Plenty of variety and lots of energy as Soyuzivka opens summer season (07/20/97)

Plenty of variety and lots of energy as Soyuzivka opens summer season

by Yarema A. Bachynsky

KERHONKSON, N.Y.- On a warm and sunny Independence Day weekend, the Ukrainian National Association Estate Soyuzivka opened its 43rd season with something for everyone and lots of holiday spirit.

This year guests were treated favorably by the calendar, which ensured that July 4 fell on a Friday. The revelry was intense as hundreds of souls, weary from a tough week at work, streamed onto the Veselka Patio and danced their feet off to Fata Morgana's powerful rhythms and insistent melodic manipulations. Meanwhile, downstairs in the Veselka Pavilion, the crafty Lvivyany were hard at work giving a down-home workout to those attracted to more folksy and "old country" dancing.

As often occurs on such evenings, the esteemed Trembita Lounge was filled to capacity, but this Friday evening was particularly fine, as the rarely seen Midnight Bigus band, led by Soyuzivka's able Chef Andriy Sonevytsky, pounded out the songs of the '60s and '70s (and a few from more recent times), and turned Trembita into a veritable night club. Soyuzivka Manager John A. Flis chimed in with a number of sizzling harmonica riffs, to which Trembita's lounge lizards reacted with great enthusiasm.

On Saturday, July 5, the pool was transformed into the nucleus of day activities. So many guests swamped the area that those in charge were apparently forced to limit access to guests with rooms only. The teeming masses who did get behind the low fence which surrounds the bathing and sunning area soaked in record amounts of sunlight.

While the suntanners and pool bums frolicked in and by the water, and the hardcore worshippers of volleyball masterfully displayed their skills on the white sand court near the gazebo, considerable numbers of guests visited the art exhibits on display at the main house. The Soyuzivka gift shop did a brisk business, while Sofia Zielyk, the renowned pysanka and ceramics artist from New York City, displayed a wonderful collection of artwork (including ostrich egg pysanky) in the subdued setting of the lobby. The library was the site of a three-day exhibit of the works of the renowned Ukrainian artist Taras Bilchuk, which had commenced the previous evening with an appearance by sculptor Zenon Holubec.

Following a short break in the late afternoon and early evening, during which guests and visitors dined at Chef Sonevytsky's establishment in the main house, or took advantage of the short-order (and quite tasty) Ukrainian and American offerings of Suzy-Q Café, the Veselka area was again teeming with people as the sun set.

At 8:30 p.m., the Veselka Pavilion became the site of wonderful Ukrainian music, as the Voloshky Trio and bandura player Ostap Stakhiv charmed the audience with a wide variety of traditional and contemporary songs and melodies. The Soyuzivka concert was a first for the Voloshky, three young ladies from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, who have toured extensively throughout Canada, appearing at major festivals and, on a number of occasions, at diplomatic events. They have several albums to their credit.

The three, Nadya Foty, Marusia Kachkowski and Christina Sokyrka, are third-, fourth- and fifth-generation Ukrainian Canadians, and their beautiful and soulful sound, as well as their excellent Ukrainian diction suggest that the Ukrainian Canadians are doing quite a job in developing Ukrainian heritage and instilling it in successive generations of youth far removed (in both time and distance) from their ancestral homeland.

Appearing that same evening, Mr. Stakhiv, recently returned from Ukraine, treated the audience to a medley of folk, contemporary and martial melodies, interspersing his playing with some reflections on everyday life in Ukraine. According to him, "song has united everyone, so that together they can build a better future."

Following the concert, Montreal's Burlaky set off a storm of music on the Veselka Patio, with their tight and driving sound. Downstairs, Tempo provided its well-known repertoire of slightly ballroom-dance oriented music, with a good number of faster numbers to stir things up once in awhile. To top it all off, partiers were treated to a midnight fireworks display that lit up the view from Veselka and reminded everyone assembled exactly why Independence Day is celebrated.

Sunday, July 6, was a rather quiet day, with many resting from the previous two nights' revelry, and others, especially the numerous Ukrainian Canadians leaving for points north and west. All in all, it was a fine way to start the summer.

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