Sokol SF Newsletter - September 2022
President's Message
Dear Sokol SF Members and Friends,

We welcome you back from the summer to the slow start of the fall and with it a busy schedule for Sokol SF!

We also took the time during the summer to travel, reconnect with family and friends and partake in some of the activities we do outside of Sokol (as you'll read below). But, we used some of our downtime for working on planning of the two of the biggest events of this year -- our Day of Czech Culture, taking place on October 8th in Orinda, and our second annual Sokolsky Beh Republiky, taking place on October 30th in San Mateo. And, if you can believe it, we are working on other events in between (spoiler alert: a possible concert and book reading - stay tuned)!  

We'll be sure to keep you posted both through our newsletters and on our FB page and we welcome you to continue to inspire us with your ideas for future events and by lending your helping hands at our upcoming events.

Happy September and we hope to see you all soon!

Nazdar!
Linda Janourova
President
Sokol SF Calendar of Events

September 9, 2022
Czech and Slovak dance classes for children start

September 24, 2022
Pickleball for all ages

September 25, 2022
Hike at Shoreline Lake in Mtn. View

October 8, 2022
Celebrate Day of Czech Culture, Orinda, CA

October 30, 2022
Picnic and Sokolsky Beh Republiky,
Ryders Park, San Mateo, CA
Registration is open!

November 5, 2022
Ambros Duo - concert

All event times listed are in Pacific Time
Upcoming Events
Czech and Slovak dance classes for children
starting Friday, September 9th

Orinda Community Center every Friday from 3:30-5:00 pm.

Register now, classes start soon!
REGISTER ONLINE: OrindaParksandRec.org
Go to: Online registration on the left
Select: Youth/Teen Classes
And choose: Folk Dance Classes

REGISTRATION INFORMATION: (925) 254-2445

SF SOKOL ACQUIRES NEW COSTUMES FOR DANCERS
This summer, Sokol board member Anastasia Heroldova learned of an exciting opportunity to purchase 8 complete sets of girl’s Slovak costumes.
The SF Sokol Board of Directors approved the purchase of the beautiful costumes and Anastasia cleaned, pressed and stored them for future use.
Now all Sokol needs are 8 lovely dancers to wear them!

Stay tuned for more information on future dance performances!


Pickleball for All Ages
Saturday, September 24 at 2 pm

Please join us for a fun introductory class into an easy and fun sport call pickleball. 
on Saturday September 24 at 2 pm.
All the equipment (paddles and balls) will be provided and we plan to have several performance categories (kids introductory, kids competitive, adults introductory and adults competitive).
More information will be provided soon
Hike at Shoreline Lake in Mtn. View
Sunday September 25, 2022 @ 10 am

Join us for an easy 3 mile hike.
We will meet at the parking lot at 10 am across from the restrooms:

What to Bring:
Water Bottle
Lunch (Snacks) - we can have a lunch together after the hike.
Blanket (small towel) as a relaxation and meditation session will be offered
Wear comfortable shoes and bring layered clothing, (wind breaker might be a good idea)
Hat and/or sunscreen and sunglasses

Restroom is available and parking are free
No pets are allowed as Shoreline Park is a protected wildlife refuge
Near is a nice restaurant, paddle boating is also available
There is a great sand playground for afternoon play for those coming with kids.

Saturday, October 8, 2022 10 am - 4 pm
Orinda Community Center

Sokol SF has a rich program planned, which includes Moravian dancing, not only by the Karicka Dance Group from San Diego in their beautiful traditional costumes, but also our very own children's folk dancers, the Sokolici.

We're also thrilled to welcome the students from the Czech School of California who will be on hand with some entertaining singing and historical presentations, followed by musical Sokol members who hope to engage our audience in sing-alongs of beloved Czech songs!

There will be vendors selling traditional Czech crafts - think Easter eggs, small puppets, Christmas ornamentsIva Hladis jewelry , Czech crystal and porcelaintraditional hand made bobbin-lace by Jaroslava Pereny and more. 
We will have Easter egg decorating and craft-making classes.

We are delighted to have renowned children's book author Martina Skala join us for a book reading and signing of "My name is Čičák," which will be for sale for the youngest members of our audience.

