National
Czech & Slovak
Museum & Library
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2005 News Releases

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
Popular Christmas Program Returns to National Czech & Slovak Museum
 
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library will host the Czech Heritage Singers again this holiday season as they present Vánocní koledy, Christmas carols. This fun concert gives audience members the opportunity to learn about Czech Christmas carols and sing-a-long, if they wish, in Czech or English. The Singers are led by Mrs. Olga Drahozal.
 
The December 15 program begins at noon and is free and open the public. The program will take place in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall and is sponsored by United Fire Group.
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum's web site, www.NCSML.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

NCSML Presentation Addresses Concentration Camp Money

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library welcomes Coe College professor Dr. Steve Feller as part of the Learn at Lunch series on Thursday, November 17, 2005. The presentation, "Money Used at the Teresienstadt Ghetto and Other Camps," begins at noon in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. It is free and open to the public. This program is sponsored by United Fire Group and Humanities Iowa, a state based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Dr. Feller is the Chair of the Physics Department and is the B.D. Silliman Professor of Physics, Coe College. In his work at Coe, he has received numerous honors and awards for his glass research. In his "spare" time, Dr. Feller is an avid numismatic, actively researching money, its history, and use. He has published several articles on the topic of Holocaust-era concentration camp money and serves as the editor of International Bank Note Society Journal, 1990-present. He is a member of the American Numismatic Association and the International Bank Note Society.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum's web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
 
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Program Addresses Talking about the Holocaust
 
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA—The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s November Life Long Learning program will address a difficult topic. "How to Talk about the Holocaust" will be presented by Judith Bartel, a teacher affiliated with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She will help attendees come to terms with and discuss the activities surrounding the Holocaust with various audiences, children, and members of different religious affiliations. The free program begins at 2:00 p.m. in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall on Sunday, November 13, 2005. The program is open to everyone. This program is sponsored by Humanities Iowa, a state based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum's web site, www.NCSML.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

NCSML Has Busy Weekend Plans for The Tragedy of Slovak Jews Exhibit Opening

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library welcomes the new special exhibition The Tragedy of Slovak Jews with a bang. Numerous events are scheduled to educate and inform the public about the Slovak Holocaust.

The exhibition opens to museum members the evening of November 3 with a reception followed by the Annual Fall Dinner. The exhibition comes to the museum from the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. Dr. Dezider Toth, Director General of the Museum, will be in attendance. The Consul General from the Slovak Republic Ivan Surkoš is the dinner’s keynote speaker. To receive an invitation to the event, contact the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library at (319) 362-8500. Tickets are $40.00.

Saturday, November 5, the museum will show the documentary film "Memories of Concentration Camp Survivors" at 8:00 p.m. in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. The viewing is followed by a discussion with Director General Dezider Toth of the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. The film is free and open to the public thanks to support from Humanities Iowa, a state based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Jim Sattler Custom Homes.

The program continues on Sunday, November 6 with the World War II, the Holocaust, and Slovakia Forum. This program will explore how and why the citizens in the Nazi state of Slovakia chose nationalism over humanity. Coe College professor Dr. Steve Feller sets the stage with a comprehensive history of the Holocaust. Calvin College professor Dr. Randall Bytwerk explains how Nazi propaganda fed the anti-Semitic attitudes found in Europe before and during World War II. Finally, Paul Strassmann, a Slovak Jew who survived WWII, will share his personal story. Dr. Feller will moderate discussion following the presentations. The free program begins at 1:00 p.m. and will be in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. This program is sponsored by Humanities Iowa, a state based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Jim Sattler Custom Homes.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2005
CONTACT: Lee Buhr, Destinations Unlimited \ Carlson Wagonlit, 5020 Council St NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402. (319) 393-1359. lee@duagency.com

Go to the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 2006 with the National Czech & Slovak Museum

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is sponsoring a summer 2006 trip to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Join Gail Naughton, president of the museum, on an adventurous Folk Festival and Art Tour of two culturally rich countries in the heart of Europe from June 20 – June 30, 2006. Highlights include colorful summer festivals in enchanting, must-see cities and offbeat, quaint villages. There’s even a chance to meet some of the locals at a home-hosted dinner and while on artist tours.

