Awards, Rewards, Recognition - April 19, 2013

Some people have personal ambition, on the other hand, some people live their lives in service of others, and a greater cause.  So just how does one award, reward or recognize people for their generosity of spirit? We take example from leaders around us.

 

As Canada's Governor General is the representative of the Queen of England on North Amerian soil, the influence of the Queen's 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Award is among the most celebrated awards among Canadian citizens.  Without Royal patronage, Canada may have potentially taken another course through history.  Whether actively, or through her network of agents, the influence of the Monarch with a wholistic vision of the world has indeed shaped our experience here.  Through the effects of a democratic, civil society, we are called to take part, take responsibility, and create a place that is bigger, better and more enriching than ourselves. Some consider Canada among the most respected nations for precise these reasons, for its serious committment to becoming the best "homeland" possible - I among them.  

 

Over Canada's rather short nationhood, Canadian communities have grown, and been shaped the efforts of her citizens.  But "community" doesn't just happen.  Through the contributions of many, we have evolved into a generous, forward thinking, inclusive society that embraces the best parts of its individual components.  Of course that involves grassroots community builders, and community leadership, vision and dogged perseverance in the face of doubters.  Big vision people take pleasure in meeting challenges, making seemingly small gains that accumulate drop by drop, for every droplet eventually meets with others, creating a wave of possibilities.  The individuals being honored at the Diamond Jubilee Awards ceremony to be held in Calgary on April 19, 2013 are examples of just that kind of leadership.  .   

I met Mike Hantzch through my experiece at St. Vladimir's Sadochok, when our children were little and our ambitions for them involved a Ukrainian linguistic enrichment.  A group formed around this idea - Calgary Parents for Ukrainian Education - and we coaslesced around an idea of promoting Ukrainian bilingual schools to our public school boards.  Public schooling took some complicated turns at the time - our proposals were not welcomed.  So Mike threw his considerable passion for youth programming into high gear - through PLAST Ukrainian Scouts here in Calgary.  And of course there are many more accolades for this already recognized UCC Alberta Hetman Award recipient.   

Halia Wilson is another equally committed, soft spoken but stalward community builder.  A communicator, she has developed strong ties in SUM Ukrainian Youth across Canada and in the Ukrainian community abroad.  She is an includer, a communicator, a promoter and widely embraces diversity.  For the entire time I have known her, she has quietly but effectively promoted the Ukrainian idea, graciously welcoming everyone she meets. Her generosity of spirit is felt here among her professional peers, and in Calgary's Ukrainian community.  From promotions for youth programs to bandura, music, film and the arts, Halia's impressive vitae has already gained her the UCC Alberta Hetman Award too.   

Congratulations to these wonderful people on the recognition presented to them this April 19, 2013 through Canada's Diamond Jubilee Award.  From the hand of Queen Elizabth II, through the hands of Canada's Governor General, through the hands of Ukrainian Canadian Congress National President Paul Grod to Calgary, not only are they being recognized individually, but as members of their respective communities here in Calgary as well.  Leadership, community builders, peacemakers, kindlers of the fire at the ancestral hearth, their promotion of and contribution to the culture of our great city, and the Ukrainian idea,  we thank you!! 

The Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Association of Canada (Calgary Branch)graciously invites you to a ceremony and wine and cheese reception in honor of these recipients of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Award on  Friday, April 19, at 7 PM at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary church hall.  For further information, tickets and to RSVP contact 403-670-5477  or to admin@ucpbacalgary.org. 

 

 

But There's Nothing There!

Moving to Calgary and buying a home here a while back was exciting.  I bubbled with enthusiasm telling people where we lived when someone made the strange comment "but there's nothing there!"  I didn't know what to say, bewildered that someone could be so insensitive.  It was as if we had not met the standard, like nothing good could be found where we live. But I discovered over the years, that our subdivision was indeed originally part of a wild, untended piece of "hinterland", and that some people really are safest huddled in their small lives. Of course, Calgary has since become such a sprawling metropolis.  I wonder whether anyone now hears "but there's nothing there!"

People sometimes inadvertently say inconsiderate things, which becomes problematic when politicians, historians or commentators assert their authority over lives, places and things without considering the people themselves.  And worse still, historians are often swayed by the political will of the ruling order in the land. Imagine a New Yorker who has never seen the Rockies saying "but there's nothing there" about Calgary these days!

