Accept an invitation from Ukrainians in San Diego for Labor Day weekend festivities (05/04/03)

A Ukrainian Summer: where to go, what to do...

Accept an invitation from Ukrainians in San Diego for Labor Day weekend festivities

by Bill W. Loznycky Jr.

SAN DIEGO - The House of Ukraine Inc., located in Balboa Park, will sponsor its annual Ukrainian Festival during Labor Day weekend, Friday through Sunday, August 29-31.

Festivities start on Friday with a welcome barbecue at 6-7:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for guests to meet the dancers.

The weekend at Balboa Park continues on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a Ukrainian dance performance at the Casa Del Prado Theater, home of the world-famous San Diego Zoo. This year's performance features Rozmai Dance Company of Winnipeg. Presently under artistic direction of Gabriela Rehak and Dmitri Dovgoselets, Rozmai's rich and colorful repertoire is enjoyed both locally and abroad. The troupe is a favorites at conventions, concerts and unique occasions, one of these being the recent concert "Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra: On Being Ukrainian."

Earlier in the day on Saturday, for those age 21 and older, a behind-the-scenes winery tour, gourmet picnic lunch and wine tasting are being arranged just north of San Diego in Temecula.

On Sunday at noon, Ukrainian ethnic food and refreshments will be available for purchase at the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages' Lawn Stage in Balboa Park. At 2 p.m., a short program of Ukrainian song and dance will begin on the lawn stage.

Festivities end on Sunday night with a dinner and "zabava" (dance) beginning at 6 p.m. at Red Lion's Hanalei Hotel in Hotel Circle, with Ukrainian dance music by Kari Ochi Toronto.

Every year the festival has a serious purpose. Caritas-Spes has been chosen as the charity that this year will receive a portion of the festival's proceeds. Rough statistics say there are about 50,000 street children in Kyiv alone. Caritas works with the social services in Ukraine and takes children from the orphanage system and places them in one of its three homes. The organization prefers to take younger children if possible to minimize their exposure to the state institutional system. However, children in their teens also are accepted.

Nine to 15 orphans live in each home. The children's caretakers are usually nuns - generally two or three per home. The children attend the regular state school and develop a normal family unit. Caritas Spes is currently working on costing out another home in Zhytomyr, a former monastery that will be able to house 20 children.

For more information on House of Ukraine's Ukrainian Festival in San Diego, contact House of Ukraine at: phone/fax, (619) 291-0661; e-mail, [email protected]; or website, http://communitylink.sdinsider.com/groups/houseofukraine.

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