"Tours of the Czech Republic and Slovakia hosted by the museum have been well-received and are very popular," commented Gail Naughton. "We’re happy to bring this opportunity to our members and this community."

An informational presentation about this once-in-a-lifetime tour will be held at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library on Thursday, November 10th at 7 p.m. Cost for the trip is $3,699 for a double occupancy. This does include a charitable, tax-deductible contribution to the museum. Reservations are recommended. To reserve your seat at the informational meeting, call Lee Buhr at (319) 393-1359 or e-mail lee@duagency.com.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Receives Humanities Iowa Grant in Support for Fall Programming
 
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library received a $2,000 grant from Humanities Iowa in support of funding for free public programming in October and November 2005. This programming complements the exhibition, The Tragedy of Slovak Jews, which opens to the public on November 4, 2005. Humanities Iowa is a state based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Programs funded by the Humanities Iowa grant include:
 
Oct. 22, 2005: Exploring Czech and Slovak Cinema Series. Shop on Main Street. (1965, Jan Kadar and Elmar Klos) Commentary and discussion led by Nataša Durovicová. 2:00 p.m. WFLA Heritage Hall. Free.
 
Oct. 23, 2005: Exploring Czech and Slovak Cinema Series. Voices of the Children. (1996, Zuzanna Justman) 2:00 p.m. WFLA Heritage Hall. Free.
 
Nov. 5, 2005: Memories of Concentration Camp Survivors. Documentary film followed by discussion and reception with Director General Dezider Toth of the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. 8:00 p.m. WFLA Heritage Hall. Free.
 
Nov. 6, 2005: World War II Slovakia Forum. Four speakers address the Holocaust in Slovakia during World War II with audience participation and discussion. 1:00 p.m. WFLA Heritage Hall. Free.
 
Nov. 13, 2005: Life Long Learning. "How to Talk About the Holocaust" by Judy Bartel. 2:00 p.m. WFLA Heritage Hall. Free.
 
Nov. 17, 2005: Learn at Lunch. "Money Used at the Terezin/Theresienstadt Ghetto and other Camps" by Dr. Steve Feller. Noon. WFLA Heritage Hall. Free.
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Powerful Holocaust Exhibition Comes to National Czech & Slovak Museum

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, in collaboration with the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, will open the exhibition, The Tragedy of Slovak Jews, on Friday, November 4, 2005. This powerful exhibit addresses the tragic demise of the Jewish communities in Slovakia, a little known story of the Holocaust. This marks the first time an exhibition will address this topic in the United States.

Jews were an important part of Slovak culture in 1939 when Hitler’s army entered and occupied all of Czechoslovakia. The country became a divided nation - The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (controlled solely by the Nazis) and an "independent" Slovak state. Over the next six years, Slovakia deported nearly 60,000 Slovak Jews to concentration camps, where most of them were murdered as part of Hitler’s "Final Solution." In total, 80 percent of Slovak Jews were lost during the Holocaust.

The Tragedy of Slovak Jews is the first exhibition in the U.S. to focus entirely on the fate of Slovak Jews during World War II. The exhibition focuses on the key milestones of the Slovak story including the acceptance in 1941 of the Jewish Codex, a series of laws and regulations that stripped Slovakia's Jews of their civil rights and means of economic survival. The exhibit chronicles the first wave of deportations (March-October 1942), the origin and activity of working and prison camps, the second wave of deportations in 1944, the resistance movement, participation in the Slovak National Uprising, and the reprisals of the Nazis in 1944 – 1945.

