Soyuzivka winter get-together of Queens parish marks 30th year

by Irene Jadlickyj

KERHONKSON, N.Y. - The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish group, of Fresh Meadows, Queens, N.Y., again held its annual winter weekend at Soyuzivka on January 31. This year marked the 30th year of this special outing.

The tradition started way back when the parents of the children attending the Religion, Ukrainian studies, and Ukrainian dance classes realized that their children rarely had a chance to socialize and get to know each other. A weekend at Soyuzivka once a year seemed to be the answer.

And so, one weekend in February of 1973, loaded with sleds, snow-tubes, ice-skates, skis, toboggans, and all manner of other winter gear, a small group of parents and their children showed up at Soyuzivka. It was a fabulous success. Year after year the group has kept coming back and the awesome part is that Soyuzivka never failed us - there was always plenty of snow.

The then small group of parents (now grandparents), the children, (now moms and dads living as far away as Pennsylvania, Washington, Virginia and Vermont), and the scores of grandchildren, have already marked their calendars a year ahead for the next "Soyuzivka Winter Weekend" in January of 2004.

As a grandparent, this writer is looking forward to her grandchildren cajoling her again into going sledding or riding on the toboggan with them. Most of all, however, as the families grow larger and members of the group live farther apart, all look forward to spending time - three full days - with their children, grandchildren and friends all in one place, at one time, at one table at their "home away from home," Soyuzivka.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 16, 2003, No. 11, Vol. LXXI

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