development resolution for the Alpine region. Maribor launches culture embassies program Maribor (STA) As a part of the 2012 European Capital of Culture project, Maribor will establish what it has dubbed culture embassies to strengthen cultural cooperation across Europe, the Maribor 2012 Institute announced in early March. To discuss potential cooperation, the organizers of the Culture Capital project hosted several European ambassadors, cultural attachés and foreign culture institute directors in Maribor. Suzana Zilic Fišer, a representative of the Maribor 2012 Institute, said that the main aim of culture embassies is to promote in-depth cooperation among European cultures which will bring the spirit of European culture not only to Maribor and its partner cities, but to Slovenia in general. The embassies will be located at the headquarters of the Maribor 2012 Institute, which will serve as a center where individual cultures will be represented and promoted. To date, seven foreign culture institutes have confirmed their cooperation in the project the French Charles Nodier Institute, the British Council, the Austrian Kulturforum, the Italian Culture Institute, the German Goethe-Institut, the Spanish Cervantes Institute and the Hungarian Finnagora Institute as have both Belgium and Portugal. In the following weeks, representatives of the embassies and culture centers will cooperate with the Maribor 2012 Institute to establish the program for each country presented during the European Capital of Culture in Natural gas discovery encouraging to Slovenia Brussels, Belgium (STA) While attending a Feb. 28 EU ministerial meeting in Brussels, Slovenian Economy Minister Darja Radić announced that natural gas had been discovered in Slovenia s north-eastern Pomurje region. This discovery is very encouraging, especially in light of supply interruptions caused by recent unrest in North Africa, from the source she pointed out. We have started drilling in Pomurje, research has been made and we already have the first find, Radić said about the discovery, made by a British company in the town of Petišovci. Slovenia is currently importing natural gas from Algeria and Russia, and the minister believes that a third, local source of natural gas would be the best way to ensure supply stability. When questioned about the South Stream pipeline project of Russian gas producer Gazprom, which is supposed to run through Slovenia, Minister Radić said the project was interesting, but that nothing had been decided yet. During their time in Brussels, EU ministers responsible for energy discussed the rising prices of oil and natural gas follow ing the unrest in Libya and other North African countries. Slovenia is not directly affected by the crisis in Libya, but some EU countries get important supplies of oil and gas from that country, which is why the ministers are concerned. In order to restrain rising energy prices, the European Commission will encourage Saudi Arabia to increase production, Radić said, adding that no other measures were planned at the moment, which according to her shows how vulnerable the EU is. Lipica celebrates 40th year of its riding school LIPICA (STA) One of the world s oldest stud farms, Lipica, celebrated the 40th anniversary of its riding school with a spectacle combining the gracefulness and courage of white Lipizzan horses with art at the Stozice Arena in Ljubljana March 11. Lipica in Ljubljana: Pride, Beauty, Courage features 50 Lipizzans of the Lipica Classical Riding School and the Slovenian Lipizzaner Breeding Association. The horses danced to the music performed by the Slovenian Army Orchestra and other musicians. Tomaž Letnar, who arranged the program, said he wanted to put together a spectacle worthy of Lipica, and even though the show featured excellent musicians, the horses took the leading role. Letnar believes the project was an exceptional experience, and during his work with horses he could do nothing but wonder at their characters. Lipica stud farm director Tomi Rumpf said that the project was very demanding in terms of logistics, since the horses had to be transported to Ljubljana a few days before the show and required quality stables at the venue. A morning show held on the day of the event, open to both the public and school children, served as a dress rehearsal for the evening performance. An exhibition by painter Avgust Cernigoj ( ), who lived in Lipica during his final years and donated his paintings to the stud farm, opened Feb. 28 at the Kresija gallery as a part of the Lipica in Ljubljana project. Since they are kept at the Lipica stud farm, the 10 exhibited Cernigoj works were displayed in Ljubljana for the very first time. Slovenian mothers choose to stay on the job Brussels, Belgium (STA) Slovenia registered the highest employment rate for mothers in the EU in 2009, Eurostat revealed in a recent report. The employment rate for women aged 25 to 54 with one child in Slovenia was 84.8 percent, climbing to 89.1 percent for women with two children. Across the EU, these rates stood at 71.3 percent and 69.2 percent, respectively. While the EU s average employment rate for women with three or more children was only 54.7 percent, the rate in Slovenia was much higher at 79.3 percent. The EU-wide employment rate for women without children was 75.8 percent, and 78.5 percent in Slovenia. Male employment rates in terms of number of children for Slovenia were comparable with EU trends, with the lowest rate tallied for men without children (80.5 percent in Slovenia and 80.3 percent in the EU), and the highest for men with two children (93.7 percent in Slovenia and 90.6 percent in the EU). Couples with children comprised roughly 24 percent of the near-800,000 households in Slovenia, while couples without children accounted for just over 19 percent in Slovenia. Just over 16 percent of Slovenia households were single women without children, while 10 percent were single men without children. Single mothers accounted for nearly three percent of the households in Slovenia, while single fathers in Slovenia made up less than one-half of a percent. Majority of Slovenians in single-family homes Brussels, Belgium (STA) In Slovenia, nearly 70 percent of the population lives in single-family houses, the highest percentage in the EU, according to a recent survey. The survey determined that 42 percent of all Europeans live in apartments, 34 percent in single-family homes and 23 percent in multi-family units such as townhomes. The countries following Slovenia with more than half of their population living in single-family homes include Hungary (68 percent), Romania (61 percent), Denmark (58 percent) and Sweden (51 percent). The survey also shows that apartments are more common in Latvia, Estonia, Spain, Lithuania, Greece, the Czech Republic, Germany and Italy. Multi-family housing units are most preferred in the Netherlands, Great Britain and Ireland. According to the survey responses, every sixth European lives in an overcrowded apartment, particularly in Latvia, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania and Bulgaria, while the lowest rates of overcrowding were recorded in Cyprus, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Belgium and Malta. The survey also discovered that roughly four percent of all Europeans still reside in dwellings without a toilet, and three percent in homes lacking indoor bathrooms. Vine pruning preserves an old Maribor tradition Maribor (STA) The world s oldest vine was pruned as a part of a traditional event held in Maribor March 4. The city s new vine-dresser, Stanislav Kocutar, made the expert cut and distributed the wine grafts with the help of Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler and the 2011 Maribor Wine Queen. According to Kangler, the vine is one of the most important symbols of the city of Maribor and will play an important role next year, when Maribor heads the European Capital of Culture project. He also noted that Lent, the old part of Maribor, will take on a completely new image next year following the planned renovation of the Drava River banks. According to tradition, the grafts were distributed to representatives of several Slovenian municipalities, and one was sent to the Croatian municipality of Kolan on the island of Pag. Usually, some 6.5 gallons of wine are produced every year from the grapes of the Old Vine, which is over 400 years old and has been protected as a symbol of Slovenian national heritage for a number of years. The wine is used by Maribor authorities as protocol gifts for special occasions. Move over McDonald s, Burger King is moving in Ljubljana (STA) Burger King, the world s second-largest fast food hamburger chain, opened its first restaurant in Slovenia, in Ljubljana s BTC City commercial district, March 10. Burger King restaurants are expected to branch out to other major cities in Slovenia this year. The Burger King brand was brought to Slovenia by Sportina Group, a retail, tourism and catering company. Burger King representatives said that the company had studied the region well and be lieved now was the right time to introduce their brand in Slovenia. The Sportina Group was happy to have met the strict criteria for the Burger King franchise and believes Slovenia presents great growth potential for the brand s development and growth. Over the past five years, Burger King has grown significantly in Central and Eastern Europe by opening franchises in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, and by introducing restaurants in Russia and Slova kia last year. Burger King now manages over 12,200 fast food restaurants, serving over 11 million customers daily in 76 countries. The articles comprising this feature have been reprinted with permission from the Slovenian Press Agency (STA).

4 4 23. Marca 2011 Slovenska Stran Ureja Vida Kosir Arheološko zbirko bodo lahko preselili HEADLINE: They will be able to move the archeological collection TOPIC: The Ptuj city municipality recently became the owner of two buildings. With this acquisition, the municipality received space to move the archeological depositories and the collection of the Ptuj Provincial Museum from a former church nave at the Dominican monastery. Now the municipality is planning to add a meeting and cultural hall in the monastery, which should be completed at the beginning of next year when Ptuj will be a partner in the European Cultural Capital Project. Mestna občina Ptuj je dobila v last nekdanjo upravno stavbo ptujskega kmetijskega kombinata in stavbo nekdanje gostilne Novi svet ob njej. Obe sta bili v lasti Perutnine Ptuj in sta v neposredni bližini ptujskega dominikanskega samostana. S tem je občina dobila nove prostore za preselitev arheoloških depojev in zbirk ptujskega pokrajinskega muzeja in nekdanje cerkvene ladje dominikanskega samostana. V samostanu občina načrtuje kongresno in kulturno dvorano, ki bi morala biti po prvotnih zamislih končana do začetka prihodnjega leta, ko bo Ptuj partner evropski kulturni prestolnici. Ptujski župan Štefan Čelan je povedal, da za ureditev novih prostorov za arheološko gradivo in za njegovo preselitev potrebujejo pol milijona evrov. Direktor muzeja Aleš Arih pa je dejal, da še ni povsem jasno, koliko stroškov bo s tem nastalo, saj so doslej potrebe le ocenjevali. Prvotno je bilo urejanje kulturne dvorane v samostanskem kompleksu ocenjeno na 5,4 milijona evrov, saj gre za zahteven projekt, na Ptuju pa jih veliko nasprotuje takšnemu poseganju v spomenike. Ptice tudi pozimi nimajo miru HEADLINE: Even in the winter time birds don t have peace TOPIC: Scaring, shooting and illegal navigation in the natural surroundings are the reasons why there are fewer and fewer birds that stay the winter on the Drava River, which is the most important winter quarters for water birds in the country. During their recent winter count of water birds, ornithologists have stated that the number of these birds that stay in the area is a third less compared to a typical year. Even though this year s results are not yet available, the initial information shows that the numbers will be as bad as they were last year. The biggest problem is with boats on the river and motor vehicles on the banks which disturb the birds. Besides that, hunters were also very active this year. During the hunting season, many times hunters also shoot other birds that Sledi grosupeljskih prednikov HEADLINE: Traces of Grosuplje ancestors TOPIC: After a short break, archeologists in Grosuplje, where the Hofer Company is planning to build its new store, recently started to again uncover the remnants of the past. To date they have discovered a Roman road from the second or third century A. D., as well as coins, pieces of steel, nails and a sandal which was at one time used as horse gear. They also came across a large mass of ceramics dating from the Bronze Period, the 12th to 10th centuries B.C. The excavations will continue until spring. The manager of the excavations, Barbara Hofman from the Okra Company, said that these many rich findings surprised them all. So far they have uncovered close to 100 pounds of ceramics. Among the items, seven dishes were very well preserved, which means that the Grosuplje ancestors left them where the archeologists found them. All of the articles will be donated to the Narodni Museum in Ljubljana. The findings could stay in Grosuplje, but the city doesn t have a museum or a suitable place to store them. Archeologists also found numerous channel brooks, which