So I am reading the highly recommended resources for an upcoming travel program to the Black Sea to enhance my understanding of the people of this region.  I am beginning to hope that it is simply setting a tone. Talk about politics, which investor established a business hub where, which figures from the times aristocracy used the region for a vacation site, seen through the eyes of a foreign economic lens that really says little about the actual people who for generations have raised their families there.  Or perhaps it is intended this way.  Looking at my ancestral homeland through a museum guidebook or a textbook is interesting reading.

The way of life, richly colored daily routines, familiar smells of home cooking, intricate decorative sewing, cleaning-building-horticulture-agrarian practices, the art and craft of regular people living regular lives - these things have interest for me.  The belief systems, the resilient spirit, the body of accumulated practice, the remains of a life well lived - these draw my curious mind. Maybe these things have always been the prize, hoarded by grave robbers, looted from kurhan mounds, and pillaged from Ukraine's archeological sites over the centuries. The material cultural treasures, ancestral memory, the handiwork of people living normal lives is on display in wealthy, powerful and imposing museums the world over - all originating from a place where "there's nothing there". Really!

My home in Calgary is indeed close to Nose Hill, still a wild place with coyotes, deer and teeming with life.  Calgary may once have been Canada's hinterland, much like Ukraine may have been considered a bordering land for her neighbors. But times change.  Whose telling the story now?  Calgary's city boundaries were redrawn a few years back, so my home is now considered part of the "inner city". With the political winds of time changing, I think the pedagog who defined the name "Ukraina" to mean "hinterland", really got it wrong.  Everything on the outside is her hinterland!

With an admiring gaze I listen as my mom unravels the stories of our family geneology, and stand in awe as she unfurls thousands of family names, dates, photos, details. I realize that family is the real treasure, and the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sentimental feeling of ancestral family is the jewel in the crown. The winds of time have carried the seeds of our family here, but the roots are firmly planted in a place teeming with life, just north of the Black Sea in Western Ukraine.

 

Calgary's GlobalFest -August 26-26, 2012

Calgary is the host city for so many summer festivals, with many opportunities for celebrating our lovely city.  2012 also marks the 10th Anniversary of Calgary's GlobalFest.  This multicultural festival is simply world class!  With all the pavilions set up in Elliston Park representing a huge variety of cultures cooperating to make a better Calgary, the event is topped off with a fabulous international fireworks competition. Calgary's Ukrainian Tryzub Dancers will host the Ukrainian pavilion, and provide tasty Ukrainian food for the guests while delivering their unique brand of Ukrainian dance in their performances on various stages throughout the park.
Globalfest takes place from August 16-26 at Elliston Park, 17 Av and 68 St SE. 
The Tryzub Ukrainian Dance Ensemble will be featured during the Sunday August 26 finale performance. Dancing to live music performed by the Kensington Sinfonia and joined by several alumni dancers, this is guaranteed to be an exciting, explosive conclusion to GlobalFest 2012.

Come with your friends and family for a fun experience - get to know the culture side of Calgary!!

Support Tryzub by purchasing your Globalfest tickets through the web link provided below. Ticket prices are $10 per night, or five nights (not including the finale) for $40 (regular price $15/ticket). August 26 Finale tickets are $15 each. Please contact Tryzub at info@tryzub.ca to purchase your tickets now!

You can also see the Globalfest website for more details: www.globalfest.ca

 

Ukrainian Orchard Plans for Calgary?

actinidia kolomicta growing in my front yard

So when my husband and I were in Ukraine a while back and visited the family dacha outside of Kiev, we admired their cherries, apricots, plums, oh, so many beautiful fruits! Then sitting under the shady grape vine covered car port for lunch and catching up with family, we also couldn't help but notice the half white and half green leaves of a special vine crawling up the side of the two story cottage. My husband's attention was grabbed by the pretty vines which, family explained, were actually kiwi. The pretty vines, vigorous climbers, are called actinidia kolomikta. Here in Calgary he found them at the garden center.  Turns out they are creating quite a sensation in gardening circles, as the hybrid is actually referred to as arctic kiwi for their relative hardiness. They have glossy dark green leaves, which go yellow in the fall.  They have little white flowers in springtime and delicate, thin skinned fruits that are delicious.   Planting them in a sunny location up front seemed logical, but when they struggled, we bought more, and noticed from the tag that they love sun and part shade. So we have some more in the back garden, nestled against the shady wall, and they are growing quite reasonably. The year before last we even had a few handfuls of the fruit. The hail that fell last summer (was it four or five times!) really prevented any little fruits from growing, much less ripening on the vine. But when they do get protected from the ravages of Calgary hail and frost, the fruit is small, like a long green grape in size.  The fruit is delicate, soft skinned, and the sweet taste is exactly like ripened kiwis you buy in the stores, imported from some tropical land far away!

