Another summer approaches as the membership of the Ukrainian American Youth Association prepare for a stellar summer of festivals, concerts, camping, outdoor recreation and outdoor dances in Ellenville, N.Y.
George Mykytyn, president of the Ukrainian American Youth Association’s (UAYA) national board, states, “We embrace this summer by celebrating some of our youngest campers. This year, we mark our 30-year anniversary of our Sumeniata camps, attended by our 6- to 7-year-old members. Reflecting as a parent on my own children’s participation in these first camps reminds me of the importance that our work does for our youth and how, as Ukrainian diaspora parents, we strive to give our children as much of our rich Ukrainian culture, language and knowledge that we can.”
The festival season kicks-off with the annual Lemko Vatra produced by the Organization in Defense of Lemkivshchyna. This colorful festival scheduled for the weekend of June 25-26 is unique in its style and entertainment, which focuses on the deep cultural traditions and heritage of Lemkivshchyna and the Carpathian regions of Ukraine.
A focal point of this summer’s events includes the sixth annual Nadiya Ye! Festival scheduled for the weekend of July 1-4. This year’s guest performers from Ukraine are Antytila, an internationally popular and innovative rock group. Recently, lead singer Taras Topolia visited St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in New York, where he sang “Bozhe Velykyi Yedynyi” a capella for his video producer. When this video was posted on Facebook, it received over 23,000 hits worldwide. The festival’s main concert is scheduled for Saturday, July 2, at 9 p.m.
This years’ festival will also include crowd favorite DJ Stas and a full concert on Sunday night featuring various singers and instrumentalists, and the Iskra Ukrainian Dance Ensemble from Whippany, N.J., under the artistic direction of legendary dancer and choreographer Andrij Cybyk.
The 2016 summer will also include a golf tournament, a softball tournament, Dibrova Lounge pub nights, a variety of weekend performances by Ukrainian folk dance groups and singers, and much more.
The 2016 summer of exciting weekends and camps promises to thrilling and memorable. For additional information, please call us at 845-647-7230 or visit us at cym.org/us-ellenville.