means that at one time this area was very wet and marshy. Po krajšem premoru so arheologi v Grosupljem ob Adamičevi cesti, kjer namerava trgovsko podjetje Hofer zgraditi trgovino, pred dnevi are protected. Plašenje, streljanje ter nezakonita vožnja in plovba v naravnem okolju so vzrok, da je ptic, ki prezimujejo na reki Dravi, najpomembnejšem prezimovališču za vodne ptice v državi, iz leta v leto manj. Kot pri vsakoletnem zimskem štetju vodnih ptic ugotavljajo ornitologi, je število prezimujočih vodnih ptic kar tretjino manjše v primerjavi z običajnimi leti. Takšnega pritiska na ptice, kot smo opazili letos, ne pomnim, je povedal vodja zimskega štetja ptic v Sloveniji Luka Božič. Štetje je potekalo že petnajsto leto zaporedoma; med 14. in 16. januarjem so delavci Društva za opazovanje in proučevanje ptic Slovenije (DOPPS) sistematično pregledali vse večje in srednje velike reke ter večino stoječih vodnih teles po vsej Sloveniji. Čeprav rezultatov zimskega štetja še ni, prvi podatki kažejo, da bodo prav tako slabi kot lani, ko so zabeležili za Zaradi obnove izpraznili piransko pristanišče HEADLINE: Because of the renovation they emptied Piran Port TOPIC: Even the oldest inhabitants of Piran can t remember when Piran port was ever so empty, without even one boat. Historian Nadja Terčon from the Sergej Mašera Piran Pomorski Museum said that in the last 120 years the port had only been renovated twice once in 1893 and again in the 1930s, but at that time not as extensively. Niti najstarejši Pirančani ne pomnijo, da bi bil notranji piranski mandrač prazen in brez enega samega čolnička. Zgodovinarka Nadja Terčon iz Pomorskega muzeja Sergej Mašera Piran pa je povedala, da so v zadnjih 120 letih samo dvakrat obsežno prenavljali pristanišče - leta 1893 in sredi tridesetih prejšnjega stoletja, vendar v prejšnjem stoletju dela niso bila tako tretjino manj prezimovajočih ptic kot običajno. Veliko motenj so zabeležili tudi na najpomembnejšem območju za prezimujoče ptice v Sloveniji, reki Dravi med Mariborom in Središčem ob Dravi na hrvaški meji, ki sodi med evropsko pomembna območja za ptice (IBA). Velik problem je predvsem vznemirajanje ptic z vožnjami s čolni in motornimi vozili po obrežjih, poleg tega so bili letos izredno aktivni tudi lovci; ti med dovoljenim lovom na race mlakarice velikokrat ustrelijo tudi druge ptice (letos so našli ustreljene tudi zavarovane vrste velikega žagarja, kormorana, sive čaplje in velike bele čaplje), s svojo aktivnostjo pa lovci tudi plašijo ptice pri počitku. Ob tako intenzivnih motnjah se vodne ptice nimajo kam umakniti, z begom pa izgubljajo zalogo energije, postajajo bolj plašne in s tem bolj ranljive, opozarjajo ornitologi. Priprave na ladijske turiste HEADLINE: Preparations for ship s tourists TOPIC: In April, a group of merchants from Koper is planning to establish their own association which will help develop commercial and other business activities in Koper s historic city center. Development of commercial activities is extraordinarily important for improved tourist offerings in expectation of a large number of tourists. Last year, 37,900 tourists visited Port Koper from cruise liners, and this year they are expecting at least four times more. We are expecting 130,000 travelers and crew members, said spet začeli odkopavati ostanke preteklosti. Do zdaj so odkrili rimsko cesto iz drugega do tretjega stoletja našega štetja in na njej kovance, nekaj železja, žebljičke in med drugim tudi sandal, ki se je nekoč uporabljal pri konjski opremi. Naleteli so na pravo najdišče keramike, ki spada v čas od 12. do 10. stoletja pred našim štetjem, torej v bronasto dobo ali v prazgodovino. Izkopavanja bodo predvidoma trajala do spomladi. Vodja izkopavanj Barbara Hofman iz podjetja Okra je za Delo povedala, da jih je bogato najdišče prijetno presenetilo. Čeprav keramike ne tehtajo, temveč jo določajo po obliki, po ornamentu in prelomu ter količini posod, nam je za lažje razumevanje zaupala, da so jo do zdaj izkopali približno 50 Jana Tolja, advisor for special projects at the mayor s office. Close to 70 percent of all passengers stay in the city, and this means more shoppers. There are many stores and display windows that are not properly arranged, and some store schedules and offerings are not directed toward tourists. Many of the merchants don t believe that the old city center is more attractive for tourists than the shopping centers outside of the city. On average, a tourist who visits Slovenia for one day spends $75. Skupina koprskih trgovcev Mestno galerijo bi radi prenovili še letos HEADLINE: They would like to renovate the city gallery this year TOPIC: Architect Boris Podrecca, Piran Mayor Peter Bossman and director of the Obala Galleries Toni Biloslav recently visited the site of the Piran City Gallery renovation. Before their visit they met with the construction board and agreed on the details of the further process of the renovation. The mayor and members of the construction board hope that the Stavbenik workers will be able to complete most of the work before the main tourist season starts, and in the fall they could complete the final work and furnish the gallery. Delovišče prenavljajoče se Mestne galerije Piran so pred dnevi obiskali arhitekt Boris Podrecca, župan Peter Bossman in direktor Obalnih galerij Piran Toni Biloslav. Pred tem so se sestali z gradbenim odborom in se dogovorili o podrobnostih nadaljnega poteka prenove. Najpomembnejše je, da občina pričakuje od ministrstva za kulturo lani obljubljenih evrov, ki jih mora ministrstvo prenesti v letošnje proračunske postavke, občina pa mora letos za ta dela nameniti še en milijon. Člani gradbenega odbora in župan so se zavzeli, da bi delavci Stavbenika še pred glavno turistično sezono dokončali večino, da bi jeseni opravili zaključna dela in namestili opremo. Zanjo bo načrt izdelal Boris Podrecca. Pokazalo se je, da imajo pri prenovi nekaj težav s piranskim gostincem Bojanom Šalamunom, ki ima v najemu pritlični lokal pod galerijo. Težava je nesoglasje med njegovim najemnikom in arhitektom, kako ga opremiti. Predstavniki občinske uprave zatrjujejo, da bodo trenutna nesoglasja s podnajemnikom pravočasno zgladili in da to ne bo oviralo časovnega načrta prenove ene osrednjih stavb ob Tartinijevem trgu. Notranjost galerije bo dodobra spremenjena, arhitek Podrecca pa je županu predlagal svojo prvotno zamisel, da bi galerijsko stavbo nad ulico ponovno povezali z občinsko palačo, na način, kot je to v zgodovini že bilo. V Obalnih galerijah Piran so neuradno že predlagali, da bi tudi po prenovi mestne galerije smeli ohraniti razstavne prostore v portoroškem skladišču soli Monford, saj opažajo, da tamkajšnje razstave obišče veliko več ljubiteljev umetnosti. kilogramov. Od tega so sedem posod našli precej ohranjenih, kar pomeni, da so jih grosupeljski predniki pustili tam, kjer so jih arheologi zdaj našli; medtem ko so ostale najdbe črepinje, ki so se z oranjem zemlje precej poškodovale. Vse predmete bodo predali Narodnemu muzeju v Ljubljani. Najdbe bi lahko ostale tudi v Grosupljem, vendar mesto nima muzeja ali primernega prostora za shranitev. Iz prazgodovinskega obdobja so odkrili še ožgane kamne in luknje, v katere so bili zabiti koli, na katere so postavili kolibe. Naleteli so tudi na več strug potokov, kar pomeni, da je bilo to območje nekoč precej vodnato in močvirnato. namerava aprila ustanoviti svoje združenje, ki bo prispevalo k razvoju trgovske in druge poslovne dejavnosti v zgodovinskem središču mesta. O tem se je pred dnevi dogovorilo približno 30 trgovcev in nekaj drugih koprskih poslovnežev, ki jih Regijska razvojna agencija (RRA) Koper in uprava mestne občine spodbujata k organiziranosti. Organiziranost trgovcev v mestnem jedru bo skrbela za reševanje skupnih trgovskih problemov in pomagala pri uresničevanju poslovnih priložnosti. Močnejši trgovci bodo prispevali h bolj kakovostnem življenju v mestu in k boljši turistični ponudbi, je povedal Slavko Mezek iz RRA Koper. Razvoj trgovske dejavnosti je izrednega pomena za popolnejšo turistično ponudbo ob pričakovanem večjem turističnem obisku. Lani je koprsko pristanišče obiskalo turistov s potniških ladij, letos jih bo vsaj Vojaška tekma na Mangrtu tri-do štirikrat več. Pričakujejo potnikov in članov posadke, je dejala Jana Tolja, svetovalka za posebne projekte v uradu župana Borisa Popoviča. Kar 70 odstotkov jih ostane v mestu, in to pomeni občutno več kupcev. Poslovni partnerji, ki vodijo turiste k nam, so zaradi nizkih pričakovanj zadovoljni z našo trgovsko ponudbo in nam dajejo dobre ocene, vendar menimo, da je še veliko neizkoriščenih možnosti. Po njenem mnenju veliko trgovin in izložb ni primerno urejenih oziroma se z urniki ali ponudbo preslabo prilagajajo potrebam turistov. Mnogi trgovci težko verjamejo, da je staro mestno jedro privlačnejše za turiste, kot so trgovska središča zunaj mesta. Povprečna poraba gosta, ki za en dan obišče Slovenijo, je 57 evrov, znesek v turistično in trgovsko razvitejših državah pa je višji. REŠITEV - Vajenec je rešil šefa, da ni utonil. Najlepša hvala, mu je dejal šef. Zdaj lahko poveš, kakšno željo naj ti izpolnim. Vajenec ne razmišlja dolgo: Prosim vas, da nikomur v podjetju ne poveste, da sem vas rešil iz vode! MINEŠTRA - Natakar, glejte, kaj sem našel v mineštri: vžigalnik! - O hvala gospod. Vidim, da so še pošteni ljudje na svetu! obsežna. Obnove so se lotili delavci treh gradbenih podjetij: Stavbenika, Adriainga in Grasista. Doslej so zabili že 60 železobetonskih pilotov od 15 do 23 metrov globoko, ki bodo nosili obalni zid. Zid je bil že poln lukenj in tudi cesta na Cankarjevem nabrežju se je posedala. Pomolček na zahodni strani pristanišča bodo zgradili znova, na njem bodo kamnite mize za prvo prodajo rib, starega železnega dvigala ni več, obalni zid bo za dobro ped višji (morje bo zato manjkrat poplavljalo). Ob koncu obalnega zidu bodo plavajoči pomolčki, ki bodo ribičem olajšali delo, tla ob pristanišču pa bodo tlakovali s starimi in novimi kamnitimi ploščami. Vrednost naložbe je bila ocenjena na 3,5 milijona evrov. Delo naj bi dokončali do velikonočnih praznikov, a bodo izvajalci težko izpolnili pogodbeni rok. HEADLINE: The military competition on Mangrt TOPIC: On June 4, the Military Mountaineers Association of Slovenia and the Bovec Municipality will arrange the first memorial competition of military mountaineers on Mangrt. Through a giant slalom competition, and with the help of the American embassy, they will repeat the events of June 1945 when soldiers of the 10th Alpine Division arranged a skiing competition below the mountain, in which 75 competitors participated. At the suggestion of the Military Mountaineers Association and the municipality, the competition on Mangrt will see its first repetition, and there is hope that it will become an annual memorial event which could restore part of American- Slovenian joint military history and present Mangrt as a mountain that unites three nations and three cultures through friendship and participation, said Janez Kavar, president of the Military Mountaineers Association of Slovenia. The members of the active 10th Mountain Division from the United States and many other military mountain groups from different countries will participate in the July competition. In 1945, the American military mountaineers won the ski competition. The individual winner was Walter Prager who, prior to the war, was very successful in his native Switzerland and in 1948 became the leader of the American Olympic ski team. Združenje vojaških gornikov Slovenije in bovška občina bosta 4. junija priredili prvo spominsko tekmo vojaških gornikov na Mangrtu. Z veleslalomsko preizkušnjo bodo s pomočjo ameriškega veleposlaništva tako ponovili dogodek iz leta 1945, ko so vojaki 10. gorske divizije pod goro pripravili smučarsko tekmo, na kateri je nastopilo kar 75 tekmovalcev. Na pobudo združenja vojaških gornikov in občine bo tekma na Mangrtu dočakala prvo ponovitev in želja je, da bi postala tradicionalen spominski dogodek, s katerim bi oživljala del ameriško-slovenske skupne vojaške zgodovine in poudarili Mangrt kot goro, ki združuje tri narode, tri kulture, tri države, prijateljstvo in sodelovanje, je poudaril predsednik Združenja vojaških gornikov Slovenije Janez Kavar. Napovedujejo, da bodo na tekmi nastopili pripadniki aktivne 10. gorske divizije iz ZDA, ekipa naslednikov veteranov divizije, ekipe držav mednarodne federacije vojakov gornikov, ekipa Slovenske vojske, ekipa gorske enote slovenske Policije in ekipa domačinov iz Bovca (smučarski klub, postaja GRS). Po navedbah so bili prav v omenjeni gorski diviziji takrat najboljši ameriški alpski smučarji. Na Bovškem so se znašli v drugi polovici maja 1945, potem ko so zavezniške sile po jugoslovanski osvoboditvi Trsta in začrtani Morganovi liniji zavzele zahodni del Soče od Jadranskega morja pa vse do Loga pod Mangrtom in Belopeških jezer pri Trbižu. Čeprav je takrat zima že mahala v slovo, so bila melišča na južni strani Mangrta še vedno zasnežena, zato so vojaki nestrpno pričakovali smučarsko tekmo. Večina je uporabljala smučarsko opremo, ki so jo zaplenili nemškim gorskim lovcem. Na startu veleslaloma je bilo kar 76 vojakov, približno 500 pa je dogajanje spremljalo ob strmi in zahtevni progi. Do cilja je prišlo samo 25 posameznikov, zmago pa je slavil Walter Prager, ki je bil pred vojno uspešen v rodni Švici, leta 1948 pa je postal tudi vodja ameriške olimpijske ekipe. Škot pripoveduje prijatelju: Lani sem ženi za rojstni dan kupil zračno blazino. - Pa letos? - Letos jo bom napihnil.

