Soyuzivka hosts Tabir Ptashat, round two (08/12/01)

Soyuzivka hosts Tabir Ptashat, round two

by Roman Pyndus

KERHONKSON, N.Y. - The 2001 Tabir Ptashat, a Plast day camp for preschoolers, was held in two separate one-week sessions at the ever-popular Soyuzivka resort located in the Catskill Mountains of New York state.

The second group of campers literally took over the resort from July 1 through 7, under the careful and loving supervision of Zorianna Kolomayets of Hawthorn Woods, Ill., ably assisted by her husband, Andriy. The camp leadership was made up of the children's parents.

Activities were broken up into morning and afternoon sessions. In between the campers enjoyed the clear water of Soyuzivka's pools. The program included singing, games, arts and crafts, and group meetings.

A special project this year was the children's participation in the preparation of a camp scrapbook that highlighted the diverse activities and fun events held as part of Tabir Ptashat.

The camp's director always had new surprises in store for the campers, thus guaranteeing that no one was bored.

And then there were Soyuzivka's regularly scheduled special nights for its guests: Steak Night on Monday, Movie Night on Tuesday, Hutsul Night on Wednesday and Odesa Night on Friday - all catering during both weeks of Tabir Ptashat to the young campers and their families.

On the final day of Tabir Ptashat the campers set out on a "Journey through Ukraine," which was concluded with the joyous singing of "Mnohaya Lita" - the Ukrainian version of happy birthday - to mark the 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. That evening campers gathered at a huge bonfire during which they received certificates of completion of Tabir Ptashat 2001.

The campers and their parents, plus counselors and guests, were addressed at the conclusion of their week at Soyuzivka, the resort of the Ukrainian National Association, by UNA President Ulana Diachuk.

Tabir Ptashat, geared toward Ukrainian-speaking children age 4-6, has been organized annually by the Pershi Stezhi Plast sorority at Soyuzivka since 1989.

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