The Tragedy of Slovak Jews has been on display since 2002 at the Auschwitz – Birkenau State Museum in Auschwitz, Poland. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is partnering with the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, which originally researched and prepared it. The exhibition closes Feb. 26, 2006.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m. For additional information, please call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum’s web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2005
CONTACT: Jeanne Fee at (319) 443-2529 or Judy Serbousek at (319) 848-7554

Ambassadors to Speak about Their Experiences in the Czech Republic, Oct. 16

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Every year, the Czech Heritage Foundation sends students to the Czech Republic through their Homestay Program. The students chosen to go in 2005 will talk about their experiences as a Czech Ambassador during the Life Long Learning program on Sunday, October 16 at 2:00 p.m. in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. This program is free and open to the public.

Czech Heritage Foundation was organized in 1973 to preserve and protect Czech and Slovak Heritage. The main goal is to educate and enlighten our many members both in the US and globally. Since 1984, the Foundation has sent high school students from the Eastern Iowa area to the Czech Republic to learn more of their heritage by living with a Czech host family for 30 days. Over 60 students have participated since this program was started.

Those interested in learning about the 2006 Homestay Program are encouraged to attend the Oct. 16 program. The students, juniors and seniors, may apply through their local high schools for this trip and are selected by a panel of judges. Many qualifications are looked at: good citizenship, communication skills, personality, desire and a willingness to share their experience upon returning home. They must attend Czech language and culture classes prior to the trip, although for the most part they live with families that know English. The Czech Heritage Foundation does assist the student with the cost of airfare. The student is responsible for the cost of their passport, Czech language book, trip insurance, and other trip related expenses.

Recently, a full exchange program has developed. The hosting Czech students spend 30 days with an Eastern Iowa host family. This program has been very well received by both sets of students and families.

For more information on the Homestay scholarship contact Jeanne Fee at (319) 443-2529 or Judy Serbousek at (319) 848-7554. New applications are sent to the local high schools during the beginning of a new school year.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Czechoslovakia’s Independence Day Remembered, Oct. 20, 2005

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Nearly 86 years ago, Czechoslovakia, a country born out of World War I, emerged under the leadership of Tomas Masaryk. Learn how Czechoslovakia rose from these ashes to become the first successful democracy in Europe. Bob Stone presents "Czechoslovakia – Independent!" on Thursday, October 20 at noon in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. Attendees are invited to enjoy their lunch during the presentation. The program is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by United Fire Group.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum’s web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is Cooking Two Czech Favorites in Babi’s Kitchen, Oct. 15
 
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s Museum Store presents Cooking in Babi’s Kitchen on Saturday, October 15, 2005. Ever wonder how Grandma made those delightful Czech and Slovak comfort foods? Here’s your chance to find out. Expert Czech and Slovak cooks prepare and demonstrate the steps (and tricks) behind some of your favorite ethnic foods in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. The two demonstrations include vanocka (also known locally as houska or braided Christmas bread) at 10:00 a.m. and sauerkraut at 11:00 a.m. The Museum Store will have drawings. Test your chances at winning some fabulous Czech-made wares, must be present to win. In store specials offered all day. Demonstrations are from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. The program is free and open to the public. Sponsored by United Fire Group.
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

"Hauntingly Beautiful" Photograph Exhibit Comes to the National Czech & Slovak Museum

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library opens a new, temporary exhibition called Silent Stones: Jewish Cemeteries in Bohemia and Moravia on Sunday, September 25. The exhibition documents the hauntingly beautiful Jewish cemeteries in Bohemia and Moravia. Photographer Lisa Feder’s thirty-three prints show stones from a variety of cemeteries and includes information about burial customs, the story of the Jewish community in the Czech lands, and efforts to preserve these sacred sties. The exhibition is in the Laska Gallery. The exhibit closes February 12, 2006.

At 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 25, the exhibit photographer Lisa Feder will give a Life Long Learning presentation about her work in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. Afterwards, attendees are invited to join her on a tour of the exhibition Silent Stones: Jewish Cemeteries in Bohemian and Moravia. The event is free and open to the public. This program is sponsored by United Fire Group.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The Nation is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information about this and other programs offered at the museum, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2005
CONTACT: Gail Naughton, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or gnaughton@NCSML.org
 
$1 Million Gift Establishes New Endowment at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA -- The core of educational and cultural programming at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library will benefit from a recent $1 million donation. Raymond L. Jiruska of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, made the gift to establish the Ray L. Jiruska Family Endowment for Exhibits. The annual earnings from his gift will help fund the permanent exhibition in the Ray L. Jiruska Gallery and the management and development of exhibits each year. The gallery was named for Mr. Jiruska for his support during the capital campaign in 1993 - 95 to build the new museum building.