5 5 Badger Brain Bender Just a little test of your memory. Can you name these two accordionists? What was the occasion and date (or year) of the event they are playing for? Where was the celebration taking place (name and location)? If you get all the answers right, you are good! The answers can be found in Bro. Bob Smole s Badger Jabber column on page Year Members March 2011 A02 Eileen J. Wilfong A02 Philip F. Bummer 2 Janice M. Bly 2 Mary J. Ravnikar 2 Kenneth W. Knafelc 5 Sabella M. Gallon 6 Darlene Mills 8 Antoinette Dirschl 8 Betty J. McErlean 158 Fred Nevar 257 Virginia B. Boroz 257 John H. Samanich 257 Jane E. Wilson A01 Joseph P. Schmetter 2 Jean Lipinski 2 Loretta J. Winter 5 Alice A. Hedderman 8 Marian Zeppi 8 Audrey Fleming 8 Dorothy L. Woynovich 138 Lillian K. Pastovich 158 Audre A. Fox 158 C.J. Chesnic 257 Diane J. Klohs 265 Joyce Drugmand 274 David F. Brown 289 Joseph B. Sankovich 355 Stanley V. Baucher 562 Thomas L. Gertscher 603 Frank D. Benedict 604 Virginia Lipovec 614 Janice M. Lucci 617 Raymond Brennen 643 Angeline Hlasta 686 Katherine D. Raykovich 749 Max F. Pavlovich 60-Year Members March Bertha Y. Herron 8 Tony Pishkur 31 Anna Sensasak 138 Agnes DeJohn 142 Agnes J. Koporc 158 Edwin Baraga 218 Amelia Glazar 225 Bertha E. Hencey 268 Eleanor LePage 268 Jean M. Hagsten 321 Paul Tomsich 371 Mathew E. Balint 449 Mary J. Palmquist 564 Theodore M. Waligora 584 Carolyn R. Nagode 665 Rose M. Smith 70-Year Members March Alma Eppick 218 Molly Drobnick 584 Edith Kuehl 277 Frances H. Torella 292 Josephine Vossen 584 Hilda E. Terek 614 Rose L. Jochum 634 Anton Perme 800 Paul Sersha 80-Year Members March Anna Wittress 677 Julia Belanger Sygan Lodge 6 activities are sure to please by FRANK WRIGHT Lodge 6 SYGAN, Pa. There are several upcoming events taking place at Lodge 6 you ll want to mark on your calendar. Bar bingo will be held March 23 in the downstairs bar. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and bingo will begin at 7 p.m. The cost is $1 per card, per game. There will be nine regular games, two specials and one coverall. Please note that there is no reserved seating and Margie does not open until 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26, is an evening with The Mansfield 5 and The Four Townsmen bands. This is a South Fayette (Pa.) Foundation for Excellence fund-raiser. Tickets are $15 per person and can be by KEVIN RICHARDS Lodge 106 IMPERIAL, Pa. Come out to the SNPJ Lodge 106 clubroom in Imperial on the second and fourth Thursday of every month for bar bingo. The first game starts at 7 p.m. and we play until 9. Lodge 106 has gone country! On Saturday, April 2, the Lodge 106 Hall will be alive with the high-energy country sounds of Southern Detour! Admission is only $7 per person at the door and the Lodge 106 kitchen will be serving a great menu. The band will perform from 9:30 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this by CAROL SADAR MARUSZAK (53) SNPJ Heritage Center Committee BOROUGH OF SNPJ, Pa. Mark Sunday, April 17, on your calendar for the Spring Fling sponsored by the SNPJ Heritage Center in the Borough of SNPJ. It will be a dinner dance afternoon in the Alpine Room, featuring the Pittsburgh Area Jitterbug Club and the Polka Pirates from Cleveland. The sun is beginning to peek through the clouds, so it s time to start training for all the picnics and polka dances this summer. The polka is an exhilarating and fun dance that is a great exercise for just about everyone. And because dancing the polka is so much fun, most people are unaware they are exercising. There are many polka styles, but the basic three-step is the most common. The polka can be danced in a sweeping style, much like a fast Vienna waltz, or it can be short and quick steps that are very high energy. Be prepared to sweat because dancing the polka is an intense physical workout. Many young people are discovering the polka and find it a great alternative to cardio exercise. It s impossible to be in a bad mood while dancing the polka! The Button Box Dynamic Duo, Kathy Hlad and Ron Likovic, will be purchased by calling (724) Adult beverages and refreshments will be available for purchase. Youth Circle 36 bowling will be held Sunday, March 27, beginning at noon. Our youth Lodge members will be bowling for the SNPJ Telegraphic Bowling Tournament. On Sunday, April 3, Relay for Life is hosting bunco in the Lodge 6 clubroom. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. and bunco begins at 1 p.m. The cost is $10 per person. Join SNPJ Region 2 Vice President Jim Curl for a day of fun and bowling at the Sygan Lodge 6 lanes Sunday, May 15. Two shifts of bowling are planned, the first at 10 a.m. and the second at 2 p.m. kickin night of country music in Imperial! The next dinner jam night in the Lodge 106 clubroom will be Saturday, April 16. Music starts at 7 p.m. This is always a great time at the club. The Lodge 106 children s Easter egg hunt will be held Saturday, April 23, from 1 to 4 p.m. There are several ways to RSVP for this party. You can register your children in the clubroom during regular business hours; you can contact Circle 106 Director Tracy Steele at (412) or tls329_2000@yahoo.com; or you can visit the youth page of our web site, imperialpa.com, and click on the Me button under the picture. Please RSVP by April 16. It is very important that we make sure we have enough candy and food for the children. Back by popular demand, the trio Renewed Memories II will entertain members and guests in the Lodge 106 clubroom Saturday, April 23, from 8 p.m. to midnight. The May dinner jam night in the Lodge 106 clubroom will be Saturday, May 21. There will be a Cinco de Mayo theme for the dinner this evening. This will be the last jam night of the season; jam nights will resume in September. Gear up for summer dancing at the Spring Fling taking the bandstand and entertaining the crowd. Kathy and Ron have been performing together for over 30 years and continue to engage crowds with their talent. Musicians are invited to bring their instruments. The cost of the event is $15. A chicken and sausage dinner prepared by SNPJ Recreation Center Director Tim Jergel is included and will be served at 1 p.m. The afternoon will also include a dance demo by the Pittsburgh Area Jitterbug Club and dancing to the big band sound of the Polka Pirates. Reserved seating will be available if ordering dinners for at least eight people. Dinner dance tickets must be reserved in advance. Only want to dance? Admission for the dance only is $8 and can be paid at the door after 2 p.m. The day s schedule of events is as follows: the doors will open at 12:30 p.m., a buffet dinner will be served in the Alpine Room at 1 p.m., a PAJC dance demo will start at 1:30 p.m., and dancing to the Polka Pirates will run from 2 to 5 p.m. For $15 per person, the dinner dance ticket covers the entire event and will be mailed to you in advance. Reservations must be received by April 1. Send a check made payable to SNPJ Heritage Center to Carol Sadar Maruszak, 2151 The entry fee is $21 per bowler and includes a tailgate party in the parking lot during the tournament. For an entry form or additional information, contact Jim Curl at (412) Please register early as requested shift times will be determined on a first-come, first-served basis. For information regarding any of these events, log onto our web site, www. sygan.net. Click the Special Events or Sunday Dance tabs for dance information, or click the Clubroom Events tab for what s going on downstairs with Margie. You can also find us on Facebook by searching snpjsygan@gmail.com, or contacting Jim Curl at (412) or jim@sygan.net. Imperial Lodge 106 bustling with upcoming events The officers and members of Lodge 106 wish everybody a great summer. Speaking of summer, SNPJ Lodges 6, 106, 138 and 715 have teamed up to sponsor a fraternal weekend at the SNPJ Recreation Center Aug Check out the article on the front page of this issue for additional details. You re invited to join in on the fun! It s never too late to become a member of Lodge 106. See our sales representatives, Joe Sladick, Stan Repos or Brian Patosky, to purchase SNPJ life insurance or an annuity and become a member of SNPJ Lodge 106 today! Larchmont Dr., Wickliffe, OH Be sure to include your phone number. Don t take off those dancing shoes just yet! The PAJC will be offering free dance instructions for those interested in various styles, including line, polka, waltz and swing. With the current popularity of all types of ballroom dancing, the Heritage Center wanted to host a multigenerational event to reintroduce and encourage the fun of dancing. The Heritage Center museum and gift shop will be open during the afternoon. Self-guided tours are encouraged. This is a great opportunity for Youth Circles and Lodges to take a field trip to the Heritage Center to become acquainted with the museum and browse the gift shop. This can be an educational experience that promotes fraternalism and SNPJ activity. Be sure to visit the gift shop. Selected T-shirts will be on sale for $5, and while you re there, stock up on those necessary cooking and baking items. Take 10 percent off your entire purchase. These special incentives are available April 17 only. Due to numerous requests, Kathy Hlad and Carol Sadar Maruszak will be hosting a polka bus from Cleveland. Please contact Carol at (440) for more information regarding the bus or to reserve dinner tickets. Crossword At the Movies (#0611) by StatePoint Media ACROSS 1. A street of small shops 6. *Part of Rocky s arsenal 9. *Object of Frodo s obsession 13. Apart 14. * Ice 15. It s plucked to foretell love 16. Move very quickly 17. * Apocalypse Now takes place during the Vietnam one 18. City in Belgium 19. * The, starring Peter Falk and Alan Arkin 21. *It starred Hoffman and Cruise 23. To and 24. Ancient Greeks harp 25. Munchhausen s story 28. *The first Bond movie 30. *He went against Kramer 35. At the top 37. Male children 39. Richard Nixon s VP 40. Level or dismantle 41. One of 10 on humans 43. Layla performer 44. *It starred Denzel Washington and is set during Civil War 46. Generic name for dog 47. * the Halls, starring DeVito and Broderick 48. The world is your 50. Salamander 52. Timid or unsure 53. Slang for heroin 55. Long time 57. *Cult film involving repossessing cars 61. Type of wool 64. AKA dropsy 65. and feather 67. Used for breathing, but not by humans 69. * 17, with Efron and Perry 70. Egyptian god of air 71. Relating to uvea of the eye 72. Go from solid to liquid 73. Type of sweet potato 74. Chatty or full of news DOWN 1. As opposed to B.S. degrees 2. Reproductive structures 3. Land of Israel 4. WWII villain 5. Slow the growth of 6. *It featured the line, You re gonna need a bigger boat. 7. Turkish military leader 8. Rocker Chuck 9. Seabiscuit control 10. One on a list 11. Indian ethnic group 12. Mountain valley 15. Tool used for gripping 20. * It s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad 22. *Indiana Jones saved it from raiders 24. * Gas Food 25. *Featured the line, And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. 26. * Eat Pray Love locale 27. Goofballs 29. Another spelling for #56 Down 31. Imitated 32. Bogs down or gets stuck 33. Another spelling for Eric 34. *He famously called out to Adrian 36. Plus shampoo 38. * Boys on the with Parker, Goldberg and Barrymore 42. Thrown to give up 45. Stooge 49. Consumer electronics maker 51. *Featured the line, I feel the need... the need for speed! 54. Antonym of calm 56. Lack of guile or experience 57. Paper unit 58. * The Razor s 59. Loud ringing of bells or laughter 60. Leave out 61. Starch from cuckoopint root 62. Ball of yarn 63. Exclamation for unfortunately 66. American Heart Association 68. *Stallone s nickname The solution to puzzle #0611 will run in the April 6 issue.

