Sokol SF Newsletter - March 2026 | | Sokol SF Calendar of Events | | |
March 7, 2026 @ 2PM
Hike - Golden Gate Park - visiting the bust of TG Masaryk and hike through GG Park
Early April, 2026 @ stay tuned
Opera Insight: Virtual discussion with opera singers, stage and music director of Rusalka Opera
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 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
| | |
Join us for a Hike in Golden Gate Park
and our annual visit to T. Masaryk's Bust
Saturday, March 7, 2025
2 pm @ Blue Heron Boathouse
| | |
Meeting Place:
Parking lot by Blue Heron Boathouse. (used to be Stow Lake Boathouse) From there, we will go visit the Rose Garden and the bust of Tomas G Masaryk and continue with our walk.
| | |
It is a tradition in our unit to remember T.G. Masaryk around his birthday with a hike and a visit to his bust in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This year we will be joined by students of Czech School of California, as the students are participating in a project Československé stopy ve světě
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk was a Czechoslovakian statesman, political activist, and philosopher who served as the first president of Czechoslovakia from 1918 to 1935. He is regarded as the founding father of Czechoslovakia.
Masaryk's birthday is March 7th. We will lay flowers at his bust in the Rose Garden.
The bust was donated to Golden Gate Park by Sokol San Francisco many years ago. Come and hear the story.
We will also visit the Observatory Deck of the de Young Museum to get a 360 degree view of the San Francisco. It is free of charge and the views are beautiful!
We will continue by the Japanese Tea Gardens back to Stow Lake, cross the Stow Lake Bridge over to visit the waterfalls, and we will end up back by the boathouse.
It is an easy hike and all flat. Hopefully, the flowers will have started blooming so we can welcome spring on this beautiful hike..
| |
Are you learning Czech?
Would you like more practice speaking Czech?
Chat with native speakers and other Czech learners on the Masaryk hike!
Join us as we revive our Czech knowledge and build our confidence in speaking Czech.
Students from Czech School of California will be joining us this year too!
| |
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.
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!
Opera Insight
Early April, 2026 @ stay tuned
Virtual discussion with opera singers, stage and music director of Rusalka.
Everyone is welcome to join - no opera ticket required.
Coming in early April. More information will be available at
https://operamodesto.org/rusalka
| | |
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
| |
Sokol SF Visit Washington, DC
during Passport DC
May 9 - 10, 2026
Take your very own shortcut to Europe and enjoy the Old Continent without any jet lag. From Ireland and Italy to Spain and Slovakia, all European Union member states participate in this annual citywide open house experience.
We are also planning a visit to the Sokol Washington DC Unit to meet their members and explore the area together. They were the first unit to bring Sokolsky Beh Republiky to the USA! Let's see what else we can learn from them :-)
Each member will be responsible for making their own flight arrangements, 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 - individual visit to the White House and 4 hr group Washington DC tour sightseeing - please read the section about visiting the White House.
If you are interested in joining us for the group tour, please contact Lea
Saturday, May 9 - Passport DC including a visit to the Embassy of the Czech Republic
Sunday, May 10 - visit Sokol Washington DC unit
We are working on details for this trip and would like to know how many people would be interested in joining us so we can book the tour of the DC monuments.
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 are interested in joining us, please let us know by sending an email to Lea Bronec leabronec@comcast.net
| | |
Annual Sokol SF Member Meeting
at Alhambra Irish House or online
Saturday, January 31, 2026
| | |
At our annual meeting, we reviewed Sokol's activities from 2025, discussed plans for 2026 and enjoyed a wonderful lunch!
We asked what members would like to do and how they would like to get involved and thank Mike for jumping right in to organize a hike on the Peninsula on 2/22! We love when new members get involved right away! Yay!
For those of you not able to attend, rest assured that we have another activity packed year ahead of us!
The board also went over the financial standings & budget and then everyone voted for the slate of officers.
After the meeting some of us stayed to enjoy a live jazz band performance where our own Sokol SF members were performing. Kudos to you, Jansa family.
| | |
Hike at Windy Hill
Sunday, February 22, 2026
After some confusion actually two hikes happened! Thank you Lea and thank you Mike for leading these adventures.