Daniela Mahoney is coming from Portland! You might remember Daniela from our Easter Egg decorating zoom class. She has some special workshops prepared for the participants.

Do you like traditionally decorated gingerbread? Would you like to learn how to do it? There will be a workshop so you can pick up some new skills!
You can look forward to some traditional Czech foods like jitrnicky and jelitka or gulash with knedliky, and bublanina from 
La Trattoria Bohemia, Sacramento
and 
rizek with potato salad, sausage selection and strudl from DJ Bistro, Concord.

Sacramento Cookie Factory will be offering their hand made lazenske oplatky. Today there is only a handful of bakers who still use this traditional recipe and technique to create this scrumptious treat.

And it would not be a Czech festival without beer!
Czech beer and wine will be available as well. You can look forward to beers like
Lev Lion Beers; Primator and Bakalar
We will be sampling R. Jelinek products too.

Free Mobile Czech Book library will be on site as well.

Put Saturday October 8, 2022 on your calendar, you do not want to miss it!

PLEASE BRING CASH AS NOT ALL VENDORS ARE ACCEPTING CREDIT CARDS!

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS FARMERS MARKET DOWN THE STREET 9AM - 1PM
SO BE PATIENT WHEN PARKING YOUR VEHICLE
Are you planning on coming?
Yes, for sure!
No
Thinking about it
Be a part of the Day of Czech Culture!
We are looking for VOLUNTEERS to help us run the event smoothly.

If you are interested please contact us at sokolsfevents@gmail.com

Volunteers will receive a Day of Czech Culture T-shirt!
Registration is open!

Picnic and Sokolsky Beh Republiky
Sunday October 30, 2022
Ryders Park, San Mateo, CA
Sokol San Francisco and the Czech School of California will celebrate the Day of the republic with a picnic and the run again this year! We had a great time with you all in 2021 and we are looking forward to see all your friendly faces again!

For more general information about the run and its history, click on the "Sokolsky Beh Republiky" image on the right or go to: https://www.behrepubliky.cz/

Because October 28, 2022, falls on a Friday and we do not have a day off for the Day of the Republic, we will celebrate on Sunday, October 30, 2022

The Sokol SF Beh Republiky will take place at the same place as last year:
  • Sunday, October 30, 2022
  • Seal Point Park, San Mateo, CA.

There are three categories: children under 10, children under 14 and adults

The registration fee for an adult is $10 (or 200 CZK if you are paying in CZK).
Acceptable forms of payment are PayPal or bank transfer from a Czech bank
There is no registration fee for children but they need to be registered.

Should you have any difficulties with registration or payment, please contact me at sokolsfevents@gmail.com.
Sokol San Francisco members who register for the run by September 25 will receive a complimentary Sokolsky Beh Republiky Under Armour T-shirt from Sokol SF. Do not order your T-shirt during the registration process, instead after you complete the registration you need to send an email to sokolsfevents@gmail.com with your name a T-shirt size.

If you are not a member of Sokol San Francisco and you would like to have this year's T-shirt you can purchase it during your registration process. It will be mailed together with all the T-shirts to us and you will receive it in the morning of the picnic and the run.

Due to the logistics of mailing the t-shirts, race bibs and medals from
the Czech Republic to the USA,
YOU NEED TO REGISTER BY SEPTEMBER 25
to receive your t-shirt, race bib with your number and your medal.

Sokol SF members - after you register do not forget to send your name and t-shirt size to sokolsfevents@gmail.com

After the run, we will have a picnic sponsored by Sokol San Francisco and the Czech School of California.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the picnic and at the starting line! Mark your calendars and start training! 

You do not need to run to come to the picnic, everyone is welcome;
you can help us cheer on the runners.
Hola hola, škola volá

School year is starting for children at Czech School  of California

With the summer break over, Czech School of California is opening its academic year 2022/23 on Saturday, September 10 with their traditional Open Day at Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto.
Czech school offers classes for children of all ages - from preschool to 1st and 2nd grade of elementary school - regularly on Saturdays. Available are also independent online lessons for children and adults. For more information,
Czech school is also looking for new teachers to join their team to satisfy growing demand across the Bay Area. Please, contact Jana Wichova (jwichova.csoc@gmail.com) or Vladi Harris (vharris.csoc@gmail.com) for more information. 