6 6 Get hoppin to the Rec Center for Easter egg hunt by SUE HARDING (277) SNPJ Recreation Center BOROUGH OF SNPJ, Pa. On your mark, get set, and the hunt is on! That is, the Easter egg hunt at the SNPJ Recreation Center Sunday, Badger Jabber by Bob Smole Lodge 584 Milwaukee Word has it that Sis. Cindy Hayes (584) has reached a milestone. After 25 years of service at the Milwaukee County Medical Complex, she has decided to retire. A celebration honoring that accomplishment with many of her rowdy, fun-loving, party-going friends took place March 4 at various locations (specializing in libation) in and around Milwaukee and West Allis. A good time ensued. Congratulations to Cindy with best wishes for a long, healthy and happy retirement. Hey, kids! What time is it? If you were my age you might respond, It s Howdy Doody time! Wrong! Are you ready for some... bowling? It s really time for the SNPJ Youth Telegraphic Bowling Tournament. Sis. Mary Donovan has informed me that everything is set for this annual event to take place Sunday, April 3, at Riviera Lanes, 86th and W. Greenfield, starting at 1 p.m. (please arrive 15 minute earlier). As in years past, the cost for Badger Lodge 584 youth members for bowling, shoes, soda and lunch will be zero, zip, nada, nothing. The Badger Lodge is picking up the tab for their youth members. The invitation to participate is also extended to all SNPJ youth members from the Lily (764) and Jolly Allis (686) Lodges as well. Those youth members will have a fee of $9 which will include bowling, shoes, soda and lunch after bowling. Any adults who wish to join in for lunch will be asked a $5 donation to cover costs. Sis. Donovan is asking for items to add to the lunch table (baked goods, condiments, Jell-O, snacks, etc.). Flyers and entry forms have been ed to previous participants, so they should contact Mary and let her know if they are interested, and if you can add to the food list. Those who haven t received a notice should contact Sis. Donovan at (414) This is a fun time for the kids on the alleys. The more, the merrier! Bigger is better all good proclamations associated with having a good time in numbers. And better yet, you can t beat the price! Two weeks from that date you can come right back to the same place, Riviera Lanes, and be part of the festivities linked to the Fun-O-Leers annual nine-pin bowling social. The lanes are filled, but that doesn t mean you can t come and enjoy the fun with us Saturday, April 16. We would like to see you there participating in the festivities that will start at 11:30 a.m. and run until who knows when. As in past years, the newest member of the Fun-O-Leer Club is required to run a bowling social to introduce himself as a Fun-O-Leer and to show his worthiness to the Fun-O-Leer Club. That new member is Bro. Matt Bolka (584), who was initiated into the Fun-O-Leer Club in November. Learn more about the Fun-O-Leers Club on our web site, April 10. The hunt begins at noon with a free lunch with the Easter Bunny for children 12 and under. Adults can purchase lunch for $4. Following lunch, eggs will be hidden outside for all the children to search for, weather permitting. Be sure your children bring a basket or bag to collect their eggs. Pictures can be taken with the Easter Bunny after the hunt, so parents, remember to bring a camera. Keeping with the bowling trend that I have going, I need to expound a bit on Bro. Joe Azzolina (584) who rolled a whopping 782 series (games of 268, 244 and 270) recently in the Night Mixers at Classic Lanes in Greenfield, Wis. This accomplishment did gain him some notoriety in The Milwaukee Journal. Bro. Azzolina is a fairly new SNPJ member, and part of the Badger 584 Touring Team when he can get off work. Obviously, he does possess the talent, so congratulations to Bro. Joe on his great series. Not bowling and want to participate in the making of the Slovenian traditional butare (spring greenery tied in bundles and carried in church for blessing on Palm Sunday)? Then you should attend the gathering at Triglav Park in Wind Lake, Wis., Saturday, April 16, beginning at 10 a.m. If you have access to sprigs of greenery (pine branches, pussy willow branches, colored ribbons, green floral tape) to make your butare, then bring them along. Never made one? Experts like Helen Frohna and others will be there to assist. If you are unable to get the required items together, no worry come anyway and bring a friend. You can obtain more information from Helen regarding the Sunday, April 17, 8 a.m. Palm Sunday Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church. Time is running out if you are interested in attending the Mass, followed by a breakfast at Klemmer s, 104th and W. Lincoln Ave., for a cost of $12. This is your last chance. You must contact Helen Frohna at (262) since breakfast reservations are required. All-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, applesauce, coffee, milk and juice will be served at the annual West Allis West Lions Club pancake breakfast scheduled Sunday, May 1. Serving will begin at 8 a.m. and will continue until noon. This is an annual fund-raising activity for the West Allis West Lions and is held at the Mary Queen of Heaven Hall, 2350 S. 106th. A donation of $6 will get you through the door and a plate to start enjoying the allyou-can-eat breakfast. In between pancakes you will have the opportunity to participate in various games of chance to win some prizes, as well as enjoy the popular Wisconsin pull-tabs that will be available. This is one of our events held during the course of the year to raise money for the various charities that the Lions Club supports. The Lions Club International (LCI) is a national organization that is committed to assisting the sight impaired. This is also a community-oriented group, so much of the funds raised stay right here, in this community, to assist local individuals in need. Come out to support the West Allis West Lions Club and enjoy the delicious pancake breakfast. Let the West Allis West Lions serve you, and you can be doing your part to help some local people. The first week in June is usually when the Milwaukee Balina League starts its new season. Bro. Stan and Sis. Shirley Vidmar (764) have been handling this Phone the SNPJ Recreation Center toll-free at to make your reservation for the great Easter egg hunt, then hop on over for a fun-filled afternoon. Don t miss out on all the excitement! league for a countless number of years, and will do so again this year. They are looking for players, so if you are interested in playing balina or if you are returning for another year, give the Vidmars a call at (414) As I mentioned, play usually starts the first week of June on a Monday evening. Two shifts are scheduled, depending on how many players sign up. The first shift starts at 6 p.m. and plays for 50 minutes, followed by the second shift. Last year, 11 teams competed in the league, so the season lasted until September. It s a fun league for everyone, with the occasional flare of sportsmanlike exuberance and enthusiastic expression. Come on out if not to play, then to watch to West Allis Veteran Park, S. 70th and W. National Ave. Sunshine, temperatures in the 80 s and a cool breeze. That s the weather forecast ordered by the Badger Lodge Picnic Committee for the second annual SNPJ Badger Lodge 584 picnic. Reserve the date of Sunday, July 24, on your 2011 calendars before you forget. The picnic will be held at the same location as last year, Root River Parkway, picnic area #1. Have some ideas for this wingding? Share them with me at rsmole@wi.rr.com. Please enter Badger Picnic or Wingding in the subject line. Picnic committee members include Brothers Tim Donovan, Bob Smole and Jerry Wucinski, and Sis. Mary Donovan. SNPJ members from other Lodges are invited to join us on that day as well. We will publish more details as they become available, so watch for updates. Aye, tis St. Patrrrick s Day we celebrrrate. Corned beef, cabbage, boiled potatoes and carrots were on the menu and enjoyed by many, I m sure. It sounds pretty good to me! It seems this is one day of the year that everyone is Irish... or at least they all claim to be. The next Badger Lodge regular monthly meeting will be held Thursday, April 21 (the third Thursday in April), beginning at 7:30 p.m. at St. Peter s Church Hall, 7929 W. Lincoln Ave. Although April Fools Day will have passed, this is no joke, and we re expecting to see you at this important meeting. This would be a good opportunity to come up with some unique ideas for the summer picnic. Filling the hall would be wonderful and a pleasant surprise. How about it? A large pot of hot coffee is always ready, and there is plenty to nibble on with all the various homemade desserts that are brought to enjoy. Page 5 Badger Brain Bender Answer: (From left to right) Brothers Tony Gorenc (764) and Eddie Vidmar (764). The date was Dec. 31, 1945, and the location was Stemberger s Restaurant (if you got that, you re pretty good!), which was located near the Milwaukee Airport back then. It was a New Year s Eve party that these two talented accordionists played for. Today, they are both still very active and performing in the Milwaukee area for weddings, dances, parties and most Slovenian functions. Many thanks to Bro. Ed Vidmar for the picture. best wishes to our Outlived Members Lodge 117 member formerly of Lodge 223 YUKON, Pa. Yukon Lodge 117 member Sis. Louise Lawrence recently outlived the life of her SNPJ insurance policy. She writes: I was born in Greensburg, Pa., where my parents and siblings were members of Lodge 223. We lived in Pennsylvania until 1924 when we left for Newark, N.J. I attended schools in Newark, and was employed by Investor Savings and Loan for 19 years. My parents eventually transferred to the former Lodge 540 in Elizabeth, N.J. I ve lived in Union, N.J., for the last 52 years. I had one sister and four brothers. I m now retired and enjoying life with my two grandchildren. On behalf of the members of Lodge 117 and the Slovene National Benefit Society, we extend best wishes to Sis. Lawrence for continued happiness. Official Proceedings Minutes of the Executive Committee Meeting January 17, 2011 The meeting was called to order at 2 p.m. by President Evanish with Sis. Pintar and Bro. Lawrence in attendance. Approved the minutes from the Dec. 2, 2010, Executive Committee meeting. Discussed the health care quotes that we received for renewal of employees health plan. Discussed various options from other health care providers. We have meetings scheduled with brokers this week to discuss the options. President Evanish reported on the Recreation Center meeting that was recently held. The committee approved the purchase of some security cameras, discussed the roof on the upper pavilion that needs replaced, and discussed various other items for the upcoming season. Approved the purchase of a $150 ad for the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce directory. Approved the purchase of a $150 ad for the 75th SNPJ National Bowling Tournament booklet. Approved the purchase of training modules from the NFCA. Cash Withdrawals: Dec. 8, There was one Matured Endowment and one Adult Cash Withdrawal, none of which were conversions. Cash value, $2,204.96; insurance, $10,400. Dec. 15, There was one Youth Cash Withdrawal and 15 Adult Cash Withdrawals, none of which were conversions. Cash value, $26,227.21; insurance, $71,776. Dec. 21, There were three Adult Cash Withdrawals, none of which were conversions. Cash value, $2,718.19; insurance, $27,000. Dec. 28, There was one Matured Endowment, which was not a conversion. Cash value, $1,066; insurance, $1,000. Jan. 5, There was one Outlived Policy and eight Adult Cash Withdrawals, none of which were conversions. Cash value, $10,878.49; insurance, $36,500. Jan. 11, There were two Youth Cash Withdrawals, one of which was a conversion. Cash value, $96.17; insurance, $5,000. Jan. 12, There was one Outlived Policy and five Adult Cash Withdrawals, none of which were conversions. Cash value, $5,138.61; insurance, $6,510. Jan. 17, There was one Adult Cash Withdrawal, which was not a conversion. Cash value, $0; insurance, $25,000. The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m. JOSEPH C. EVANISH National President KAREN A. PINTAR National Secretary SNPJ Recommender Program Win e No t? The SNPJ Recommender Program provides an opportunity for adult members to encourage family, friends, children and acquaintances to join the Slovene National Benefit Society and take advantage of SNPJ s competitive products and numerous fraternal benefits. Not only will you be helping a friend and strengthening our Society, you ll also be receiving benefits yourself. Recommender Benefits Receive $10 for each valid referral submitted. Every valid referral earns the recommender one chance in the Quarterly Drawing for an opportunity to win $100. Every valid referral also earns the recommender one chance in the Year-end Drawing for an opportunity to win $500 cash. By submitting one valid referral, you have the opportunity to earn a total of $610 in cash prizes! I would like to introduce for SNPJ membership Please contact: (Parent or guardian if under age 18) Address: City/State/Zip: Phone: ( ) Indicate Preferred Agent (Optional) My Name: My Lodge Number: Address: City/State/Zip: Phone: ( ) Each individual must be informed that an agent will contact him/her and the referral must have some interest in SNPJ in order for the recommender to be considered valid. Complete this coupon and return to Slovene National Benefit Society Att n: Marketing Department 247 West Allegheny Road Imperial, PA madison wine cellar The only east coast store offering a large selection of Slovenian wine. Stajerska Region Pullus Sauvignon Blanc Pullus Pinot Grigio Pullus Zweigelt Pullus Laski Rizling Sanctum Chardonnay Sanctum Pinot Noir Primorska Region Mansus Merlot Mansus Klarnica Sanctum Merlot Mansus Cabernet Sauvignon Sanctum Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Browse our entire selection of organically grown wine at where we offer a 15% discount on mix & match orders. For your convenience, shipments are sent via UPS. 29 Main St., Madison, NJ (973) info@madisonwinecellar.com information at your fingertips Looking for information on your SNPJ life insurance and annuity policies? Simply log on to snpj.org and follow the step-by-step instructions.