And along the way the second group met two Czech ladies hiking in the area! Hope that they will join us on our next hike.
| | Czech News & Announcements | | |
Announcement of opportunities
to study Czech from
Consulate General of the Czech Republic
in Los Angeles
Vážení kolegové,
dovolte mi, abych Vás jménem GK Los Angeles informovala o aktuální nabídce vzdělávacích programů MZV ČR v rámci programu ČEJKA: Krajanské vzdělávací programy a výuka českého jazyka a literatury v zahraničí a současně Vás upozornila na blížící se lhůty pro podání přihlášek.
Program je určen krajanům, studentům bohemistiky a vyučujícím českého jazyka v zahraničí a zahrnuje:
Semestrální stipendijní studijní pobyty na veřejných vysokých školách v ČR
Čtyřtýdenní kurzy českého jazyka pro krajany (termín konání kurzu 13.7. - 7.8. 2026)
Dvoutýdenní kurz metodiky výuky českého jazyka pro vyučující. (termín konání kurzu 24.8. - 4.9. 2026)
K přihlášení je potřeba vyplnit online formulář na webových stránkách: https://www.studujnavs.gov.cz
Termíny pro zadání přihlášek do elektronického systému:
* pro čtyřtýdenní kurz českého jazyka pro krajany a dvoutýdenní kurz metodiky výuky českého jazyka pro vyučující z řad krajanských komunit do 31.3.2026
* pro jednosemestrální studium v zimním semestru akademického roku 2026/2027 (září 2026 až únor 2027) do 31. 3. 2026.
* pro dvousemestrální studium v zimním i letním semestru akademického roku 2026/2027 (září 2026 až červen 2027) do 31. 3. 2026.
* pro jednosemestrální studium v letním semestru akademického roku 2026/2027 (únor 2027 až červen 2027) do 15. 8. 2026.
Podrobné informace ke všem typům pobytů, včetně přihlášek a podmínek účasti, naleznete na webových stránkách Domu zahraniční spolupráce (DZS): i na našich webových stránkách konzulátu.
Současně bych Vás ráda upozornila také na možnost účasti na Letní škole slovanských studií 2026, které pořádají vybrané české veřejné vysoké školy. Termín podání přihlášek 10. března 2026. Pro více informací: https://mzv.gov.cz/losangeles/cz/krajane_a_studium_cestiny/letni_skola_slovanskych_studii_2026.html
Velmi Vás prosíme o předání této informace členům Vašich organizací, studentům, pedagogům a dalším zájemcům.
V případě dotazů se na nás neváhejte obrátit. Rádi poskytneme další informace či metodickou pomoc.
S pozdravem a přáním krásného dne
Aneta Campbell
Cultural Affairs Officer
Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles | Generální konzulát České republiky v Los Angeles
10990 Willshire Blvd., Suite 1100, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Web: https://mzv.gov.cz/losangeles
Tel. (310) 473-0889
Email: aneta.campbell@mzv.gov.cz
| |
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.
| |
From our Friends in San Diego
Hello (Ahoj) dear friends, and community,
We are pleased to announce that House of Czech and Slovak Republics cottage will FINALLY REOPEN on March 7 and March 8, 2026, after a year of closure due to damage from fallen eucalyptus tree.
You are CORDIALLY invited on Saturday March 7 and/or Sunday, March 8, 2026, from 11 am to 4 pm for "QUEENS HOSTING DAY" in the International Village and at the House of Czech and Slovak Republics (HCSR), Balboa Park, San Diego.
Natasha Braden (HCSR Queen, and HPR Queens Treasurer) and Nicole Nemecek (former HCSR Queen and current HPR Queens Advisor) will greet you with a smile and serve coffee, lemonade, cake, and Czech and Slovak pastries while representing "The House of the Czech and Slovak Republics".
Also, all other nation's HPR Queens and HPR Knights will serve at the International village in their nationality houses, please, come to support them all!
International Village in Balboa Park address: 2191 Pan American Pl, San Diego, CA 92101.
Please, see additional note below about new Balboa Park parking rules.
We hope to see you there, it will be fun! I will be there on Sunday, March 8, 2026.
Sincerely,
Martina Nemecek
Vice President - House of Czech and Slovak Republics
HPR Knights Co-Advisor
| |
Summer Program:
Cross-Cultural Pathways for Young Leaders
Cross Cultural Pathways for Young Leaders is a 12-day, all-inclusive program in Prague, Czech Republic designed for young people aged 16-22 with Czech heritage or an interest in learning more about Czech culture, language and history and studying in CZ.
Over the course of the program, students explore the Czech Republic and dive deeply into intercultural communication and leadership, all while having fun and making new connections.
Applications due by March 6, 2026
| |
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”
| | | | |