"This is the largest gift to the museum in its history," said President/CEO Gail Naughton. "We are extremely grateful to Ray and his son Rod for their belief in the museum and its educational mission to preserve the history and culture of Czechs and Slovaks in the United States. This gift will aid in securing the future of the NCSML as a world-class institution that will be here for posterity."

Jiruska is a long-time businessman in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was one of the original major franchisees for H&R Block, operating over 30 offices in eastern Iowa and the Illinois Quad Cities for 45 years. Jiruska said he was moved to make the gift because of his pride in the success of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library and his gratitude for the foundation of values and hard work he received during his childhood from his Czech parents and grandparents. "Every time I walk into the museum, I am full of pride for what we established here," he said. "It is so important to preserve history for future generations so they can learn about and be inspired by their ancestry."

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum Web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
 
New Horizons Band of Iowa City Performs at the National Czech & Slovak Museum
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The New Horizons Band of Iowa City performs at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library on Saturday, September 24, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. on the Museum Garden Stage. The performance is the last concert in the UpBeat! Concert Series sponsored by David H. and Rose Marie Dryml Burke in memory of John and Rose Dryml. The concert is free and open to the public.
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
 
Old Post Office Brass Quintet Performs at the National Czech & Slovak Museum
 
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Old Post Office Brass Quintet of Iowa City performs at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library on Saturday, September 10, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. on the Museum Garden Stage. The performance is part of the UpBeat! Concert Series sponsored by David H. and Rose Marie Dryml Burke in memory of John and Rose Dryml. The concert is free and open to the public.
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
 
Czech Heritage Singers Concert at the National Czech & Slovak Museum
 
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Czech Heritage Singers perform at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library on Saturday, August 13, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. in the museum’s Grand Hall. The concert is part of the UpBeat! Concert Series sponsored by David H. and Rose Marie Dryml Burke in memory of John and Rose Dryml. The event is free and open to the public.
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Bohemian Garnets Gallery Tours at the National Czech & Slovak Museum

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s collections manager Stefanie Kohn leads public gallery tours of Bohemian Garnets: Exquisite Artistry from the National Museum in Prague. The tours are scheduled for Thursday, August 11, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday, August 27, 2005. Both tours begin in the museum’s Grand Hall. The tour is free to museum members or with paid admission to the museum galleries.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Iowa City Band Takes the Stage at the National Czech & Slovak Museum

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Polka Dots of Iowa City performs at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library on Saturday, August 6, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. on the Museum Garden Stage.  This brass band performed at the museum in 2004 and is back by popular demand. The concert is part of the UpBeat! Concert Series sponsored by David H. and Rose Marie Dryml Burke in memory of John and Rose Dryml. The event is free and open to the public.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
 
Local Band Takes the Stage at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
 
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The New Horizons Band of Cedar Rapids performs at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library on Saturday, July 30, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. on the Museum Garden Stage. The performance is part of the UpBeat! Concert Series sponsored by David H. and Rose Marie Dryml Burke in memory of John and Rose Dryml. The concert is free and open to the public.
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Barefoot Becky to Play for National Czech & Slovak Museum Dance July 16

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Barefoot Becky and the Ivanhoe Dutchmen are coming to the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML). On Saturday, July 16, 2005, the NCSML will host a Polka Dance in the Riverside Round House, located across the street from the museum located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids. Doors open at 5:00 and music begins at 6:00. Tickets are $6.00 for adults and $2.00 for children, or save and purchase a museum gallery ticket, street dance ticket, and festival ticket for $16.00, children 5 and under $6.00! Western Fraternal Life Association is sponsoring the event.

Food (such at St. Wenceslaus kolace) and beverages, including beer, are available.