7 7 Spring Hill Lodge 778 breezes through another busy winter season by EILEEN HARFMANN Lodge 778 Secretary SPRING HILL, Fla. Lodge 778 has already had a busy season! On Feb. 26 we held our Snowflake Dance. The title didn t prove to be too appropriate as temperatures that day were nearing the 80 s. Nonetheless, we had a good time and a good crowd of approximately 160 people. The Frank Moravcik Band with Linda Hocevar entertained for the day. As always, they did a wonderful job! Thanks are also extended to our ticket chairpersons, Ralph and Mary Ann Hiltz, for promoting this successful event. The following Wednesday we held our monthly business meeting and luncheon. What a nice surprise we had when Grace and Otto Doerk (559) stopped in to visit with us. They were on their way to a cruise vacation and took a major detour to head our way for awhile. Everyone was so happy to see them. These two truly know how to practice fraternalism! After lunch we got busy decorating, setting up tables and chairs, cleaning, and putting up welcome banners to prepare for our Florida SNPJ Days weekend. Some of the men gathered in the kitchen to help Bob Turcola prepare sausage for the Friday jam session. It was like watching a hive full of busy bees. What a hub of activity we had going on! Our chairperson for this weekend was Daria Perse. As always, she did an excellent job promoting our event on the Internet and in person. A recap of Friday s activities can be found in Daria s article in this Prosveta issue. A cancellation by the Polka Quads in early February left us scrambling to find entertainment for our Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon dances. Fortunately, we were able to hire the Alex Meixner Band. Alex is such a talented and personable young man. I don t know where he gets all of that energy, but it s contagious. Alex and the boys in the band that weekend (Michael Fortunato and Kurt Harfmann) kept us thoroughly entertained. A large group of jammers joined in during the breaks. Dennis and Brigette Lamberti prepared their homemade goulash for us on Saturday. It was a delicious treat! We were very lucky to have a great group of volunteers for the weekend. They included Ben and Carol Drongosky, Grace Bouma, Carmel Cassanova, Ed and Mary Ann Klotz, Anne Gombocs, Richard Krcmaric, Walt Harfmann, Ed and Patricia Klasa, Dave and Gloria Koprowski, Catherine Feil, Daria Perse, Nežka Novak, and John and Doris Laurich. If I have forgotten anyone, it was not intentional; my memory just isn t as good as it used to be! The weekend was a lot of hard work, but more importantly, a lot of fun. Nearly 400 members and guests passed through our doors. What a wonderful weekend we had! The 2011 Florida SNPJ Days entertainment lineup kept the dance floor crowded all weekend long at the Spring Hill, Fla., Lodge 778 Hall. News from Here & There by GRACE DOERK Lodge 559 News From There... CHICAGO Otto and I didn't know if we would make our Florida trip this year since six to eight inches of snow were predicted on the day of our departure. There was a possibility that our flight would be canceled. As things worked out, the plane was on schedule from Chicago to Charlotte, N.C.; however, we did run into a problem with our departure flight in Charlotte. Before taking off, a male passenger suffered a heart attack and the passengers were panicking. There were two nurses on board who got him breathing again. Everyone shouted and clapped. The plane was delayed for several hours, but we eventually reached our destination in Daytona Beach, Fla. Upon arriving at Samsula, we found the Lodge 603 Hall, and boy was it hopping. The crowd was good, the food was excellent and there was music galore. I was in my glory, seeing many SNPJ friends I hadn t seen in a long time. Two years ago I met Daria Perse in Spring Hill, Fla., and we have corresponded for the past two years. She was there with her son, Erik. I was only kidding, Erik. I ll send you my granddaughter s address. We planned to meet Ed, Sharon and John Kovack, our friends from Chicago Lodge 8. They and their families stay in Florida throughout winter. I don t blame them. We saw Karen and Ken Pintar; Jim and Betty Curl, who will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on a cruise; Kathy Paulenich, with whom I always enjoy talking; Sondra and Dave Long, our polka cruise friends from Youngwood, Pa.; and, of course, Tony and Ann Klepec. We saw so many more people, and I must say everyone seemed to be so happy and so was I. We decided to stay another day to visit with the Florida Slovene Days crowd in Samsula. The second day was also filled with friends and camaraderie. We spent a lot of time informing Ed and Sharon Kovack about everything that was taking place at home. Ed told us that Linda Novotny (8) had back surgery; we wish her the best in her recovery. On our visit to Samsula for Florida Slovene Days, we were greeted at the gate by Lodge 603 member Bill Tomazin. This second day we saw many of those we saw the day before, plus many others. How nice it was to see Ed Kuzma. Miss SNPJ Selina Progar told us that that Allison Engel (138) was recently married. We didn't have much time to talk to Jeannette Humphrey, Ruth and George Benedict and other Lodge 603 members; they were very busy, and I mean busy. It was nice seeing our cruise friends from Canada. We looked forward to seeing them on our March 5 polka cruise. It was also nice talking with Rose Marie Jisa from Cleveland, with whom I have corresponded regarding genealogy. The button box players at the Florida Slovene Days jam sessions were at their best. The music of the Marc Bouchard and Bob Turcola orchestras rang out all day. What can I say? Otto and I were very happy that we were able to attend Florida Slovene Days in Samsula. We thank Lodge 603 members for the gift, recognition and, above all, a bottle of wine. I really appreciate it. It was beyond words. Congratulations to Lodge 603 on a successful Florida Slovene Days celebration. We re looking forward to the next SNPJ convention which will be held in the Samsula area. I hope to be there. While Otto and I were enjoying the 85-degree temperatures in Florida, we heard that the Chicago area was getting hit with snow and ice, along with 30-degree temperatures. I m glad we were in Florida. After having a very enjoyable time at Florida Slovene Days, we visited the anual craft fair in New Smyrna Beach. There was no need for me to buy anything there; I have more than I need. I keep telling Otto we have to empty our house a little... who wants all this clutter when you have to move. We re not planning a move right now, but possibly in the near future. Our house is too big and the yearly fees are outrageous. Our next visit was with a friend who moved to New Smyrna Beach about six years ago. She and her husband built a beautiful log home, and let me tell you, everything inside the house was fashioned the same way. They own 10 acres of land and have woodland animals frequenting their grounds. Our next stop was in Longwood, close to Orlando. I really wanted to scooter through Epcot, but Otto thought he would have a hard time getting around. In Winter Springs, near Longwood, we had dinner with one of my son s friends, Ed Durda (559), and his fiancé, Carol Miller. They will be getting married soon; it will be the second marriage for both. We wish them both all the happiness in the world. Every time we come to Florida we visit Tarpon Springs and that we did, maybe for the last time. It was amazing how few people were there. We had our special Greek pizza and a Greek pastry, and then moved on. As we traveled through the Tampa Bay area, we could see all kinds of boats cruisng on the water. We stayed in Weeki Wachee, and thank goodness there was a computer in the place so I could catch up on my s. Otto and I have visited the Spring Hill and Port Richey area many times over the years, so we thought we would visit one more time. Our home was Weeki Wachee, which Daria Perse recommened. I wanted to visit Suncoast Lodge 778 since I was invited to speak at its dedication (I can t remember the exact year a senior moment) by the late Frank Groser. Fortunately, Lodge 778 members were holding a meeting that day, so we had the opportunity to visit with many members. John and Doris Laurich and I reminisced about all the old timers who are no longer with us. We saw Bob Turcola, who was busy making čivapčiči, while Lodge 778 members were busy preparing for the three-day Florida SNPJ Days weekend which we were unable to attend. Eileen Harfmann seemed to be the coordinator, while Daria Perse was taking care of all the refreshments and lining up people to work in the kitchen. Grace Bouma is still the same, even though she s now 87. We met her son, Ron, and his wife who live in Bolingbrook, Ill., a town just north of us. We found that we frequent many of the same places, but we ve never run into each another. Walt Harfmann, I believe, is instrumental in the selection of orchestras for Lodge 778 events, and he also plays button box during jam sessions. I misssed seeing Betty Keber, who knew our late Uncle Charley very well, and we also missed seeing Ann Gombocs, who along with her late husband John were our next-door neighbors at the SNPJ Recreation Center during Slovenefest. Nežka was there with her husband, and as usual, she was everywhere helping with the preparations and getting ready for her job behind the bar. Of course, I have many memories of the Suncoast Lodge Hall since many Lodge 559 members transferred here. Unfortunately, most are no longer with us. Our next stop was in North Ft. Myers, where many of our snowbird friends from Illinois stay during the winter. Many of them are Otto s Sokol friends that he grew up with. We had a grand time. We tried not to drive too many miles each day, so our next stop was in Ft. Lauderdale, where we visited with my cousin and his wife who live in Crete, Ill. Soon we were in Miami and getting ready for our polka cruise. I must admit it was a wonderful drive from Daytona Beach to Miami. But would we ever do it again? No; it s too hard on us, moving ourselves and our luggage in and out of motels each night. I wanted to make this trip mainly to visit the two SNPJ halls in Florida. From now on we ll probably be traveling with Mayflower tours. They pick you up and do all the planning, and you never have to carry your luggage. I have to admit that Otto and I are getting older, but we still manage to do what we can while we can. Prior to boarding our cruise ship, the Carnival Liberty, we visited with my cousin, Frank Stanfa, and his wife, Ann, who had rebuilt a home in Ft. Lauderdale that was originally built in It was beautiful, and you should see Ann s garden flowers everywhere. In fact, Ann received an award as the best gardener in Ft. Lauderdale. We boarded the Carnival Liberty March 5, and sooner than we thought, we were off on our Caribbean cruise. We rested on our first day of the cruise so we would be prepared for all that would follow. On the second day of the cruise we went to Half Moon Cay, located on 24,000-acre Little San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. Half Moon City is built on 45 acres along a crescentshaped, white sand beach more than a mile in length that fronts a protected bay leading west to Exuma Sound. Everyone told me this was such a beautiful beach that I wanted to see it for myself. Ferrying over to the island, I was amazed to see how blue the water was. I went into the water, and it was just as clear as the water we viewed coming over on the ferry. Boarding our ship after visiting Half Moon Cay, we next went to our first polka session. It was nice seeing some of the former polka cruisers, Andrea and Ray Grolemund from Kane, Pa., and Anthony and his wife Katherine from British Columbia. Both Anthony and his wife are accomplished musicians. Joey Tomsick was playing accordion and button box with three members of the Martin Brothers Band from Michigan. Everyone was happy, enjoying the music and dancing. I had a chance to talk with Tony Petkovsek, who was representing Kollander World Travel. Tony has run his radio program on WELW 1330 AM for 50 years, and with this milestone he is having an event each month in Cleveland at each of the various Slovenian halls. Tony is also the funding chairman of the 1,500-member Cleveland Polka Hall of Fame located in Euclid, Ohio. The guests on the polka cruise, numbering 67, came from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Canada; Otto and I were the only couple from Illinois. By the time the cruise was over, we were all one big, happy family. We re already looking forward to next year s polka cruise, which we understand will travel to Hawaii. Start saving your money... Otto and I have been to St. Thomas dozens of times, but I had to view St. Thomas and its beachfront once again. In 1917, St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix were purchased by the United States for $26 million as part of a defensive strategy to maintain control over the Caribbean and the Panama Canal during the First World War. Being a shopper, I couldn t resist checking out all the stores. Each night after our day trips we had the main show to look forward to, as well as other shows on board. I must say that the comedians weren t the best. Everything was going along fine until we reached San Juan, which was once called Puerto Rico, meaning rich port. At one time the entire island was called San Juan, but the capital and the island s names were accidentally switched later. We toured one of the most prolific rum distilleries in North America and also visited the only tropical rain forest in United States territory, El Yunque. I can t say no to shopping, so I went on my way. Unfortunately, coming out of a store I fell head first down a few stairs. They wanted to take me to a hospital, but I refused since I knew what that would have entailed. Consequently, when I returned home I had to have X-rays and physical therapy. But I didn t let that bother me; I knew the consequences. The last place we visited was Grand Turk and the Caicos Islands, consisting of 40 islands and cays, eight of which are inhabited. The islands are located 550 miles southeast of Miami, Fla., just below the Bahamas chain, and just to the east of Cuba and the island of Hispanicia (the Dominican Republic and Haiti). Technically, the Turks and Caicos are located in the Atlantic Ocean, not the Caribbean Sea. Did I learn my lesson and pass up a shopping trip? No. I really didn t purchase much on this trip since I have so much to get rid of at home and didn t need any more clutter. Our 16-day trip is over, and I have only wonderful memories. Now I m looking forward to the next vacation... which won t be for a while. News From Here... I am most grateful to Jean Cherway (559) who took minutes of the Slovene Pensioners Club meeting and the Pioneer Lodge 559 meeting. You can always depend on Jean. The American-Slovene Retirement Club meeting was held March 9 at the American Legion Hall. Members sang happy birthday to President Emil Golub, Florence Rogel, Frances Snyder, Gladys Braun and Anne Cretnik. Members decided to celebrate the club s 49th anniversary April 13. We extend our get-well wishes to Lodge 8 members Frank and Dolores Novotny, and their daughter Linda, who have had a series of accidents and health problems. The Pioneer Lodge 559 meeting was held March 11. Officers Otto and Grace Doerk were absent. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved, as was the financial report. Correspondence from National Secretary Karen Pintar was read by Secretary Anita Vitous, which introduced the new SNPJ Security Whole Life product as of March 1. The next SNPJ National Board meeting is scheduled March 25. The is asking all Lodges to send notices regarding any upcoming Lodge events so they may be listed on the web site and in PROS- VETA. A letter was received from Fraternal Director Kevin Richards announcing the official opening of the 2011 Miss SNPJ Pageant. Bro. Richards also congratulated our Lodge for attaining a Silver Star award. The Pioneer Lodge now has 574 active adult members, 38 youth members and a total 716 policies in force. We had no 50-, 60- or 70-year members, nor deaths, for this month. Michael Vidmar reported on the Chicago Federation meeting. Ailing members include Sophie Sowa, who has infection on her leg. It was nice to see Carolee Michalik back in attendance after knee surgery. Get well wishes to Anne Cretnik who is suffering from a bronchial condition. Pioneer Lodge members were urged to attend the upcoming Zbor Spendov spring concert and dance planned April 30 at the Slovene Center starting at 7:30 p.m. Music for dancing will be performed by Ansambel Veseljaki. Five Pioneer Lodge members are members of the Zbor Spendov choral group. Mike Vidmar won the attendance award. Our sincere sympathy to the Matiasek family on the passing of Emily Matiasek. Emily and her late husband, Chester, were the owners of a bakery in Cicero, Ill., for many years. We are also sorry to report the passing of Georgiana Krtous (8). Our sincere sympathy to the family. Georgiana was an SNPJ Home Office retiree and a member of Slovene Retirement Club. Congratulations to Justin Rigler (449), a senior at Lemont High School who featured the Polka Pals on his school s Faculty Idol. Justin s brother, Robert (449), was one of the Polka Pals dancers. Justin put this act together in about two weeks, and we are proud to announce that the act came in third place out of nine performances. I believe we will be reading much about the Rigler brothers future accomplishments. They are the sons of musician Vince Rigler (449) and SNPJ Region 6 Vice President Tina Rigler, and the grandsons of Maria Rigler (449) and Justina Dabrowski (449). After returning from our vacation, we attended the monthly corned beef and cabbage dinner at the Slovenian Cultural Center in Lemont, Ill. Their next monthly dinner will be served April 10, followed by an April 17 Easter brunch. It was nice seeing Marlene and Chuck O Connell (1), and their daughter Diane, in attendance. It was also nice talking with all of our friends Well, I think I have written enough. Until next time, na svidenje!

