By Molly K. Young, AIJI
Tabor, S.D.- For more than 60 years, a tiny South Dakota town has hosted a big summer celebration. The two-day event celebrates the community’s common bond: its ancestry.
“This is a Czech community,” Judy Lundy, from Tabor, said. “Czech Days, to a lot of them, represents home.”
Lundy said she and other volunteers from Tabor, population 400, begin preparing kolaches, a Czech fruit pastry, one month in advance to prepare for the celebration.
The weekend’s events included a Polka Mass, parade, memorial service, queen pageant carnival rides and dancing. Thelma Koupal, who greeted vistors in Czech Heritage Park, said almost 10,000 people were expected to attend the annual celebration, including nearly 200 dancers dressed in traditional Czech attire.
Links to other Czech Days 2009 coverage
Polka Dance-off and Dick Zavodny Band Stories
Czech Days “Giant Parade” stories
Kolache Baking Demonstration story
Frank Putz
06.21.10
It was a joy visiting with the young people as they were working at their intrviews at Tabor.
Frank Putz
06.23.10
We were at Tabor on the Saturday following this filming and other activities by this group . I was hoping to see if you had anything about Saturday’s activies here. Guess not. But I got some good pictures of your entire group as they were together on the bleachers in Sokol park after the musicians were through playing at 4PM and left to play for the Polka Mass at St.Wenseslaus church.