Did you know that way back in the first immigration from Ukraine there were people who had come with full intentions of having fruit orchards here? Well I know this because when I went to Peter Svarych School in Vegreville a long time back, I discovered he was among the most interesting company when he immigrated. Ambitious just isn't the word.  Came here in 1900 to help family, then as a labourer, then opened a lumberyard and building materials shop.  Was a game warden.  Eventually became a school trustee with a school named after him.  What was his background?

It just so happens that the people in western Ukraine have a great climate for apple trees, cherry trees, you name it! And, transplanting their lives here, over a century ago those eager homesteaders brought the idea of orchard farms to life in the Vegreville area (maybe it was Royal Park?). Everything from raspberries, to chokecherries, gooseberries, apples, pears, plums, nanking cherries, strawberries, saskatoon berries have become part of our prairies orchard vernacular.  With a shelter of fast going pine, spruce, and poplar, they ambitiously planted fruit trees which actually bore fruit in the short term. The remnants of that era are at the experimental farms out there (are they still there?)  Imagine taking virgin prairie land, and nurturing lush, market garden orchards way back then?

When my grandparents were still on the farm, my Dido, dad and uncles planted an orchard on the family farm north of Edmonton. Harvesting apples, cherries, plums and (I think) gooseberries, combined with the fact my Dido had an apiary (he kept bees) (it always makes me smile to say that, because you can't own bees!) my family tried to emulate this centuries-old Ukrainian orchard tradition. For many years the cartoon image of Mama and Tato sitting in rocking chairs, shooting nuisance prairie gophers with slingshots would cause spontaneous laughter! It never did happen, although the gophers probably would have backed off a bit had the folks at least tried, but then time flies!

Here in Calgary some years ago I visited with Mrs. Meketiak, then a centenarian who shared some of her heritage garden flowers from her home near SAIT- I think they were snow drops.  And Mrs. Swityk, who also lived not far away also gave me garden clippings - she had a huge lemon tree growing in her front porch!!  I always recall driving past and seeing their gardens just bursting with joyful color and abandon.  How did they get so good at it?  Well, we haven't been here long enough for those kind of bragging rights. 

Here at our home in Calgary, in the shadow of Nose Hill, we have a lovely apple tree which will probably bear 2,000 apples this year. It will be apple pie season again! Apple raspberry, apple rhubarb, apple-kiwi? Maybe not this year, but there is always hope.
I wonder whether kalyna - the high bush cranberry would grow somewhere on my yard??

BORSHCH FEST - Ukrainian Male Chorus

The Ukrainian Male Chorus of Edmonton was recently in Southern Alberta on their mission to promote Ukrainian Music to the world.  Their trip to Banff, with the free admission performance was a great opportunity to reconnect with the past.  The significance of Southern Alberta in the Ukrainian Canadian experience is a treasure of stories, mostly untold - perhaps time to reveal a snapshot?  Stories of opportunity, adventure, sacrifice, contributions and resilience!

Did you know how many Ukrainian labourers were involved in the building of the Banff Cave and Basin Hot Springs facility?  Did you know about the internment camp at Castle Mountain?  Well, a look into Ukrainian Canadian history, and a glimpse at the huge migration of Ukrainian immigrants to the southern Alberta region say, a hundred years ago tells an important story.

The choir also came to sing the responses to the Liturgy at St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Calgary.  With the impromptu performance of Ukrainian folk songs after the Liturgy and Coffee Fellowship, the choir showcased its versatility, excellence, and great passion for the Choral Tradition of Ukraine, and Choral Tradition of Western Canada.  The experienced, yet fresh and enthusiastic approach to Ukrainian Choral Music in Canada's 2012 - what a gift!

If you enjoy this Ukrainian Choral Tradition, perhaps the Ukrainian Male Chorus's next big event is for you?

They are holding a special event called  Borshch Fest - Do Not Wear White on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 6PM at St. John's Cultural Centre - 10611-110 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta.  Make sure you get your tickets soon - it's bound to be a lively and entertaining cultural event! 

I hope they make it a tradition!! 

