Sokol SF Newsletter - June 2026 | | Sokol SF Calendar of Events | | |
Saturday, June 6, 2026, 11:30am - 4pm
Annual Picnic and Children's Day Celebration Turtle Picnic Area (new) at Lake Chabot, Castro Valley
Saturday, August 22, 2026 - all day
Trip to Korbel Winery - we are looking for volunteers to help plan this event
sokolsfevents@gmail.com
We hope to provide a bus to take us all in style; if you have a connection, let us know
Saturday, October 3, 2026 - all day
Czech and Slovak Festival
Orinda Community Center, Orinda
Fri - Sun, October 16 - 18, 2026 - fix the date
Czech That Film! Movie Festival
Multiple Locations in SF Bay Area
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Annual Picnic and Sokolský běh republiky
Seal Point Park, San Mateo
Sunday, December 6, 2026
Annual Hands-On Christmas Cookie Baking Workshops
Orinda Community Center
We are looking forward to seeing you at our events in 2026.
We are a volunteer run organization and we are seeking volunteers to help us plan and/or run our events. If you are interested or have ideas for new events please let us know! sokolsfevents@gmail.com
All event times listed are in Pacific Time
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Children's Day Picnic in Lake Chabot
Saturday, June 6, 2026, 11:30am - 4pm
17600 Lake Chabot Rd., Castro Valley
Sokol SF and Czech School of California
present our annual traditional
Den dětí - Children's Day!
Join us for an outdoor picnic lunch and bring some food for the grill
and maybe something to share :-)
Czech food to remind us of home is always welcome!
We will have the BBQ ready to grill from 11:30 am.
Children's fun activities such as potato sack race, ring toss, egg and spoon races and more surprises will commence at 2pm.
We are asking Sokol members and friends
to be part of our community and please help out during the picnic
and
with staffing the children's games.
Thank you!
We are meeting at Lake Chabot, the Turtle Picnic Area by the lake with large picnic tables and extra large BBQ.
Please note that it is a different picnic area than in previous years.
It is closer to the parking lot, yey!
If you play a guitar or other musical instrument, do not be shy and bring it with you and we will help you sing!
Charcoal, water and coffee will be provided.
Bring your own picnic lunch and maybe something to share.
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Saturday, August 22, 2026 - all day
We chose to visit the Korbel winery because of its Czech roots.
Thank you Amb. Jaroslav Olša, Jr. for writing all your articles about famous Czechs on the West Coast of the United States! You can read all the articles in our 2024 newsletters!
Trip to Korbel Winery - we are looking for volunteers to help plan this event
sokolsfevents@gmail.com
We hope to provide a bus to take us all in style; if you have a connection, let us know
More information coming soon.
Francis Korbel
Byl jedním z prvních Čechů, který se usadil na Pacifickém pobřeží Spojených států, nepochybně první, kdo tam uspěl, téměř jistě nejbohatší a dozajista nejvlivnější Čech v San Francisku. A k tomu všemu byl ve svém rodném Česku nejviditelnější postavou české Kalifornie přelomu 19. a 20. století. Korbel je navíc jediný Čech ze západu Spojených států, po němž zůstala dodnes viditelná stopa, protože firma, kterou se svými bratry Antonínem a Josefem založil před půldruhým stoletím, už sice nevydává časopisy ani netěží sekvojové dřevo a není ani v českých rukách, ale je stále úspěšná a svá šumivá vína nadále prodává pod před více než stoletím zavedeným jménem Korbel.
| | Note: For our subscribers who may not be able to read the Czech language, we recommend using the online translator developed by researchers at Charles University called CUBBIT: www.lindat.cz/cubbit | | |
Moravian Folk Music Afternoon
Sunday, May 3, 2026, 3pm-5pm
Sandpiper Community Center,
797 Redwood Shores Pkwy, Redwood City
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Sokol SF Visit to Washington, DC
during Passport DC Month and Day of EU
May 8 - 10, 2026
Washington, D.C., here we come! It was a wonderful and event-filled trip, full of culture, music, food, and new friendships. On Friday, we enjoyed an informative and entertaining four-hour bus tour that gave us a great introduction to the city and its many historical landmarks.
Saturday was the highlight of the weekend: EU Embassies' Open House celebrating the Day of EU. We began at the Hungarian Embassy, where the irresistible aroma of smoked bacon and artisanal salamis welcomed the visitors.
From there, we continued to the Czech Embassy to extend greetings from our Czech members to the Public Diplomacy Department. We were also delighted to meet members of Sokol Washington D.C., enjoy a lively police dog demonstration with the Czech black Shepherd breed followed by a charming dance and singing performance by children from the Czech School dressed in traditional costumes. Of course, some of us could not resist sampling the delicious traditional Czech pastries as well.
Our next stop was the Austrian Embassy, where we enjoyed excellent strudel and Wiener schnitzel. The elegant waltz lesson and dance performance added a special touch to the afternoon and beautifully reflected Austria’s cultural traditions.
We concluded our day at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic, where halušky, sausages, and many other Slovak specialties were served. The performance by Limboráčik was truly spectacular and brought tremendous energy and joy to the celebration. We were also proud to bring greetings from our Slovak members to the Cultural and Public Diplomacy Counselor.
To make the weekend even better, the weather could not have been more perfect. The clear blue skies in our photos say it all.
