April 8, 2026 @ 7 pm

Opera RUSALKA - "Meet the Stars" - Behind the Scenes Virtual Event

April 25, 2026 @ 10AM

Hike - Mt. Diablo Foothills

April 26, 2026 @ 2PM

Opera Rusalka, Modesto CA

May 2, 2026 @ 2PM

Hike - Hidden Villa Farm/Park

May 3, 2026 @ 3-5 PM

Moravian Folk Music Afternoon

May 8 - 10, 2026

Group Trip to Washington DC - visit Sokol DC and CZ and EU Embassies for Open House and Tours

June 6, 2026

Picnic and Children's Day Celebration

Turtle Picnic Area at Lake Chabot

We are looking forward to seeing you at our events in 2026.

All event times listed are in Pacific Time

Do not miss this unique opportunity to learn more about the performance directly from the Stars!


Virtual discussion with opera singers, stage and music director of Rusalka.

Everyone is welcome to join - no opera ticket required.

FREE - Special Online Event for Rusalka Opera - FREE

Meet the principal singers Rusalka, Bree Nichols, and the Prince, Jason Nichols, who will tell us how they learned to sing the opera in Czech. Also, Artistic Director Annalisa Winberg will tell us how the staging is unique and new, and the Conductor Caleb Yanez Glickman will tell us about Dvořák's musical vision and the message that this performance has for us.

• In the opera the mermaid Rusalka loves a human prince. But she is pure water and she is invisible to humans. How will they show that on stage? What kind of "pure water" dress will she wear? 
• The prince cannot see Rusalka. But he feels her presence all around him in the lake.  But the stage is dry -- how will they show a lake and an invisible mermaid enveloping a real Prince?  
• How did the composer Antonín Dvořák write music to depict the waterman Vodník's personality, the wood nymphs' playfulness, and how Ježibaba makes the magic potion? 
• Writer-Librettist Jaroslav Kvapil made almost every line rhyme in Czech - how is that possible when in most languages it is almost impossible.

How to watch on April 8, 7:00pm, PDT

Sign up at

https://operamodesto.org/opera-insights-a-behind-the-scenes-virtual-event-sign-up/

Opera Modesto will send you a Zoom link to the email you provide. 

Get to Know the Bay Area Better

Fossil Hill Trail in Walnut Creek

Saturday, April 25, 2026 @ 10 am

We are hoping for some wildflowers to start popping out!

The trail is suitable for all ages!

Rolling hills with views of Mt. Diablo, few ponds along the way, lovely area.

Come alone to meet new friends, bring a friend with you, bring your kids ...

we are looking forward to seeing you all!

The area is dog friendly, and they can run off-leash if they are well-behaved.

Let's go for a hike!

We encourage you to bring some snacks and beverages to picnic during or after the hike!

Picnic blanket is always a plus.

We will meet at the parking area - you can enter

Fossil Hill Trail, 181 Sutherland Dr, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

to your navigation. It is a small parking lot so most likely you will need to park on the street. Please be respectful to the locals :-)

If lost or late call Milena at 925-683-1853

Rusalka Opera

April 26, 2026 at 2:00pm

The Gallo Center, Foster Family Theater

Modesto, CA 

Please let us know if you are planning on attending then we could possibly arrange a get-together before or after the performance.

amwenglish1@gmail.com 

If we all purchase tickets in Row N, then we can enjoy each other's company. The tickets for that row are $45.

We already have 10 people, why don't you join us too!

Sokol members who let us know that they have purchased tickets and attend this performance with us will receive a $10 Starbucks gift card to make the hour drive more fun!

Rusalka is a spellbinding Czech opera by Antonín Dvořák, based in part on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. It has many similarities with the Disney variation on the story, paired with a tragic ending. The story tells the tale of a water nymph who trades her ethereal voice for a human form to win the love of a prince. When her dream turns into rejection, betrayal and tragedy follow. The opera’s most unforgettable moment is the haunting aria “Song to the Moon”, where Rusalka pleads with the moon to carry her love to the prince. With themes of forbidden love and sacrifice, paired with profoundly beautiful music, Rusalka is a dark fairy tale steeped in magic, longing, and tragedy. In Czech with English supertitles. 