	Tickets: $40 - Buy 10 and you get to reserve a Table! Be the first on your block! Tickets are limited, so don't delay! 6 pm - Cocktails and borsh...ch tasting 7 pm - Celebrity Cook-off, judging, and performance by Ukrainian Male Chorus of Edmonton 9 pm - Dance by Barvinok 10:15 pm - Lunch For tickets please contact: Bo: 780-717-3609 Dave: 780-863-8877 umctickets@gmail.comSee

"Most Important Night In Ukrainian Football History"

Ukraina - Ukraine website - Antonio Guarino

If you haven't yet had a chance to see the opening ceremonies for the First Match of the EURO 2012 games for the Ukrainian team, make sure you take a minute.  Commentators couldn't but be thrilled with the stupendous atmosphere.  Join the crowd and see for yourself!  Here is football.ua's photo to prove the point. 

http://www.tsn.ca/window/Euro2012/index.html#clipid_699879

And as far as the criticism of the games goes, more people are appreciating the improvements Ukraine has made in transportation, housing and general services.  An article from Kiev Post indicates that the Sweden team is actually enjoying the amenities, and though it is not perfect, certainly it is making for an exciting games.   http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/high-hopes.html

2012 Ukie Stampede Stomp

Hey Calgarians!  It's almost time to get your cowboy boots on again for the Calgary Stampede!!

Remember to put the 2012 Ukie Stampede Stomp on your calendar!  On Saturday, July 7th, 2012 from 6-12 PM the Knights of Columbus is holding a Fundraiser BBQ Steak Dinner and Dance at St. Stephen's Cultural Centre (4903-45 St. SW). 




You can call Terry for tickets ($40/p) at 403-540-0411.  Supper is at 7pm and the Dance at 9 pm.  Yahoo!!

UCPBA Calgary Outstanding Achievement Award 2012 - Peter Shostak

The Annual General Meeting of the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Association of Calgary will be held on Thursday, June 21, 2012, again at the Danish Canadian Club, Valhalla Ballroom at 727 - 11th Avenue SW.
 
The Ukrainian Canadian Professional & Business Association of Calgary is delighted to announce that the recipient of its Outstanding Achievement Award for 2012 is renowned Ukrainian-Canadian artist Peter Shostak. This award is being presented to Mr. Shostak in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions over many decades, as one of Canada’s foremost artists, in commemorating, celebrating and honouring the heritage of Ukrainian pioneer settlement on the Prairies. The evening will also include an exhibit of Shostak works owned by UCPBA members and other Calgarians in attendance.

Pre-dinner entertainment will be by Absolutely Unplugged (Darren Moroz & Noella Ostash).

Mr. Shostak has kindly donated a limited edition serigraph, ‘The colours have not faded’, which will be raffled-off following Mr. Shostak’s speech.Tickets for the raffle are $10 each and may be purchased at the door. Two signed books by Mr. Shostak will also be offered as door prizes.
 

THE COLOURS HAVE NOT FADED
Serigraph Colours: sixteen
Image Size (inches): 16" X 25"
Edition Size: 90
Price: $400.00 CDN

Peter Shostak was born and raised on a farm in north-eastern Alberta. His early interest in art inspired him to major in art at the University of Alberta. In 1969, he obtained a graduate degree in Art Education and then took a teaching position at the University of Victoria. He remained there as Associate Professor of Art Education until 1979, when he decided to leave teaching and pursue a career as an artist, devoting all of his time to painting and silkscreen printing.

Much of Shostak's art reflects his memories of growing up on the prairies during the late forties and fifties. Two publications, When Nights Were Long and Saturday Came But Once A Week, reveal some of his personal history. In 1997, he collaborated with Vancouver writer, David Bouchard, on the book Prairie Born. His latest book Hockey…under winter skies was released in the fall of 2000.

Shostak's most ambitious project, to which he devoted five years of painting, was completed in 1991 with the unveiling of his series "For Our Children". These fifty large oil paintings, which portray early pioneer settlement in Western Canada (based on Ukrainian pioneer experiences), have been exhibited across Canada. All fifty paintings, along with background stories gleaned from Shostak's many years of research, are reproduced in the coffee table book For Our Children. In the introduction to this book, W.D. Valgardson states, "In his life and his art, Peter Shostak depicts what it means to be Canadian. He honours the memory of all our past lives."

In 2003, Peter Shostak received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of his outstanding exemplary contribution to Canada.

Most major cities in Canada have repeatedly hosted exhibitions of his work over the past several years and he has completed many commissioned paintings and serigraphs for individuals, organizations and major corporations.

After living in Victoria for thirty-six years he recently moved north on Vancouver Island to Courtenay, BC. He frequently returns to his native Alberta to photograph and refresh his mental images of prairie life and landscape.

For more information, contact Peter Shostak

**************
Contact the UKRAINIAN CANADIAN PROFESSIONAL & BUSINESS ASSOCIATION OF CALGARY at 403-670-5477 or e-mail:  admin@ucpbacalgary.org     www.ucpbacalgary.ca

Calgary - Ukrainian Bilingual Summer Camps 2012

Do you have your children's summer all planned yet?  The people at St. Vladimir's Sadochok have a wonderful plan for you!  Imagine, a summer camp, exciting activities, great friends, and an opportunity to MAKE BABA PROUD!