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Musical Afternoon by
Czech and Slovak Children
Alhambra Irish House
Saturday, May 16, 2026 @ 2 pm
After a three-year pause, and in a close collaboration with the Czech School of California, Sokol SF renewed its probably future annual Concert of Children of Czech and Slovak patriots.
Twenty children ages 4 to 15 years had an excellent opportunity to display their musical skills by playing piano, violin, double bass, guitars, and percussion, by themselves or accompanied by their parents. All musical pieces, even more challenging compositions for advanced students, were performed very well, to the delight of parents, their friends and even restaurant guests.
The concert took place at Alhambra Irish House in Redwood City. The previously historical theater is now a restaurant, and everybody had a chance to have snacks or refreshments. Performing in public is good motivation and encouragement for children to continue their studies. The Czech and Slovak community in the Bay Area can be proud of how talented and courageous youth we have.
J.D.
Thank you Erika for providing us with this wonderful venue
at Alhambra Irish House.
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Milé Markéta a Jarka,
V sobotu jsme si to skvěle užili! Bylo moc hezké setkat se a poznat zdejší českou komunitu.
Všechny ty děti byli tak talentované! Opravdu wow. Obzvlášť krásné bylo vidět ty nejmenší hrát na klavír a housle. 💙
Ještě jednou děkujeme za organizaci programu a těšíme se na další akce!
Birgitte Rasine (Rašínová)
| | Czech News & Announcements | | |
THE EAR (UCHO)
1969 Karel Kachyna's film was banned by the government until 1990
Come and see it restored at the historical ROXIE
Opening Night of BLEAK WEEK: CINEMA OF DESPAIR
Friday, June 5 at 6:15 PM
Roxie Theater
3117 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Discount code: THEEAR3
$3 off a general admission ticket
Tickets: https://roxie.com/film/the-ear-4k-restoration/
Website: www.roxie.com
About the movie:
Government bureaucrat Ludvik (Radoslav Brzobohatý) becomes suspicious after several colleagues disappear and he overhears something strange at a cocktail party. Returning home with his wife, Anna (Jirina Bohdalova), he finds their house under surveillance and spends a fraught night worrying about his possible arrest in the morning. Marital difficulties come to light as Ludvik and his wife attempt to act normal in front of the cameras while dredging up their problems out of sight.
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American Sokol Organization is
opening a DVD lending portal
The new DVD film lending library was created by the Educational Committee who with the AS Foundation’s assistance applied for two grants through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic in 2020 and 2021. The generous grant allowed the ASO Education Committee to purchase Czech DVD’s and offered reimbursement to units for projectors and screens. A loan process was set- up through execution of an American Sokol Organization Standard Operating Procedure in which a copyright lawyer was contacted.
Procedures and selection of movies below
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A big group from Sokol SF and their friends gathered to attend opera Rusalka in Modesto for their Sunday performance. Before the performance began, General Director Roy Stevens warmly acknowledged Sokol SF’s presence in the audience and thanked us for our attendance.
Rusalka okouzlila Kalifornii.
Čeština zněla v Modestu s nečekanou samozřejmostí
Opera Modesto uvedla Dvořákovu Rusalku v češtině a s anglickými titulky. Publikum nadchla nejen hudba a příběh, ale i autentický zvuk českého jazyka, o který se postarali sólisté i členové sboru včetně krajanky Renaty Bricky.
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13th Golden Gate International Children's
Choral Festival
July 13 - 17, 2026
The Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir (PEBCC) is pleased to invite you to the 13th Golden Gate International Children’s Choral Festival, a world-class celebration of youth choral music and cultural exchange taking place July 13–17, 2026 throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
The triannual Festival brings together more than 400 young singers from four continents, representing countries including the Czech Republic (welcoming KAJETÁN), Spain, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Catalonia, Poland, the Philippines, and the United States. Throughout the week, participating choirs will take part in public performances, competitions, and collaborative events, culminating in a powerful closing concert on July 17, 2026, featuring hundreds of voices singing together. You can learn more about all our guest choirs here.
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Daniel Bulatkin
se chystá na turné po USA. V rámci turné by měl vystoupit také v termínu od 13. do 15. listopadu v prestižním klubu Black Cat v San Franciscu.
Podrobne informace dodame pozdeji.
Nizozemský vibrafonista československého původu Miro Herak spojil síly s předním českým klavíristou Danielem Bulatkinem v projektu, který čeří vody napříč Evropou i mimo ni. Hudba tohoto uskupení je silně ovlivněna slovanským a romským folklorem, stejně jako impresionistickou vážnou hudbou a balkánskými rytmy, což odráží společné středoevropské kořeny obou lídrů.
Herak | Bulatkin "Elysium" se pohybuje na evropské jazzové scéně již zhruba 4 roky, během kterých jsme měli tu čest reprezentovat český jazz v rámci Roku české hudby a vystoupit na velkých festivalech po celém světě, m.j. Jarasum Jazz Festival v Jižní Korei, JZ Festival v Číně, Taichung Jazz Festival na Tchaj-vanu, Tbilisi Jazz Festival v Grúzii a mnoho dalších. S naší hudbou, která propojuje slovanský a romský folklór s jazzem, balkánskými rytmy a impresionistickou klasickou hudbou, jsme rovněž měli tu čest spolupracovat se světovou jazzovou elitou jako např. saxofonisté Seamus Blake a Will Vinson. Naše skladba "The Simple Things" se Seamusem Blakem vyhrála cenu OSA za Nejlepší českou jazzovou skladbu roku 2024.
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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.
The Sokol credo is “a sound mind in a sound body”
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