NEWS AND VIEWS: What will you do next summer ...if there is no Soyuzivka? (05/26/02)

NEWS AND VIEWS

What will you do next summer ...if there is no Soyuzivka?

by Chris Szpak

As I sit here on the Veselka patio looking out at the magnificent view of the Catskill Mountains, I think to myself, how can we let go of a place like Soyuzivka? There really is no place like it. I have never been so proud to be Ukrainian or call myself a Soyuzivka employee. I love this place and I know I am not alone.

Yes, it has its faults. Buildings are in need of fresh paint, and rooms should be upgraded. I understand that, in a business aspect, it is failing. I also understand that something must be done, because it can no longer run with a continuing deficit. However, we must take a close look at all the options before we choose to take the easy way out and sell it off to the highest bidder.

Ask yourself these questions and really take a second to answer them: When was the last time you visited Soyuzivka, or "Suzy-Q"? Did you take a deep breath of the crisp, fresh mountain air? Did you enjoy a polka or slow dance under the stars at a Saturday night zabava? Did you hike to the waterfalls or the cliffs? (You should, the views are phenomenal!)

How many friends and acquaintances have you made through the years of vacations up at "the Q"? Did you attend your first camp here? Did your children follow in your footsteps and come to camp at Soyuzivka? Did you fill your stomachs with the delicious Ukrainian and American food that we serve? When was the last time you came to a theme night?

Did you meet your "significant other" here? Did you kiss in the woods? Did you ever attend a wedding? Were you ever a worker during the summer? Did you learn about the Ukrainian culture? How many great pictures and fond memories do you have of your vacations at Soyuzivka?

Now, imagine that all this is gone. All of it - no more Hutsul night, no more varenyky, no more getting tan and swimming at a pool with an amazing view, no more places to get a 12-course Ukrainian Christmas dinner, no more "Tabir Ptashat," no more get-togethers with friends you haven't seen since you worked here 10 years ago, and no more Chemney.

Where are you going to go for vacation next year?

Well, unfortunately, the threat of selling this one-of-a-kind property to outsiders has never been so real. Do you realize that one of the main topics at the UNA convention this Memorial Day weekend is what to do with Soyuzivka? The only thing that is not an option is for the UNA to hold on to it. We've already had people here to measure our rooms and propose what can be done once someone decides to take over the resort.

I beg you not to just sit there and let this happen. How can you let all this slip away and deprive your children and grandchildren of the wonderful opportunities you had?

I know that it has been said before, but I will say it once more: Save Soyuzivka. It's now or never!

People have said to us hundreds of times: "We'll invest or help out however possible." Well, now is the time to step up to the plate. If we don't do something very soon, there will be no more Soyuzivka. It will simply be another resort in the mountains, with no history or culture.

Just imagine the possibilities: all rooms with television, air-conditioning and Internet connections; an elegant restaurant above the patio overlooking the mountains while you dine on our four-star cuisine; a bubble over the tennis courts, so that one can play tennis year-round. What about a top-notch health spa so that you can get a massage after a long, hard Saturday night zabava? And with gambling coming up to the area, the opportunities are endless!

Where there is a will, there is a way. I have the will; I am looking to all of you to help find the way. I want to see this resort prosper for at least another 50 years. We need to work together in order to save our Ukrainian culture and Soyuzivka. Spend a week, or even a weekend, with us this summer, come to the zabavy, check out the surprises we have in store for our 50th anniversary, have your kids attend our various camps, and take advantage of the discounts we have for July 28 through August 10 - our Friends and Family of Soyuzivka weeks.

Call us, (845-626-5641), fax us (845-626-4638), write us (Soyuzivka, P. O. Box 529, Kerhonkson, NY 12446), e-mail us ([email protected]), or visit our website (www.soyuzivka.com). We need your help.

It's now or never.

Chris Szpak is an office assistant at Soyuzivka who has worked at the resort for the past four years during the summer months, last year during weekends and steadily since last October. In August she will leave Soyuzivka to study for a Ph.D. in pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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