ST. VLADIMIR’S SADOCHOK is again sponsoring their UKRAINIAN BILINGUAL SUMMER CAMPS for the summer of 2012.

The first session will take place July 3 – 6, followed by the second during the week of July

9 – 13th.  The camp is for children Ages 3- 10, and runs from 8-5pm daily. 

Participants will have the opportunity to learn Ukrainian language and culture through cooking, crafts, songs, in and outdoor play and more. No previous knowledge of Ukrainian required.

Preregistration or information via

info@

ukrainianpreschool.ca

St. Vladimir's Sadochok is sponsored by the Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada and is located at 404 Meredith Road NE.  Calgary. 

Calgary Ukrainian Festival 2012 Photo Tour

Art by Larisa

Congratulations to Calgary Ukrainian Festival 2012 on a lovely celebration!  I arrived early Saturday to see a flurry of busyness - upwards of 200 volunteers showed up to make this great event happen - and wow did it happen!  The venue was set up theatre style, with vendors and exhibits lining three sides of the hall.  Artfully displayed, entertaining exhibits, and stores to shop in made for a great walk-about.  I really appreciated the way the organizing committee accomodated a variety of interests, price points, age groups, and entertainment styles. 

Calgary's Europa Express

Local Ukrainian vendors, some from across the prairies, and as far away as Quebec brought excellent Ukrainian themed items for purchase. 

Dolls by Sandra

Berehynya Art and Adornment by Luba Bilash

Edmonton's Ukrainian Book Store

Items from Yevshan.com

Baba's Records

The performers included everyone from Euphoria Band from Edmonton, to little 4 year old dancers who held the stage quite admirably.  Dancing groups included Tryzub, Barvinok, Suzirya and perhaps a few I didn't catch. 

Ukrainian Voice - Holos Newspaper

A singing duo from Winnipeg, a display from the Ukrainian Voice Paper - Ukrainskiy Holos (100 years of service in Canada) and the Ukrainian Museum of Canada (Calgary Collection) brought up the historical connection,

Ukrainian Museum of Canada - Calgary Collection

while the newer arrivals from Ukraine including singer Andrij Yevtushenko and many others came dressed in contemporary adaptations with Ukrainian traditional designs. 

Beautiful contemporary adaptations of Ukrainian traditional clothing

ACUA - Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts displayed a wide variety of art works, watercolors, mixed media, oils, and acrylic paintings, textile art by Elizabeth Holinaty, as well as jewellery items, and interesting hand woven samplers as gift cards.  Impressive art works by Ukrainian Albertan's certainly caught many by surprise - many paintings went home in the hands of happy purchasers!!

St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Sadochok (Preschool) in Calgary

Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation

A variety of important Ukrainian Canadian services took part in the Festival - and promoted programs as widely different as Calgary's only Ukrainian Bilingual Preschool, Canada's Shevchenko Foundation, Medical Mercy Canada which annually helps small towns and villages in Ukraine with medical care, the Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation helping the Ukrainian Catholic University. 

A flower hair clip made with the help of one of the Festival volunteers. 

                
                 There was a volunteer run kids center, for crafts and coloring, and a breather.  Little children had the opportunity to make crafts to wear, and if you were hungry there were a variety of traditional foods available for a meal. 

Ollie's Homestyle Catering

On top of the non stop action on stage, I was told that a very special guest arrived at the Festival late Sunday afternoon.  After the Ukrainian Catholic Patriarchal visit with Calgary's Ukrainian Catholic community, Patriarch Sviatoslav came to see the Festival - sat in the front row and enjoyed the entertainment. 

An impressive, successful 3rd Festival for Calgarians to enjoy - Perhaps next year you should join in?

Ukrainian Churches in Bridgeland

Did you know in the early years of Calgary's growth, there was a huge influx of people to Calgary from the Ukrainian immigration group - the railway made it possible for people to come here for the important jobs involved in creating our National Park - Banff.  Logging, construction, and other physical jobs were opportunities for people who didn't have the language, yet needed employment.  So, many people moved to the Calgary area, and settled on the homesteads in the area.  Their "downtown"  was Bridgeland, but their first church was built way up the hill in Tuxedo.  Read a great blog about the two Ukrainian churches in Bridgeland that contains a lot of valuable historical information - stuff that not too many people take the time to know. 

http://churchesinbridgeland.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/hello-world/