KERHONKSON, N.Y. – It was a beautiful weekend here at the Soyuzivka Heritage Center for the annual Halloween extravaganza. The weather was perfect, and the autumn colors in the Shawangunks were at their peak.
Soyuzivka’s compact but capable crew of employees and volunteers had worked for an entire week to set up a memorable Halloween experience for the arriving guests.
On Friday evening, October 30, people visited the Trembita lounge to listen to the tunes of the Liquid Gypsies.
Saturday morning after breakfast provided a great opportunity to go hiking and catch the last of the leaves’ peak colors; others who might not have been that ambitious sat on the Tiki deck admiring the mountains across the way, afire in brilliant hues of red and gold.
This year’s Halloween celebrations included a daytime parade for the costumed little guests, led by Alexandra Lemekha, Soyuzivka’s pretty cowgirl.
A scrumptious dinner, prepared by resident Chef Andrey “Snake” Sonevytsky and his staff, greeted guests in the evening.
A favorite pastime, now a tradition at Soyuzivka, is the Haunted Hayride, accompanied by spooky ghost stories, scary ghouls and forest goblins who surprise riders along the way. The creative efforts of Walter Nalywayko, together with his family and dedicated frightening volunteers, made the Haunted Hayride experience a great success. Riders were treated to hot chocolate, hot apple cider and popcorn on this crisp, beautiful evening at Soyuzivka.
By the bewitching hour of 10 p.m., costumed guests began arriving for the highlight of the weekend: the Halloween “Zabava” (dance). Music was provided by Svitanok.
The creativity of the costumes is always amazing, and this year was no exception. (Please visit www.soyuzivka.com to view photos of the event courtesy of Russ Chelak.) The judges had a difficult time choosing the winners in the various categories due to the array of outfits.
At midnight, Roma Lisovich, treasurer of the Ukrainian National Association, announced the winners: Best Group Costume – the Lonkevych family as Greek gods; Most Original Group Costume – Chris Walberg as the hunter and Alex Drabyk, Kristy Hamilton, Kerri Petrovic, and Terrence and Erin Fishler as his trophies; Most Original Female Costume – Dianna Shmerykowsky as the Wheat Queen of Ukraine; Most Original Male Costume – Victor Hanas as Colonel Sanders KFC; and Best Overall Costume – George Kobryn as the Buddha. (Mr. Kobryn’s costumes are always innovative, creative and, well, over the top.)
As clocks fell back an hour, marking the end of daylight savings time, everyone enjoyed an extra hour of zabava fun, including a Ukrainian “kolomyika” Halloween-style.
On Sunday morning people slowly made their way home after an enjoyable evening, but there was still time for hiking and relaxing with friends to end this fine fall weekend in upstate New York.
Soyuzivka’s management thanked everyone who came out to enjoy Halloween 2015.