Saturday October 22nd was a very magical evening for the Canadian Slovenian Cultural Society (CSCS). On that day we celebrated our 65th Anniversary of our existence with a Gala Celebration Evening.
Preparation for this event began many months earlier, and it all came together wonderfully at our Celebration Evening! Our event planner and head cook Kristina Majowski did a fabulous job decorating the hall, and preparing a wonderful meal and a tableful of pastries. Much time was spent by Stan Majowski working with VIPs and working with our band in Ontario to arrange for a mutually agreed date.
Our band, Ansambel Brajda, arrived into Winnipeg Friday evening, and this was this trio’s 4th trip to our community. They entertained us the past 3 times, and this time would prove no different. Their ability to showcase Slovenian music, both polka’s and waltz’s, was beautiful. The three gentlemen are absolutely fabulous musicians, and the love they have for Slovenian music is truly heartfelt. The community very much enjoyed their music!
Also joining us for this evening, was the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Canada, Dr. Marjan Cencen. Dr. Cencen arrived in Winnipeg Saturday morning, and had a very fruitful visit to the Manitoba Museum, and was toured in the museum by Luke Majowski. They spent over 4 hours at the Museum, and the Ambassador was enthralled with the history of the Winnipeg and Manitoba area.
When our evening did start, we were also joined by the Provincial Government with, Janice Morley-Lecomte, the MLA for Seine River. It is always wonderful to include our Provincial Government, as their support of our community has always been second to none!
Our Host and Master of Ceremony, Mark Lebar started our evening with a wonderful introduction, and after Grace was said by our parish priest, Fr. Dada Parrenas, dinner was served.
After dinner, greetings were brought to the community by Dr. Marjan Cencen and Ms Janice Morley-Lecomte. CSCS President Stan Majowski also spoke about the need to provide leadership guidance and mentorship to our youth, so that they can take additional responsibility in our community.
After the speeches, the dance floor was cleared of the buffet tables, and the band took the stage, front and centre. Before too long, many people were kicking up their heels to lively polka or waltz music made famous by many Slovenian artists, such as Slak, Mladi Dolenjci and Avsenik!
A very special 90th Birthday greeting to long time CSCS member and community support, Mrs. Ana Sukich. Mrs. Sukich was presented with a bouquet of flowers by the Catholic Women’s League, and a 90th Birthday cake was brought by her family. This type of special birthday, just made the evening that much more special!
As always, the evening ended much too quickly, lots of work in preparing for the evening, and it just ends too quickly! Even though it ended very quickly, it was a wonderful evening for all who attended.
Visit the CSCS Facebook Page
To view photos from the event, click here.
Our thanks to the following people, who helped and assisted in making this evening a wonderful event:
Adam Majowski
Boris Poredos
Danny Gregoric
Eric Marinko
Kristina Majowski
Kristina Van Buren
Luke Majowski
Mark Lebar
Mike Gregoric
Sabrina Simonic
Stan Majowski
Teresa Kozicki
Tony Sadl
Tripti Prasad