8 8 S N P J F r a t e r n a l Members celebrating 50, 60, 70 and 80 years with the Slovene National Benefit Society by JOSEPH C. EVANISH SNPJ National President We of the SNPJ belong to an organization that has a very ex traordinary and diverse member ship. Our members range in age from newborn to 100-plus years. They come from many different parts of the United States, have a wide variety of ideas and have many different backgrounds. But they all have something in common their loyalty and love of SNPJ. It is through our older members, the backbone of our Society, that our younger members have learned and will continue to learn the meaning of fra ternalism. They have guided our Society through the good times and the trying times with one common goal... unity and harmony within the SNPJ. Every year, more and more of these respected SNPJ elders reach the 50-, 60-, 70- and astronomical 80-year milestone of membership in the Slovene National Benefit Society. It is our privilege to honor some of this elite group of elders. In acknowledging our elder members, we show our respect for these honorees by offering our thanks and appreciation for the loy alty they have shown the Society for so many years. In a small way we can etch their names into the archives of the SNPJ even more through. Upon reaching the 50-year mile stone, the Executive Committee forwards a certificate of recognition. Sixty-year members receive a diamond-studded gold pin; 70-year mem bers receive an embroidered fleece blanket and 80- year members receive an SNPJ custom blanket. We ask our elite elders, once they have received their awards from the Society, to submit a short report on their past and present life style which includes Lodge affilia tion, hobbies and other informa tion which might be of interest to readers. We welcome letters from all of our fraternal honorees. Sometimes, over the years, a member transfers to another Lodge out of state. This short report enables us to pass along addresses so that longtime ac quaintances can keep in touch or renew old friendships which have gone astray. Our congratulations to all who have reached these honored mile stones. It is said that our future is in the young, but without our elite elders the traditions and heritage of the SNPJ would not be able to grow and our young would not learn the true meaning of unity, harmony and fraternalism. Bro. KEN KRISTAN (223) and Sis. JEAN KRISTAN (223) The Society recognized Sis. WILMA DOBNIKAR of Chicago Lodge 559 for her 70th membership anniversary. She writes: Thanks for the lovely blanket. I plan to use it while I watch TV. Born near the town of Arma, Kan., I came to Chicago to start my second year of high school. After graduation I lived with my sister, Eva Zordani, and her husband, John. I joined Pioneers Lodge 559 in I sure miss all the dances and picnics we had. My husband, Frank, passed away in I have one daughter, Karen, a son-in-law, Scott, two granddaughters and two greatgrandsons. I m 88 and now live with my daughter and her family. I enjoy cooking and baking. Sis. WILMA DOBNIKAR (21) Kirkwall Ct. Green Oaks, IL Sis. JEAN KRISTAN FROM PREVIOUS COLUMN Charlie and I were active members in the Lodge. I was a member of the ladies auxiliary. During those years there were many fun activities, especially the dances and bowling tournaments. I have been a widow for 25 years now, as Charlie passed away in At age 96, I now reside at an assisted living facility. I was able to remain in my home until I moved hear 1½ years ago. I have two sons, Chuck and Ken, four grandchildren, and five greatgrandchildren. Thank you again for the blanket. I truly appreciate it. Sis. JEAN KRISTAN (223) 422 Manor Road Delmont, PA Bro. THOMAS TASKAR FROM PREVIOUS COLUMN years working in the coal mining industry. When he retired he was a long-wall coordinator for American Electric Corp. Tom and Jeanne share interests in traveling, camping with family and enjoying their second home near Scofield Reservoir in Utah. Their winters there have been special because the Taskars are avid snowmobilers, and have a wonderful group of friends to ride with. If health permits, they plan to remain active in these pursuits for at least a few more years. Bro. Taskar is very appreciative of the nice gifts he received from the SNPJ over the years. He enjoys reading prosveta because once in a while he recognizes someone who submitted news or pictures. Sis. ELSIE VIDRICK (106) Sis. MARY KING (218) Bro. THOMAS TASKAR (689) Sis. CATHERINE BOGGESS (564) Sis. MARY KING FROM PREVIOUS COLUMN In honor of her 70th membership anniversary, Sis. FLORENCE TELICH was recognized by Ely, Minn., Lodge 268 and the SNPJ. Sis. Telich writes: I want to thank the Society for the blanket. I ll make good use of it as the winter has been cold. The years go by fast; I was surprised I was a 70-year member. Sis. FLORENCE TELICH (268) 240 S. 15th Ave. E. Ely, MN Bro. KEN KRISTAN of Greensburg, Pa., Lodge 223 was honored by the Society for his 50 years of membership. Bro. Kristan writes: I d like to thank the SNPJ for the lapel pin and wallet, and a little money to put in it. Thank you so much. During my youth I was a member of the Lodge s Youth Circle, participating in softball and bowling. I worked for 42 years as a sheet metal worker/planner in the HVAC industry. I m now 66 and retired. My wife and I have two children and five grandchildren. I d like to mention how much I enjoyed the article in the Labor Day issue that discussed how SNPJ was formed through the hard work of immigrants and the large part they played in forming labor unions. All Americans can now enjoy the benefits of their efforts and sacrifices. Bro. KEN KRISTAN (223) 422 Manor Road Delmont, PA The Society also recognized Bro. Kristan s mother, 70-year member Sis. JEAN KRISTAN of Greensburg, Pa., Lodge 223, for her membership anniversary. Sis. Kristan writes: I d like to thank SNPJ for the lovely blanket acknowledging my 70-year anniversary as a member. I became a member through my late husband, Charles Kristan, after we married in Charlie was one of the founding members of Greensburg Lodge 223. Sis. JEAN KRISTAN CONTINUES NEXT COLUMN Imperial, Pa., Lodge 106 member Sis. ELSIE VIDRICK was honored by the Slovene National Benefit Society for her 70 years of membership. Sis. Vidrick writes: When I received the beautiful throw blanket, I was very happy and appreciative. I ll cherish and keep it forever. I will use it often and think of the Society with great pride. Thank you so much! I no longer live in Pennsylvania, but I miss all of my friends and the different functions I attended during my years there. Sis. ELSIE VIDRICK (106) 905 Glendale Road, Apt. 335 Murray, KY In honor of his 60th membership anniversary, Bro. THOMAS TASKAR was recognized by Helper, Utah, Lodge 689 and the Slovene National Benefit Society. Thomas Anton Taskar has been a proud member of SNPJ for 60 years. He was born in Helper to Anton and Mary (Pahlin) Taskar Jan. 9, His parents emigrated from Austria to the U.S. while in their teens. They met and married in Black Diamond, Wash., and eventually came to Helper to seek work in the many coal mines of the area. Bro. Taskar distinguished himself as a talented high school athlete, playing on a football team that won a state championship his senior year. Tom was selected allstate running back and was offered several football scholarships. He chose to play for his local junior college where he was honored as an all-conference player. His promising football career was interrupted by the Korean War, and Tom proudly served our country for 18 months with the Korean Military Advisory Group (KMAG). When discharged, he had attained the rank of staff sergeant. Tom returned home to Helper where he met his wife, Jeanne. Together they raised four children who have blessed them with five grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren. During 54 years of marriage, Tom worked on the railroad, sold cars and spent many Bro. THOMAS TASKAR CONTINUES NEXT COLUMN Bro. THOMAS TASKAR (689) 4 S. 3rd Ave. Helper, UT Denver Lodge 218 member Sis. MARY KING was honored by the Slovene National Benefit Society for her 70 years of membership. Sis. King writes: Greetings from New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment! Thanks for the lovely fleece blanket. It s so gracious of SNPJ to remember its longtime members. You must know the elderly like to stay warm! My Slovenian parents, Anton and Antonia Cunja, came to America in They left the small village of Ospo, nestled under a hillside of the Austrian Alps. They settled in the village of Yankee, N.M., where my dad worked in the coal mine. That s where I was born on Feb. 21, 1923, their fourth of six children. After about four years, we moved to Sugarite, N.M., in a beautiful canyon that, for the last 25 years, has been designated a state park. Each Memorial Day, the park hosts a Coal Camp Days history program with volunteers portraying camp life in the 1930s. When the camp closed in 1941, the same year I was to graduate high school, our family moved to Raton, N.M. My dad was unemployed, so I went to work at a summer tourist resort in Red River, N.M. I cleaned cabins, receiving room and board and very little pay. When I returned home, I worked at the J.J. Newberry dime store until I received a better offer at Nixon s Automotive as a parts clerk. About three years later, I married an ex-marine, Fletcher Buzz King. We had 47 years together before he passed in I was a stay-at-home mom raising four wonderful, caring children. Our twins Cindy and Lindy, son Jerry and daughter Carol are all are married and doing well. Three live nearby in Colorado while Cindy and her husband, Bob, live in Raton and help care for me. I have been blessed with five grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, a great-granddaughter and a Sis. MARY KING CONTINUES NEXT COLUMN great-grandson. I ve enrolled the younger ones in SNPJ and hope they will continue their memberships. While growing up, my family attended SNPJ picnics where we enjoyed delicious food, dancing, games and friends. I enjoyed reading The Voice of Youth and Mladinski List, and I still enjoy reading my Prosveta. When I wrote to congratulate the Society on its 100th anniversary, I heard from Mary Chagenovich of San Pedro, Calif. She is an SNPJ member who came from a nearby coal camp in New Mexico. Thanks to my article, we began corresponding and have become the best of friends. To each and every Slovenian, be proud of our heritage and keep our traditions. Live well, love much and laugh often. Keep a song in your heart! Sis. MARY KING (218) 916 S. 4th St. Raton, NM Sis. CATHERINE BOGGESS of Detroit Lodge 564 was honored by the Society for her 70 years of membership. Sis. Boggess writes: Thank you so much for the lovely embroidered fleece blanket I received in recognition of my 70 years as a member of SNPJ. I was presented with the blanket at the Lodge 564 Grape Dance in November 2010 from President Rudy Zornik and Secretary Marion Volpe. As a Michigan resident, this blanket will truly come in handy on those cold, snowy nights. I ve enjoyed many Lodge 564 activities in the Detroit area throughout the years, including bowling and dancing. I still attend dances at the Slovene American Club in Melvindale, Mich., and enjoy listening to jam sessions put on by the button boxers. I m also an active member of Lodge 564 Senior Group. I like to read, play pinochle and work on crossword puzzles. I m an active member of the Eagles Senior Group, serving as their membership chairperson. I love to travel and have been on Sis. CATHERINE BOGGESS CONTINUES NEXT COLUMN Bro. FRANK GERMAN (21) Sis. CATHERINE BOGGESS FROM PREVIOUS COLUMN many wonderful cruises and land tours, including trips to Slovenia in 1971 and My last trip was a Baltic Sea cruise in I m no longer traveling, but I cherish the memories of the places far and near that I ve visited with family and friends. My son, Dennis Peternel, and my daughter, Bonnie Peternel Long, live nearby so we are able to spend time and holidays together as a family. I have two grandsons and two great-grandsons. I live alone and do all of my own driving and shopping. I ve been blessed with good health and will celebrate my 90th birthday in October. Thank you again for the embroidered blanket. I will cherish it along with the memories of my 70 years as a member of SNPJ. Sis. CATHERINE BOGGESS (564) Campo Dr. Clinton Twp., MI The Society recognized 70-year member Bro. FRANK GERMAN of Pueblo, Colo., Lodge 21, for his membership anniversary. Bro. German writes: I presently reside in an assisted living community called Balfour with my wife. We are getting along fine and are quite happy here, enjoying all of our friends. Thank you so much for the blanket. It s wonderful. Bro. FRANK GERMAN (21) 1336 E. Hecla Dr., Unit 203 Louisville, CO 80027