Join us to experience a fateful love that awakens from the depths

of a forest lake.

Sokol Spotlight:

Our member Renata Bricka in Rusalka



We are proud to share that Sokol SF member Renata Bricka will be performing in the chorus of the upcoming opera Rusalka in Modesto. Renata trained in Czechoslovakia and later at the Conservatory of Music at the University of the Pacific, has been a soloist in several organizations, but has always cherished her work in the opera chorus.

Performing in a foreign land brings a special warmth when the music is familiar and speaks to the heart—especially when sung in Czech, connecting her to her roots and sharing that cultural heritage with the community. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Renata and experience this beloved Czech opera!

Hidden Villa hiking trail

Sunday, May 3, 2026 @ 2 pm

We will meet @ 2 pm in the main parking lot, near the big tree at the down-valley end of the lot, right where that Google Maps pin puts you - see the link below.

There is a $10 parking fee.

The hike will be shaded and relatively flat. We will follow the beautiful flowing Adobe Creek, as far as people care to go, out and back. There are no long-distance views, instead it is a cozy quiet valley with tiny waterfalls. There are also goats, pigs, and sheep on the way in.

Contact: Mike (831)-325-3683

May 3, 2026 @ 3-5 PM

Moravian Folk Music Afternoon

Sandpiper Community Center, 797 Redwood Shores Pkwy, Redwood City, CA 94065

Sokol SF Visit Washington, DC

during Passport DC

May 9 - 10, 2026

Thank you all who have let us know that they are joining us!

We have a great group going!

Each participant will be responsible for making their own flight arrangements, transfer to/from the airport, booking their hotel room and meals during the stay.

We will be staying at Residence Inn by Marriott Washington Downtown/Convention Center

Intended program of the trip (subject to change):

Friday, May 8

• 1-5 PM Group Washington DC sightseeing tour with a guide - please let Lea know you want to join us for the tour so she can purchase the tickets - deadline is today - March 31, 2026
• dinner together - restaurant TBD - everyone is responsible for their bill

Saturday, May 9

• group breakfast at the hotel - breakfast is included
• Passport DC including a visit to the Embassy of the Czech Republic
• dinner together - restaurant TBD - everyone is responsible for their bill

Sunday, May 10

• group breakfast at the hotel - breakfast is included
• visit Sokol Washington DC unit - activity TBD

You can come early and leave late, it is up to you.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone during our above mentioned activities!

Current members of Sokol SF will have some of the cost of the trip subsidized

by Sokol SF, amount depends on total attendance.

If you want to visit the White House you need to do it on your own, for your convenience we included the info link below.

Thank you Lea for organizing this amazing outing!

Recap of Our Past Events

Hike in Golden Gate Park

and our annual visit to T. Masaryk's Bust

Saturday, March 7, 2025

What an adventure! The day was beautiful and EVERYONE was out to enjoy the sun and beautiful spring day in the park.

So almost everyone was late, thank you all who waited for the rest of us!

We had a great turnout! Just look at the pictures!

Once we had everyone assembled we started our walk to the Rose Garden where we ran into more of our members!

After laying flowers at the bottom of the pedestal Jara D. had a wonderful presentation about T. G. Masaryk's life and everyone sang "Teče, voda teče" and "Ach synku, synku".

It was very lovely.

We continued our walk to the DeYoung museum where we found out that the elevator was broken so there was no view of San Francisco on this outing :-(

The walk took us by the Japanese gardens and up the stairs to the lake, across the fairy tale bridge and by the waterfall (dry this time), we even saw turtles swimming in the lake.... it was a wonderful afternoon and everyone enjoyed meeting new people from the Czech School of California and from Sokol SF.

Thank you all for coming and we are looking forward to our next outing!

Czech News & Announcements

Photo Competition:

Czechs and America at 250

The Embassy of the Czech Republic celebrates Czech-American ties as the United States of America marks 250 years since its independence on July 4, 1776.

The Czech Embassy invites all from around the United States to submit a photo depicting this friendship and how Czechs have contributed to America at 250.