OUR COMMUNITIES CELEBRATE UKRAINE'S INDEPENDENCE DAY (10/03/99)

OUR COMMUNITIES CELEBRATE UKRAINE'S INDEPENDENCE DAY

Washington, D.C.

by Oles Berezhny

WASHINGTON - An artillery crew, dressed in 19th century uniforms, complete with fancy plumed hats, loaded and shot their guns. Then a cannon from America's Civil War saluted the independence of Ukraine at Fort Washington National Historical Park at the annual picnic organized by The Washington Group on Sunday, August 22.

This re-enactment of history, celebrating the American struggle for independence, added significance to the celebration of Ukrainian independence by the capital area's Ukrainian American community.

This was a new location for The Washington Group to hold its annual outdoor celebration of Ukrainian Independence Day, only a 10-minute drive south from the national capital. Last year's picnic took place at a park half-way between Washington and Baltimore.

Quite a number of people did find their way from Baltimore, despite organizers' fears that the new location might keep most of them from coming to the picnic; one Ukrainian family traveled from Chapel Hill, N.C. to attend. A computer science professor from Poltava, currently teaching at the Research Triangle, drove with his two sons and wife for more than five hours just to take part in The Washington Group's picnic.

The drive was well worth it. The weather was perfect for a great picnic. Complimentary beverages for TWG members were cool, while hamburgers and hot dogs were sizzling hot. Good food contributed to a good game of soccer, where 5-year-olds mixed and teamed up with fifty-year-olds. Others chose hiking along the trails, while some rode their bikes around the park.

The picnic area was a great grassy lawn the size of several football fields shaded by tall oak trees. There were a plenty of grill stands and picnic tables. Yet the most attractive sightseeing spot and the best hidden treasure was the historic fort itself. Located at the junction of the Potomac River and the Piscataway and Swan creeks, Fort Washington commands the southern approaches to the national capital and provides magnificent views of Washington and Mount Vernon just across the widening river.

The first fort to protect the national capital was erected here in 1809 and destroyed six years later, when British troops marched into Washington, and burned the Capitol, the White House and other public buildings. Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the French architect who had drawn up plans for the District of Columbia was commissioned to rebuild the fort within less than a month of its demolition.

In 1860 the fort assumed new importance as the secession crisis developed. The possibility loomed that Virginia would follow other southern states and secede, making the fort's geographic position critical.

A flurry of construction activities occurred during both world wars at Fort Washington, and especially after the sudden attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, when the nation emerged from peacetime to meeting the demands of war and protecting the capital city.

In 1946 the fort was deactivated and declared a unit of the National Park System, so that the historic fabric of the fort itself could be preserved and recreational facilities could be provided.

Classical radio station in Washington celebrates Ukrainian Independence Day

by Chrystia Sonevytsky

WASHINGTON - Washington's WGMS 103.5 FM celebrated independence Day on August 24 from 6 a.m. until midnight. During the course of the day, all four radio hosts had commentary on Ukraine, referring to the celebration of the eighth anniversary of Ukrainian Independence while also talking about the history of the Kyivan Rus' period, the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, this role in the construction of the Golden Gates of Kyiv, Prince Ihor and his wife Olha and her contribution in bringing Christianity to Ukraine.

The music reflected this commentary as the station featured Moussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" (Golden Gate of Kyiv excerpt), orchestral selections from Taras Bulba and Prince Ihor featuring the Odesa Philharmonic under the baton of Hobart Earle. Ukrainian composer Dmytro Bortniansky was performed by classical bandurist Roman Hrynkiv of Kyiv.

The radio hosts also spoke of the Ukrainian birth places of many of the world renowned pianists featured in the course of the day: Vladimir Horowitz born in Kyiv, Emil Gilels born in Odesa and Sviatoslav Richter, born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine.

The bandura as performed by Roman Hrynkiv, a classical bandurist from Kyiv, was also showcased during the course of the day, featuring compositions of Bortniansky, Glinka, Stiel and Le Pin.

The Odesa Philharmonic also performed Symphony No. 1: "On the High Meadow" and "Orchards Blooming" by composer Mykola Kolessa.

The hosts in the course of the day painted a picture of an inviting, hospitable, geographically diverse and beautiful country.

How did this happen?

In the case of Washington, and WGMS radio, the possibility existed because the radio station initiated day-long celebrations of the independence days of different countries, such as Bastille Day. Such a celebration would probably not have happened in the case of Ukraine, were it not for the initiative of a listener of this radio station who contacted the station and requested that such a program be included into the program on August 24.

The request was taken under consideration and honored. Timing is everything, and importantly the station was contacted about two months in advance to provide ample time for planning by the program director.

The listener also became involved in providing access to CDs featuring Ukrainian composers, performers and providing copious information about the history, geography, culture and other things of interest that could be included in commentary by the program hosts. Today, with so many excellent websites about Ukraine and things Ukrainian it is possible to provide the necessary information in a palatable and easily accessible format for those who are interested.

Hopefully the success of this event in Washington can be duplicated by many radio stations throughout the United States and Canada by the effort of someone in a community, who cares in sharing the rich Ukrainian culture of its classical music, history and customs with a wider audience of Americans and Canadians. It only takes one individual who has the interest, the commitment and is willing to become involved. The result is well worth it.

In the millennium year of 2000, on August 24, please tune in to WGMS, 103.5 FM in Washington or via the Internet on http://www.wgms.com.

Chrystia Sonevytsky is special projects coordinator of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation's Community Partnerships Project.

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