Seen in the photo above are participants of the Soyuzivka Workers’ Reunion over the weekend of November 17-19, 1989. It was the first such reunion of employees of what was then the Ukrainian National Association’s heritage center in Kerhonkson, N.Y. (With the beginning of 2015, the Ukrainian National Foundation Inc. (UNF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization became the owner of Soyuzivka Heritage Center.) Writing in The Ukrainian Weekly, Andrew Oprysko noted that the reunion brought together Ukrainians of all ages for a celebration of their cherished past. “For years, the opportunity to work a summer or two at Soyuzivka has proven to be a rewarding experience to a good many people. Each year, bonds are formed and friendships flourish, it has become a place of memories: of youthful exuberance, and the ability to share it with others in a place of unthinkable beauty. … Billed as a ‘long-overdue, once-in-a-lifetime-vacation,’ the reunion was designed to gather past employees from throughout the United States for a weekend of nostalgia and revelry.” Participants came from the New York-New Jersey area, Florida, Illinois and points in between. A special feature of the weekend was a tribute to Soyuzivka’s legendary manager, Walter Kwas.
A photo archive of UNA history has been launched on the UNA website. It is a work in progress that will be expanded and refined. To take a look, go to unainc.org/una/the-una-is-125-years-old/.