9 9 JOHN GURL, BOB TURCOLA, BOB KRAVOS and PETE NOVEMBER played a big role in the Friday jam session. ANNE GOMBOCS, GLORIA KOPROWSKI, MARGE and DORIS LAURICH ran the weekend ticket table. The Friday kitchen crew included CATHERINE FEIL, MARY ANN KLOTZ, CARMEL CASANOVA, GRACE BOUMA and ED KLOTZ. No one went thirsty, thanks to the hard work of DAVID KOPROWSKI, NEŽKA NOVAK and JOHN LAURICH SNPJ Winter Classic Bowling Tournament Results Tournament rolled Feb , co-hosted by SNPJ Lodges 6 and 138 Men s Doubles Event Team Lodge Score Prize *J. Wagner/J. Herforth Jr ,194 $200 **N. Robb/G. Spoharski 6 1,436 $200 E. Pelino/R. Miller 6 1,312 $140 M. Stimmel/A. Stimmel 138 1,310 $110 T. Vehar/J. Kuisis 138/6 1,291 $80 A. Paul/F. Tauzel 138 1,285 $64 J. Lagoni/C. Smigiel 138 1,268 $52 K. Cramer/E. Turney Sr. 6 1,265 $44 N. Malenka/D. Clark 6 1,263 $43 Jo. Watson/Je. Watson 34 1,260 $40 C. Cadez/Ja. Cadez 138 1,258 $38 M. Reed/J. Cummings 6 1,246 $36 C. Embleton/L. Teyssier 6 1,230 $34 J. Snider/R. Hervol 138 1,219 $32 K. Richards/R. Walker 106 1,216 $32 D. Caroleo/S. Park 106 1,210 $32 Men s Singles Event Name Lodge Score Prize *Bob Lawrence Jr $110 **Dave Caroleo $110 Nevin Robb $85 Glenn Supinsky $70 Jeff Cummings $60 Henry Quevi $50 Jake Young $45 Frank Wright $40 Tim Efthiamedes $38 Shawn Park $35 Brian Paluda $34 Anthony Kaskie $33 Craig Embleton $32 Gary Usnick $31 Jozef Watson $30 Jason Cadez $29 Miss SNPJ Pageant field grows with second entrant PAGEANT ENTRANT FROM PAGE 1 as a camper and has participated in TEL Workshops. She is planning to serve as a counselor this summer for Youth Roundup, as well as a delegate to the Young Adult Conference. Sydney is planning to attend Erskine College in South Carolina after graduation to major in biology and minor in music. On behalf of the SNPJ Fraternal Department, I welcome Sydney to the Miss SNPJ Pageant and wish her all the best. The Miss SNPJ Pageant will take place during Slovenefest weekend July 8-10 at the SNPJ Recreation Center. All 17- to 25-year-old single female members are eligible to enter. Lodge 778 extends gratitude for a job well done by DARIA PERSE Lodge 778 SPRING HILL, Fla. Weeks before our 2011 Florida SNPJ Days weekend started, I already had a long list with names of people who deserve to be mentioned here. I made notes a few times, and if I still forget someone I d like you to know that your contribution is just as much appreciated as everyone else s! This is a thank you note to all those who helped our Friday, March 4, jam session come true, either by organizing it or attending the fun event at the Spring Hill Lodge 778 Hall. I received many encouraging messages and thank you notes before and after our biggest event of the season, both in person and via . They mean a lot! However, all the praise goes to the teamwork of everyone who stood by me even through the toughest of times. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all, including the bands that passed out flyers and brochures with our schedule of events: the Frank Moravcik Orchestra, Bob Kravos and the Boys in the Band, and the Polka Quads. As mentioned above, the Friday jam session was successful, and quite a few musicians and dancers decided to come to Spring Hill to be a part of it. We had five jamming groups entertaining from 1 to 6 p.m., including November and Zaletel; Kravos and Turcola; the Melvindale, Mich., Button Box Group; Turcola and Kravos; and Zaletel and friends. It looked like all the musicians had a blast, and we all shared a lot of laughter. And now to my list of names of those who contributed the most for this event to happen, or have been active in our Lodge for a long time. Pete November is definitely the one person I have to mention first. He had been helping me spread the word since Thanksgiving 2010 by talking to jammers and handing out promotional materials. On Friday at the hall, he organized everything and everyone so the jamming ran smoothly. Pete is also very fun to watch when he is playing his button box with so much passion. Many people notice and appreciate that quality. Thank you, Pete, for all your work! Bob Turcola is another nice guy who glows while playing music on his accordion. Beyond that, he makes great čevapčiči (little Name Lodge Score Prize Name Lodge Score Prize Name Lodge Score Prize Jim Bacher $27.50 Frank Wright 6 2,051 $50 Darlene Malizio $32 Dave Belfiore $27.50 Glenn Supinsky 6 2,050 $40 Pam Paluda $30 Denny Brand $26 Nevin Robb 6 2,049 $35 Tami Paris $28 Greg Curl $25 Jeff Cummings 6 2,038 $30 Lisa Brand $26 Greg Gottschalk $25 Glenn Spoharski 6 2,032 $25 Tammy Neubauer $24 Ron Tkach $23 Craig Embleton 6 2,026 $23 Mina Higgins $22 Bob Harwood $22 Kelvin Cramer 6 2,017 $22 Bethany Brooks $20 Art Stimmel $21 Art Stimmel 138 1,982 $10 Kim Rodick $19 Ken Lawrence $21 Dave Caroleo 106 1,982 $10 Peggy Cushman $18 Don Schipps $20 Maria Binnotto $17.50 J.J. Neubauer $20 Jan Smrdel $17 John Jumba $19 Mary Stutts $17 Butch Krek $19 Glenn Spoharski $18 Ron Walker $18 Men s Team Event Team Lodge Score Prize *No Deposit No Return 138 2,589 $180 **Fathers & Sons 138 2,910 $180 Full House 6 2,882 $132 Beer Nuts 138 2,787 $112 SASC 6 2,754 $104 Frightened Turtles 6 2,727 $96 The Wheel Rats 6/138 2,698 $88 Hardwood Cowboys 138 2,695 $80 Dingus Stink 138 2,668 $72 Older Guys 138 2,651 $64 Team Yuengling 6 2,648 $60 8-Balls 138/6 2,635 $60 Men s All-Events Name Lodge Score Prize *Bob Lawrence Jr ,951 $70 **Rob Miller 6 2,101 $70 sausages without casing), and without him there would be no ethnic food on our Friday menu. Thank you, Bob, for everything! There s one more Bob who made my life easier: Bob Kravos. He offered, brought and installed his sound system for Friday s jamming. I told him already that he couldn t have done a bigger favor for me at the time, and here s my thank you once again for being a friend and a great entertainer. When I didn t know who to call to borrow a set of drums, there came an offer from John Gurl. John is a great musician who never runs out of fun and witty remarks. He has a great understanding about how important it is for musicians and clubs to work together because we rely on each other. Gloria and Dave Koprowski became my dear friends throughout the last few years. They ve helped with more things at the hall than I can list here, including the drawing ticket sales, bartending, washing the fans, and other cleaning and maintenance. On top of that, they invited some friends over for dinner and a drink on Friday night after the event. You re both very special to me, for countless reasons. We can t even imagine our bar without our new vice president, Nežka Novak, and her smiling face. All in all, one-hell-ofa-woman, as someone stated about her recently, and I have to agree. And now some more people who are always around when things need to be done at our Lodge, even though they hardly ever get mentioned. This reminds me of a fun fact my mom told me this past summer: I didn t get too much of her attention because I have always been a good child and trouble-free. Ever since their retirement, Lodge 778 has been like a second home for John Laurich and his wife, Doris. When it looked like I had no one to help me with Friday s event, John was one of the first people to raise his hand to volunteer, saying, If I can walk that day, I ll be here and I m going to help Daria. When I heard about it, that comment made me cry. John has one of the kindest hearts ever, and I knew that when I first met him about four years ago. In short, a book could be written about everything Doris and John Laurich have done for Lodge 778. I can t even think of the words to suitably thank them for everything. Women s Doubles Event Team Lodge Score Prize *B. Shultz/S. Shultz 138 1,075 $160 **P. Paluda/T. Davis 138 1,397 $160 A. Mavrich/D. Malizio 138 1,382 $95 R. Morgan/K. Brumbaugh 138 1,382 $95 S. Taylor/J. Fetcko 138 1,359 $56 S. Gabriel/B. Brooks 138 1,350 $44 K. Rodick/L. Brand 158/6 1,339 $40 B. Bozicevich/M. Wasky 6 1,336 $38 N. Cameron/M. Higgins 138 1,336 $38 C. Frank/J. Smrdel 158 1,333 $34 K. Usnick/M. Cummings 6 1,332 $34 Women s Singles Event Name Lodge Score Prize *Beverly Bozicevich $100 **Tammy Davis $100 Shannon Shultz $70 Ursula Green $55 Barbara Craig $45 Maria Cummings $42 Denise Cummings $40 Lois Downs $37 Ashley Paul $34 New Address? One more person who is always there, no matter what s going on or who needs help, is Grace Bouma, our recording secretary. Grace always makes sure everyone gets fed, including the volunteers, and she bakes some delicious cakes. We held a regular monthly meeting March 2, before the event. As a pleasant surprise to many people, former National Secretary Grace Doerk joined us, along with her husband, Otto. I met Grace at our hall three years ago and we have been friends ever since. I very much admire her cheerfulness and positivity, and I m glad she had a chance to witness some of the best times at our Lodge while we were getting ready for the upcoming weekend of fun. After the meeting and free lunch, we readied the hall. I want to mention Ronald and Sally Bouma, Ed and Mary Ann Klotz, Carmel Casanova, and Eileen and Walt Harfmann, who have not been thanked before. Ed Klasa is most deserving of a thank you for the touch-up paint job he did. He missed a couple of spots, but I can t say that out loud because he threatened to paint my nose if I did. To Catherine Feil, our new president, I am sending much love and appreciation for your hard work, creativity and optimism. Another thank you goes to Ed Klasa and Tony Klepec for bringing a large group of people. Last but not least, thanks to Anne Gombocs for offering her help when I most needed it, and to Kathy Paulenich for everything. In closing, the reason why it took me so long to finally sit down and write this article was the sad ending of our three-day event. Dave Koprowski had an accident at home after he helped us clean the hall Sunday night. He passed away peacefully Tuesday, March 8, after his three children arrived from Georgia and California, and both of Gloria s daughters flew to St. Petersburg, Fla., from Cleveland and Germany. Gloria and David Koprowski were newlyweds; they were just married Feb. 19 in Crystal River, Fla. Still finding it difficult to accept the loss of a good friend, let me wrap this up with the following: Genuinely kind people are a blessing and a treasure, and true friends are priceless. There are no words to properly express how much I appreciate you all! Women s Team Event Team Lodge Score Prize *Misfits 138 1,827 $152 **Team Wright 6 2,796 $152 Alchoballics 158 2,635 $120 Back Up Bubbas 138 2,620 $103 Beer Babes 138 2,559 $88 Sygan Sisters 6/158 2,558 $70 Alley Cats 138 2,558 $70 Strabane Dames 138 2,528 $64 Women s All-Events Name Lodge Score Prize *Peggy Cushman 138 1,624 $60 **Tammy Davis 138 2,247 $60 Maria Cummings 6 2,084 $40 Bethany Brooks 138 2,061 $33 Beverly Bozicevich 6 2,056 $28 Tammy Neubauer 6 2,050 $24 Karen Maier 138 2,046 $20 Please use this form so will move with you. Type or print name and new address in the space provided below. Mail to:, circulation, 247 West Allegheny Road, Imperial, PA ; or snpj@snpj.com. Name New Address City/State/Zip *Indicates Actual Champion **Indicates Handicap Champion Uncle Sam wants your money... and it s up to you whether you pay now or pay later. SNPJ offers Roth IRAs in addition to our regular IRAs and annuities to help build a safe financial future for you and your family. We ve helped build secure futures for our members for over a century. Phone and we ll be happy to help you too. Attach old mailing label here