The Polka Dance kicks off the NCSML’s National Bohemian, Moravian, and Slovak Folk Dance Festival. Demonstrators and dancers from across the Midwest will be here in Sunday, July 17, 2005. Tickets are $5.00, $2.00 for kids 5 and under.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
 
Authentic Czech Food Found at Cedar Rapids Festival
 
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Haven’t had really good Czech food in a while? Head on down to The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s 4th Annual National Bohemian, Moravian, and Slovak Folk Dance Festival July 17, 2005. A pork and dumpling dinner, complete with sauerkraut and a slice of rye bread will be served starting at 11:00 a.m. These tasty treats will be in the Riverside Round House parking lot, across the street from the museum, located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids. Sponsored by Western Fraternal Life Association.
 
Gates open at 11:00 a.m., continual music begins at noon, dancing starts at 1:00 p.m. Ticket prices $5.00, $2.00 for children 5 and under, special package ticket includes festival and museum galleries for $11.00, children 5 and under $2.00.
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For additional information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the web site, www.NCSML.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Bohemian, Moravian, and Slovak Dancers are Coming to Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library hosts their 4th Annual National Bohemian, Moravian, and Slovak Folk Dance Festival July 17, 2005. The colorful celebration is located in the Riverside Round House parking lot, across the street from the museum, located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids. Gates open at 11:00 a.m., continual music begins at noon, dancing starts at 1:00 p.m. Ticket prices $5.00, $2.00 for children 5 and under, special package ticket includes festival and museum galleries for $11.00, children 5 and under $2.00. Sponsored by Western Fraternal Life Association.

This year features the Saint Paul Czech and Slovak Dancers and the United Moravian Societies Omladina and Vandrlaci troupes from Chicago, with additional performances by the Cedar Rapids Czech School Singers and the Oklahoma Czech Dancers. Ron Uhlenhopp will keep our toes tapping with lively accordion music. Audience members are encouraged to put on their dancing shoes and join the fun!

Traditional artists demonstrate cornhusk doll making, wax resist egg decorating, bobbin lace making, and much more!

Bleacher seating, food (pork & dumpling dinner, St. Ludmila's kolace), and beverages, including beer, available.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For additional information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

The Bunny Band Performs at the National Czech & Slovak Museum

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Bunny Band will be performing Czech, German and other Central European marches on Sunday, June 26, 2005 on the Museum Garden Stage as part of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s UpBeat! Concert Series. The concert begins at 2:00 p.m. and is free. This concert is sponsored by David H. and Rose Marie Dryml Burke in memory of John and Rose Dryml.

The Bunny Band has been recording Central European marches for the Heritage of the March recording series for nearly 30 years. The band's members are high school and college band instructors from states throughout the Midwest. The band's curious name is due to its custom of recording their performances over the Easter holiday break.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information about this and other events, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

National Czech & Slovak Museum to Host Two Walking Tour of Historic Southside Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Jan Stoffer, Director of Education and Programs at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, and Cedar Rapids historian Mark Hunter will lead a walking tour of the historic southside of Cedar Rapids, an old Czech neighborhood, on Saturday, June 25 at 6:00 p.m. and on Saturday, July 2 at 11:00 a.m. The tours are part of the Freedom Festival activities and are $4.00 with a Freedom Festival button or $5.00 without the button. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Space is limited. To make a reservation, call Jan at (319) 362-8500. The tours are sponsored by United Fire Group.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information about this and other events, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Leonard Reyman’s Accordion Band Performs at the National Czech & Slovak Museum

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Leonard Reyman’s Accordion Band will perform on Saturday, June 25, 2005 on the Museum Garden Stage as part of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s UpBeat! Concert Series. The concert begins at 2:00 p.m. and is free. This concert is sponsored by David H. and Rose Marie Dryml Burke in memory of John and Rose Dryml.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information about this and other events, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Cedar Rapids Municipal Band Partners with National Czech & Slovak Museum

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Cedar Rapids Municipal Band will perform on Wednesday, June 22, 2005 in Sokol Park as part of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s UpBeat! Concert Series. Sokol Park is located just south of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library along A Street SW. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free. This concert is sponsored by David H. and Rose Marie Dryml Burke in memory of John and Rose Dryml.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information about this and other events, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Curious About Glass Beads? Come to the National Czech & Slovak Museum

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s June Learn at Lunch program on Thursday, June 16 features a the film "The Making of Czech Glass Beads, a Cottage Industry" hosted by Carmen Langel. The free program begins at noon in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. It is free and open to the public. This program is sponsored by United Fire Group.