Sokol SF supports school participation and collaboration between organizations that help all to learn more about the Czech & Slovak language, culture, history and geography. Therefore, the organization welcomes scholarship applications for each semester in the academic year. To qualify for their scholarship, you need to be a member of American Sokol or decide to become one at the time of your application. 
 
All the detailed information about the Sokol scholarship and the application process can be found directly on Sokol SF website here www.sokolsf.org/scholarship
Recap of Past Events
Informal Triathlon Event and Group Picnic
Sunday, August 28, 2002

V nedeli jsme se sesli k oslavne pohybu na prvnim rocniku Sokolskeho skupinoveho triatlonu. Vsichni zucastneni se uderem 9 hodiny ranni vrhli do more a plavali prvni delku zavodu. Prijemnym zpestrenim byly necekane teple proudy ohrivajici nase vychlazene obliceje. Po dokonceni 800 plaveckych yardu se cela skupina zavodniku pripravila na jizdu na kole.
Slunce zacinalo uz vykukovat z oblacne periny a zavodnici meli na sobe cyklisticka trika. Po vystoupani kratkeho kopce se prevody na kole sjednotily a zacalo odkusovani prvni mile z celkovych 12. Jeli jsme pres Tiburon, kde se zrovna podavaly snidane a mistni smetanka okukovala nas peloton.
Po prijezdu zpatky do parku jsme se vsichni prezuli do bezeckych bot a pri melodii zname pisne z filmu Rocky jsme vybehli na zaverecny segment 3 miloveho behu. Zavodnici citili nadseni z blizici se cilove pasky a tak se tempo zvetsovalo a peloton trochu roztrhal. Do cile vbihali vsichni jako vitezove ve velkem stylu s usmevem na trech a zvednutymi pazemi.

Po zavode jsme si uzili picnic s dalsimi Sokoly. Behem vypraveni o svych zazitcich jsme koukali na hladinu oceanu, na hru vody a vetru a take na vzdalene mosty v zatoce San Francisca. Celkove byl zazitek silny a pro velky uspech se nejspise opakovat.
Letter from our American Sokol President,
Brother Adam Wilt

Dear Sokol Brothers and Sisters,

I am honored and humbled to have been elected to serve as President of the American Sokol, and I look forward to working with the many amazing members involved at all levels of our organization. I have been grateful for recent opportunities to meet with the Presidents of each District and (nearly every) Unit to further examine the strengths and challenges of our organization.

Over the past couple of months, our previous board and our newly elected officers have worked together to ensure a smooth transition. We will also work tirelessly to support our units as leaders in our communities of our common objective of a sound mind, in a sound body. We all achieve this goal in different ways. Yet all of our units thrive most when we are a fixture in our communities, and when our members are active and engaged. 

The challenges we face have been amplified by the pandemic. By leveraging our values and the social nature of Sokol, I am confident we can emerge even stronger. People have a renewed appreciation for socialization, physical strength, and mental health. This is what being a Sokol is all about, and we are primed to share the Sokol spirit in our communities.

The core values we share unite us, and those values will be the driving force behind our work. I encourage you to share your thoughts with your local Sokol Leaders, our Board of Governors, and the American Sokol Executive Board. Transparent, regular, and reciprocal communication will be essential to our future success and will be the highest priority of this Executive Board.

We look forward to sharing updates regularly and look forward to your engagement as we continue to keep Sokol alive and strong in our communities.

Nazdar!

Brother Adam Wilt
President - American Sokol
Adventures of Sokol SF Members
Jara Dusatko performs
at the Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival

In June 2022, Jara joined fellow singers and performed in two concerts at the Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival, in Italy. The festival’s 25th season featured Stanford Symphonic Choir, the Arioso Chorale, Washington D.C under the baton of Paul Leavitt, and members of the National Philharmonic Chorale with Stan Engebretson, Artistic Director.

