| SVU |
CZECHOSLOVAK SOCIETY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES |
2003 SVU Conference, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Ceske Dudy Performance,
Wednesday, June 25, 8:00 p.m. at the Reception
Michael Cwach of rural Yankton, SD, will perform a few selections on the Bohemian
bagpipe (ceské dudy), which were common in many parts of Bohemia. Today, in the Czech
Republic they are primarily preserved by folk music enthusiasts in the Southern and
Western areas of Bohemia, and may be heard in major festivals such as the ones held in
Domazlice and Strakonice.
Polka Dance, Thursday, June 26, 8-10:30 p.m.
Czech Plus Band. Be sure to bring your dancing shoes to Cedar Rapids to enjoy the polka
dance Thursday evening. We will be entertained by the Czech Plus Band of Cedar Rapids.
Spillville Tour, Saturday, June 28, 8:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Spillville Tour. Among the many sites in Spillville are the Bily Brothers Clock Museum,
the Antonin Dvorak Museum, the St. Wenceslaus Church where Dvorak performed the summer of
1893, the adjacent cemetery with the Andera crosses, the Dvorak monument, and the old
school building that is believed to be the oldest Czech Catholic Parochial School in the
U. S., built in 1871. This is also the building where Dvorak would have first performed
Opus 96 and 97. Protivin and Ft. Atkinson both have beautiful churches, still attended by
many Czechs and Slovaks. The bus will leave from Coe College after breakfast (8:00 a.m.).
Loren Horton, the retired Senior Historian for the State Historical Society of Iowa, will
be our personal guide on the bus from Cedar Rapids to Spillville. He is also the expert on
the Andera Crosses. Our bus will go to the Calmar, Iowa train station and there we will
pick up Michael Klimesh, a permanent resident of Spillville. Michael will guide us on the
five mile backroads trip that Dvorak took by horse and buggy the summer of 1893. Michael
and his brother, Steven, will be our personal guides in Spillville, Protivin, and Ft.
Atkinson. They will show us the Spillville that inspired Dvorak to write the
"American" and "Opus 96." Loren, Michael, and Steven are all
presenting papers at the conference; we are fortunate and honored to have these three
individuals guiding the Saturday tour. The cost of this bus tour is $40.00 per person,
which includes museum admission, lunch, and an afternoon snack. Lunch will be prepared and
served by the members and friends of the Saint Wenceslaus Heritage Society and served in
the lunchroom of the new (1954) school - right next door to the old school (1871 and the
topic of the paper on JJ Kovarik and "home to Opus 96") and across the street
from the St. Wenceslaus Church (1860). Lunch Menu: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (homemade
noodles as well); Homemade Chicken Sandwiches; Lettuce Salad; Poppyseed Cake; Coffee and
Iced Tea. A minimum of 30 participants is needed for this tour (maximum 56; first come,
first served).
Piano and Clarinet Recital, Saturday, June 28, 8-9 p.m., Coe College Recital Hall
Czech Classics for Clarinet and Piano Works by Vanhal, Dvorak, Martinu etc.
Clarinetist Budimir Zvolanek and pianist Erik Entwistle will perform various works by
Czech composers. The program includes one of the earliest sonatas written for clarinet and
piano by the 18th century composer Jan Krtitel Vanhal (Johann Baptist Wanhal), sonatinas
by Dvorak and Martinu, and a few added surprises.
Cedar Rapids, Ely, Solon - Sunday, June 29, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Cedar Rapids, Ely, Solon Tour. The bus will leave Coe College after breakfast and take
participants to the Czech Village for a walking tour of this historic area. Jan Stoffer
Tursi, the Museum Educator and Program Coordinator, has offered to guide the Czech Village
Tour. You have the option of eating brunch at a Czech restaurant in Czech Village -
Zindrick's. They have a fantastic Sunday Brunch with many delicious Czech foods for $15.50
per person. You may choose to eat there or go back to Coe for lunch. If you choose to eat
at Zindrick's, the bus would pick you up after brunch and we would continue on the rest of
the tour. Mark Hunter, the Staff Historian at the Linn County History Center, will meet us
after lunch to guide us through the other areas of Cedar Rapids and surrounds that are
rich in Czech history and culture beginning with a tour of St. Wenceslaus Church,
established in 1873. View the magnificent stained glass windows that portray Czech saints.
Murals depict ancient monasteries, which still exist today. Antique old paintings show the
life of the Czech patron saint, King Wenceslaus. The tour will continue on to the Czech
National Cemetery and the nearby communities of Ely and Solon. Ely is the home of the
first Czech Protestant Church in the United States. Sts. Peter & Paul Church can be
found in Solon. Both of these towns were settled by Czechs in the second half of the 19th
century. Again, we are fortunate and honored to have these two individuals from Cedar
Rapids personally guiding the Sunday tour. The cost of this tour is $25.00 per person,
transportation only. A minimum of 30 participants is needed for this tour (maximum 56;
first come, first served). As you fill out the Registration Form, be sure to note that you
will have lunch at Coe College on Sunday, June 29 if you opt to do that.
Note: Your conference fees include these Cultural Events: Reception on Wednesday and the
Recital on Saturday evening. If you choose to join us for the Chuckwagon BBQ, the polka
dance is part of the dinner cost. If you want to attend the dance only, there will be a
$5.00 fee at the door.
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