BBLA Newsletter February 2016 | Issue No. 38
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Photograph by Katerina Kyselica
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 Dear Friends of BBLA,
Over a week ago, the cataclysmic and epic snowfall lasted the entire day on Saturday. When the battered City woke up to a sunshine-filled Sunday, some of the bravest New Yorkers, ignoring the curfew, ventured to the treacherous mountains and ravines of Central Park. There, the youngest generation of fearless Gothamites tamed the slippery slopes, their eager parents joining in. It is actually amazing how the media hype turns every little thing into the "end of the world event, full of shocking evidence."
I am using this opportunity to thank our own Bohemian National Hall heroes [BNHHs] for their deft shovel and broom virtuosity by clearing the sidewalk before the guests arrived for the final day of The New York Ceramics and Glass Fair held at the building. I am very happy that the exhibitors from the Czech Republic established new contacts and found local business representation. This annual event attracts dealers and galleries from around the world.
Continuing my upbeat report, I would like to share with you that we started undergoing a long-overdue improvements to our internet system. Despite the fact that the location of BNH still somehow limits our choice of viable providers, our clever IT team found an antenna-based solution. The new system should be up and running within the next couple of weeks, and, hopefully, will be evidenced by shockingly fast internet connection warranting mandatory use of seat belts for those connecting to the web in our auditorium.
Enjoy the long February!
Thank you for your support,
Joseph Balaz, President
Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association
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 CHECK THIS OUT
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CZECH AND SLOVAK CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND
Photograph courtesy of Sokol New York
Sokol New York offers a weekly Czech and Slovak Children's Playgroup for pre-toddlers and toddlers. Our goal is to encourage the use of the Czech and Slovak language and increase children's awareness of Czech and Slovak culture through songs, rhymes and play.The program is designed for children of Czech & Slovak heritage.
Every Tuesday 10:00AM to 11:30 AM
venue: SOKOL NEW YORK, 420 East 71st Street, NYC - view map
Admission: $5, Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Contact and more info:
Did You Know? Sokol New York is the legacy left to Yorkville by the 19th and 20th century Czech and Slovak immigrants, their children, and grandchildren, and maintained today by them and your neighbors as volunteers, and as a non-profit organization, open to all. Sokol New York is a member of a national Sokol group: the American Sokol Organization (ASO), Oak Brook, Illinois., and maintains ties through it and the World Sokol Federation to Sokols in the USA and elsewhere. Sokol started in Prague in 1862. In 1865 the first Sokol in the USA was established in St. Louis, with New York following in 1867. >> Find out more...
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HERE IS WHAT'S COMING IN FEBRUARY
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exhibition opening:
Thursday, February 4, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Free and open to the public.
The exhibition "6 Young Slovak Artists" introduces through artists current Slovak art scene in a modern and dynamic Slovakia. Featured artists: Jana Brisudova, Stanislav Kica, Martin Pala, Ondrej Zimka, Noemi Kolcakova-Szakallova and July Haluzova.
>> Read more...
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Friday February 12, 7:30 - 11:00 PM
VALENTINE'S DAY DANCE PARTY
venue: BBLA at Bohemian National Hall Advance tickets available online: $30. After February 10, tickets will be available at the door the night of the event for $35. If you wear something red we will give $5 discount.
What better way to enjoy the Valentine's Day than to dance? Come to celebrate with us, dance is the best way. A dance show and a few easy tips and tricks by dance instructor Blanka Stichova will give you the confidence to dance like a star. Be sure to wear good dancing shoes, and something red (dress, shirt, skirt, hat, scarf, gloves, socks - anything counts)! Bring your loved one or friends, or come alone to dance with us and make new friends.
>> Read more... 
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BBLA RECOMMENDS
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Friday - Sunday, February 5-7
Traditional Czech & Slovak PORK FEST2016!
venue: Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden, Astoria
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Saturday, February 6, 8:00 PM
Sunday, February 7, 3:00 PM
TENDAYI KUUMBA & LENKA DUSILOVA
venue: JACK, 505 1/2 Waverly Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
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Saturday, February 6, 8:00 PM - 1:00 AM
CZECH-SLOVAK BALL
venue: Royal Elite Palace, 69-02 Garfield Avenue, Woodside, Queens, NY 11377 Live Non Stop Music - Dinner - Raffle. Special Guest - Louis Armstrong & Elvis Presley Revival from Slovakia. All Night Open Bar with Cocktail Hour and Seated Gourmet Dinner Included in price $ 110.00.
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Saturday, February 13, 1:00 PM
NEW ENGLAND SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE
with soloist Pavel Sporcl
MidAmerica Productions' Principal Guest Conductor Giuseppe Lanzetta conducts Beethoven's Fidelio Overture and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto with soloist Pavel Sporcl.
>> Learn more and buy tickets...
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February 2 - April 8
EVA KOTATKOVA: ERROR
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February 23 - 28
EMBERS, UNVEILING, ABORTIVE
plays by Samuel Beckett, Vaclav Havel and Caryl Churchill
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BBLA'S MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS
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Association of Free Czechoslovak Sportsmen
Czech and Slovak Solidarity Council
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HAVEL@80
@ havel80.cz
"Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out." Vaclav Havel
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Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association | 321 East 73rd Street, 3rd floor | New York, NY 10021
(212) 988-1733 | www.bohemianbenevolent.org | info@bohemianbenevolent.org
BBLA is a not-for-profit organization established in 1891 in New York City as an umbrella organization for almost eighty Czech and Slovak immigrant organizations. The mission of BBLA is to preserve and support Czech and Slovak culture in New York City. BBLA's member organizations include American Fund for Czech and Slovak Leadership Studies, Association of Free Czechoslovak Sportsmen, Czech and Slovak Solidarity Council, Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in America, Dvorak American Heritage Association and Sokol New York. BBLA is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.
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