At the first concert, singers performed the eloquent Requiem by Paul Leavitt at La Trinita della Cava, a Benedictine abbey founded in 1011. The second concert celebrated the 4th of July with memorable Broadway hits from West Side Story, patriotic songs, and spirituals - a wonderful evening performed under the stars.

In addition to performing at the concerts, the singers and their guests (Denisa was Jara's guest) were able to enjoy the magnificent Amalfi Coast – soaking up the beauty of Positano and Amalfi, visiting the magical island of Capri, exploring Ravello’s villas, and touring the archaeological ruins of Pompeii.
Czech News & Information
Postavy a příběhy České Kalifornie

JOSEPH URBAN (1822-1893)
SANFRANCISKÝ STRADIVARI

By Amb. Jaroslav Olša, Jr. Czech Consul General

Ve vůbec prvním ročníku nejvýznamnějšího českoamerického kalendáře Amerikán na rok 1878 vyšla krátká zmínka o Češích v San Francisku, kde prý žije „asi 100 českých rodin“ a „první Čechoslované sem přišli r. 1848, a sice byli to J. Bílý a J. Hanes.“ Pak ještě dodává, že o rok později se do města přistěhoval J. Urban a o čtyři roky později J. Hubáček.
Pokud nejde o náhodnou shodu jmen, autor článku měl zřejmě nepřesné informace – Josef Urban se v San Francisku usadil zřejmě až v roce 1854, přesto to ale znamená, že byl historicky zřejmě čtvrtým česky mluvícím obyvatelem města.
V tehdy největším městě státu Kalifornie v té době žilo sotva 40 tisíc obyvatel, přes 90 procent byli běloši, z nichž více než polovina se narodila mimo Spojené státy.
Note: For those of our subscribers who may not be able to read the Czech language, we recommend using the following online translator developed by researchers at Charles University called CUBBIT:
Volba prezidenta ČR
v lednu 2023 na americkém Západě

Vzhledem k časovému posunu oproti ČR se volba prezidenta republiky bude v Los Angeles konat ve dnech 12. a 13. 1. 2023. Případné druhé kolo se uskuteční ve dnech 26. a 27. 1. 2023, a to vždy v čase od 14.00 do 21.00 hodin. Volební místnost bude umístěna v prostorách generálního konzulátu ČR na adrese 10990 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

K volbě prezidenta na generálním konzulátu v Los Angeles musejí být občané ČR předem zapsáni ve zdejším zvláštním seznamu voličů, anebo ve dnech volby předložit voličský průkaz. O vydání voličského průkazu je nutno požádat v místě, kde je volič podle svého trvalého bydliště zapsán.

Občané ČR mohou generálnímu konzulátu ČR v Los Angeles předat nebo doručit písemnou žádost o zápis do zvláštního seznamu voličů v souvislosti s volbou prezidenta do 4. 12. 2022 do 16.00 h.
American International
Czech and Slovak Voice Competition

We elected new Executive board at the convention and ASO's new Educational
director Anna Cook has an exciting announcement:

Our Czech-American community needs to be aware of events going on across the USA as we continue to be RELEVANT to our next generation of Czech-loving members.

This is a unique opportunity that does not have anything to do with gymnastics, but certainly is a "sport" that is Czech related, takes a lot of training, and gives our members a chance at winning several thousand dollars in ONE WEEKEND of a competition.

This competition is free for the public which could make this event a great destination for any age and takes place EVERY YEAR in October at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.

It is a Voice Competition and involves singing Czech or Slovak Opera! 
Česká Katolická Mise v Kalifornii
Visit their website or sign up for their Věstník for
the dates and places of their in-person and virtual mass.

Father Libor Svorcik is inviting you to a mass every third Sunday in San Francisco!

The next one is on October 2, 2022 at 1pm
at the Nativity Church at 240 Fell St, SF
Sokol San Francisco is a non-profit organization operating as an independent unit of the American Sokol Organization (ASO) and its Pacific District. Sokol SF provides physical, educational, and cultural programs for all who are interested in Czech, Moravian, and Slovak culture and their history, as well as those who are bonded by a common heritage and ethnic identity.
Sokol credo is “a sound mind in a sound body”