10 10 SNPJ Crossword CATCH PHRASES (#0511) solution 2011 Miss SNPJ Pageant Official Entry Form Entrants must be between the ages of by Dec. 31, 2011, and an SNPJ member in good standing for at least 3 months. NAME ADDRESS CITY/STATE/ZIP PHONE ( ) BIRTH DATE POLICY NUMBER LODGE PARENTS NAMES GRANDPARENTS NAMES Bro. Joseph M. Znidersich Lo d g e 3 Pr e s i d e n t SNPJ fraternal sympathies JOHNSTOWN, Pa. The members of Lodge 3 sadly announce the Jan. 30, 2011, passing of Bro. Joseph M. Znidersich, 83, in the Palliative Care Unit of Memorial Medical Center. Bro. Znidersich was born Nov. 6, 1927, in Johnstown, a son of John and Mary (Lovsin) Znidarsic. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Ko rean War and a retired ticket agent for Greyhound Bus Lines. Bro. Znidersich was a lifelong member of SNPJ Lodge 3 where he was active most of his adult life. At the time of his passing, he had served as Lodge 3 president and treasurer for more than 30 years. Bro. Znidersich also served as club steward for many years. In addition to his SNPJ membership, he was also a member of St. John Gualbert Cathedral. Joseph was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Theodore Chop, Frank Znidarsic and John Znidarsic; and a sister, Josephine Butara. He is survived by a brother, William Znidarsic of Johnstown; two sisters, Marion (Tom) Krupa of Irwin, Pa., and Alice (Frank) Eritino of Southgate, Mich.; and numerous nieces and nephews. A funeral Mass for Bro. Znidersich was celebrated Feb. 3 at St. John Gualbert Cathedral. A private committal took place at Grandview Mausoleum. On behalf of the members of Lodge 3 and the Slovene National Benefit Society, we offer our sincere condolences to Bro. Znidersich s family, relatives and friends on their loss. Sis. Mary Ann Gayarski Lo d g e 138 STRABANE, Pa. With sadness, the members of Lodge 138 report the March 4, 2011, passing of Sis. Mary Ann Gayarski, 90, of Canonsburg, Pa., in Hawthorne Woods, South Strabane Township. Sis. Gayarski was born June 11, 1920, in Canonsburg, a daughter of Anthony and Antonina Lis Osinski. In addition to her SNPJ Lodge 138 membership, Mary Ann also belonged to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, Meadow Lands, Pa. She was formerly an active member of St. Genevieve Church in Canonsburg, where she served as a Eucharistic minister and belonged to Christian Mothers, Ladies of Orchard Lake Society and Pierogie Ladies. Sis. Gayarski was also a member of the North Strabane Volunteer Fire Department Women s Auxiliary, Democratic Women and the North Strabane Women s As sociation. She was a homemaker and enjoyed gardening. On Aug. 17, 1940, she married Louis Gayarski; he preceded her in death on Aug. 29, Sis. Gayarski is survived by a son, Gregory Gayarski (Alberta Lischner) of Charleroi, Pa.; two daughters, Michele Mistoffelees of McMurray, Pa., and Jacqueline Elias (Jeff) of Houston, Pa.; a sister, Lorraine Patrene of Canonsburg; four grandchildren, Dr. Jeffrey Elias, Vincent Elias, Adam (Briana) Elias and Gregory Gayarski; two great-grandchildren, Ca dence Marie and Brayden Elias; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and husband, Mary Ann was preceded in death by two sisters, Frances Danley and Bernadine Licht. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated March 9 in Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, Meadow Lands, with the Rev. John O Shea as celebrant. Burial followed in Forest Lawn Gardens, McMurray. On behalf of the members of Lodge 138 and the Slovene National Benefit Society, we extend our sympathies to Sis. Gayarski s family and friends on their loss. Sis. Am e l i a De m s h e r Lo d g e 6 SYGAN, Pa. The members of Lodge 6 sadly announce the March 8, 2011, passing of Sis. Amelia Millie Butya Demsher, 90, of Bridgeville, Pa. Sis. Demsher was born April 18, 1920, in Moon Run, Pa., a daughter of the late Victor and Ann Butya. On Sept. 27, 1941, she married John M. Demsher; he preceded her in death on May 28, Millie and her husband owned and operated Demsher s Bar and Restaurant for more than 30 years. In addition to her SNPJ Lodge 6 membership, Millie was also a member of St. Barbara Church and St. Barbara Christian Mothers. She loved being with her family and grandchildren. Sis. Demsher is survived by a son, Ronald Demsher and wife Rosemarie of South Fayette Township, Pa.; a daughter, Diana DiNardo Horne and husband Mike of Canonsburg, Pa.; four grandchildren, John (Helen) Demsher, Joanne (Kevin) McNally, Dayna (Dave) Gillis and Jim (Renee) DiNardo; a brother, Mike Butya; and 11 grandchildren. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by five brothers, Victor, George, Tony, Johnson and Carl Butya; and three sisters, Ann Tanis, Mary Boley and Dorothy Butya. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated for Sis. Demsher March 12 in St. Barbara Church. On behalf of the members of Lodge 6 and the Slovene National Benefit Society, we offer our sympathies to Sis. Demsher s family, relatives and friends on their loss. HOBBIES I will compete in the Miss SNPJ talent competition SNPJ 75 th National Bowling Tournament April 30-May 1, 2011 Sunnybrook Lanes 7191 East 17 Mile Rd. Sterling Heights, MI Phone: (586) staff@sunnybrookgolfandbowl.com YES NO Type of talent (NOTE: Talent is not necessarily proficiency on a musical instrument or singing ability. Creativity is encouraged. Everybody has a talent.) On a separate sheet of paper and in your own words, please describe any school honors you have received, and any organizations, clubs and activities you were involved with. Be sure to include specific SNPJ Youth Circle, Lodge or Federation activities. Mail completed application, along with a clear, color photo, to: Slovene National Benefit Society Att n: Fraternal Director 247 West Allegheny Road Imperial, PA Application Deadline: June 13, 2011 Doubles & Singles Saturday, April 30, 9 a.m. Saturday, April 30, 1 p.m. Doubles & Singles Event Entry fee $30 per person Saturday Only Four-Person Team Event Entry fee $60 per team Sunday Only Lodge No. Team Event Sunday, May 1, 10 a.m. Sunday, May 1, 1 p.m. Highest Average Submit bowlers names by position in lineup Lodge No. All-Events $5 per person YES/NO Highest Average Team name Team captain s name, phone number & address: The entry fee in each event is $15 per bowler, $8.25 of which shall be used for prizes, $5.50 for bowling and $1.25 for tournament expenses. An extra $5 is charged to all who desire to compete for handicap all-events prizes. Return form, along with fees of $15 per person, per event, to: Tournament Secretary Tracey Anderson 1014 Edgewood Dr., Royal Oak, MI Phone: (248) Make checks payable to DAL ENTRY DEADLINE IS MARCH 31, 2011 The Home Office will verify all memberships. Complete tournament rules are available by contacting the SNPJ Fraternal Department, 247 West Allegheny Road, Imperial, PA Rules are also available online at CAL opening SNPJ golf season with Gorjup Open CAL SEASON FROM PAGE 1 We ll have the usual great time (as long as the weather cooperates) with 18 holes of golf, prizes, grab bags and the same wonderful menu to compliment the day. New this year beer, pop and water will be included in the ticket price! Last year s winners were Daren Fetcko (138), men s gross; Larry Butka (138), men s net; Fran Gaudio (158), women s gross; and Vicki Tomsic (604), women s net. More details on the 2011 tournament will follow in upcoming PROsveta issues. Keep June 5 open for our annual picnic at the SNPJ Farm in Kirtland, Ohio. As long as I have known my mother, our picnic menu has never wavered; we are the only group to serve spaghetti and meatballs. Jeff Pecon will be on the bandstand for the party. Last year s picnic was on one of the hottest days of the summer, but we prevailed and everyone had a great time. We re looking forward to seeing your happy faces at the Farm again this year. Play balina with your friends at the Waterloo Home by VIOLET RUPENA Lodge 5 CLEVELAND Balina is alive and well at the Waterloo Slovenian Workmen s Home! Come and join your friends for a fun-filled afternoon of play. The courts are available Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 1 p.m. New players and beginners are always welcome, and teams are chosen randomly. Where else can you spend an afternoon Accommodations for the 75th SNPJ National Bowling Tournament Baymont Inn & Suites 7447 Convention Blvd. Warren, MI (586) Must reserve by April 1 King Study $79 Double/Double $79 Continental breakfast offered Ask for special SNPJ rate Comfort Inn 7001 Convention Blvd. Warren, MI (586) Must reserve by April 7 Single $60 Double $60 Continental breakfast offered Max: 3 guests per room Sunnybrook Golf Bowl Motel 7191 East 17 Mile Rd. Sterling Heights, MI (586) to 40 Rooms Available $39/night tax included with friends and get some needed exercise while enjoying friendly competi tion? And all for just 50 cents a game! Now that Lent has begun, many more of you will be enjoying the Friday fish fry dinners prepared and served by the women s auxiliary. While you re here for dinner, take a few minutes to look at our balina courts. Better yet, try playing a game at no cost, either before or after dinner. You ll have fun, just give it a try. Fairfield Inn by Marriott 7454 Convention Blvd. Warren, MI (586) Must reserve by April 7 King $59 Double $64 Continental breakfast offered Candlewood Suites 7010 Convention Blvd. Warren, MI (586) Must reserve by April 9 Studio Suite $69 Full kitchen Max: 2 guests per room Photo submitted by Sis. Joanne Lessar (757). Utah Members Pack It In for Picnic Season The members of Price, Utah, Lodge 757 have been hard at work preparing blood sausage for the annual Slovenian Day Picnic hosted by Utah Lodges 113, 689 and 757. The picnic will be held Sunday, Aug. 7, at Price City Park. For more information on the Slovenian Day Picnic, contact Gene or Joanne Lessar at (435) Plans are in the works for a stepped-up balina program at Waterloo. The program would begin next fall after the outdoor summer play at other sites concludes. If you have any questions give me a call at (440) , or see Waterloo Home President Joe Bradac (614), our Man of the Year. You can usually find Joe at the hall, where he spends most of his time working. See you at the courts! DEATHS REPORTED For the weeks of Feb , 2011 DATE OF LODGE NAME DEATH City/State A01 Arthur E. Santilli Monaca, Pa. A02 Theodore E. Ketterle Jr Pittsburgh, Pa. 2 Elbin F. Blazich Nokomis, Ill. 5 Stanley J. Tomsic Yucaipa, Calif. 6 Martha Kress Pittsburgh, Pa. 6 Gilbert Dolinar South Park, Pa. 31 Bruce Phillips Sr Hubbard, Ohio 87 Frank E. Zupanc Elizabeth, Pa. 158 Joseph Bartol Mayfield Village, Ohio 174 Joseph E. Dablock Derry, Pa. 218 Lillian J. Kime Parker, Colo. 223 Sophia Kuznik Export, Pa. 225 William F. Anderson Ft. Scott, Kan. 225 Ruth Zemlock Frontenac, Kan. 289 Robert S. Hainsey Johnstown, Pa. 292 George A. Dugas Albuquerque, N.M. 371 Bessie Janachek Cle Elum, Wash. 581 Donald P. Lauriha Plumsteadville, Pa. 584 Helen R. Stanonik Beach Park, Ill. 603 Frances M. Susnik Arlington Hgts., Ill. 715 Bruno Fazi Pittsburgh, Pa. 723 Olga M. Elledge Los Angeles, Calif. 729 Peter P. Povrzanich Belle Vernon, Pa. 757 Joyce B. Keller Price, Utah 782 Donald J. Sabol New Springfield, Ohio 782 Alvin H. Jergel II Cranberry Twp., Pa. KAREN A. PINTAR National Secretary