Carmen Langel is the museum’s director of development and was the museum curator for several years. Additionally, she has been making jewelry from the famous Czech glass beads for several years. Her works are sold at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Museum Store.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum’s web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Bohemian, Moravian, and Slovak Folk Dance Festival July 16 – 17, 2005

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library will host their 4th National Bohemian, Moravian, and Slovak Folk Dance Festival on July 16 and 17, 2005. The festival begins at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 16 with at Street Dance featuring Barefoot Becky and the Ivanhoe Dutchmen. The Street Dance will be held in the Riverside Round House. Food and beverages are available. Beer provided by the Cedar Rapids Jaycees. Tickets are $6.00, $2.00 for children 5 and under.

Sunday, July 17, 2005 is the 4th Annual National Bohemian, Moravian, and Slovak Folk Dance Festival. Join us as dancers from across the Midwest demonstrate the colorful dances of the Czech and Slovak Republics. The United Moravian Societies Dancers from Berwyn, IL and the St. Paul Czech and Slovak Dancers are two of the featured troupes participating. Gates open at 11:00 a.m. with dancing beginning at 1:00 p.m.

For those wanting to take in the whole weekend, the museum is offering a special ticket package that includes museum gallery ticket, street dance ticket, and festival ticket for $16.00, children 5 and under $6.00. Just coming Sunday? There is a special Sunday Only package that includes the festival and museum galleries for $11.00, children 5 and under $2.00.

The National Bohemian, Moravian, and Slovak Folk Dance Festival is sponsored by Western Fraternal Life Association.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
 
National Czech & Slovak Museum Kicks Off Grand Night Series with Piano Dedication
 
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA -- The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is hosting a Grand Night of Music Concert Series. The series premier is Tuesday, May 24, 2005. University of Iowa doctoral student Ourania Menelaou will perform at 7:00 p.m. in the Grand Hall. The second half of the concert will feature a four hands performance with Menelaou and pianist Catalina Teican.  Tickets are $6.00 for museum members and $8.00 for nonmembers. The concert features the dedication of a restored, vintage Weber Baby Grand Piano that was given to the museum by Virginia Black in honor of her mother. The concert is sponsored by Banker’s Trust and Hall & Hall Engineers, Inc. Tickets are available in advance in the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s Museum Store, (319) 362-8500.
 
Menelaou will perform Leoš Janácek (Leos Janacek) (1854-1928), On the Overgrown Path and In the Mists, for the first half of the concert. After intermission, Menelaou and Teican will perform excerpts from Antonín Dvorák (Antonin Dvorak) (1841-1904) Slavonic Dances for four-hands.
 
Ourania Menelaou was born in Nicosia, Cyprus. At the age of five, she took her first piano lessons were from her father. In 1990, she was accepted at the Prague Conservatory. There, she performed in many solo recitals and chamber music concerts with professional musicians. In 1995, she toured in Norway and Iceland. Menelaou graduated from the Prague Conservatory in 1996. She was selected to participate in the summer courses of pianist Pavel Gililov in Lausanne, where she received the diploma Laureat de l’ Academie de Lausanne. Menelaou continued her studies at the Faculty of Arts at the Charles University in Prague in the Musicological Department. During those years she gave many concerts in the Czech Republic, Norway, Greece and Cyprus. She was an assistant professor for the Chamber Music Department of the Prague Conservatory. In 2002, she received her master’s degree from Charles University.
 
Currently, Menelaou is a teaching assistant for the Doctor of Musical Arts program of piano performance and pedagogy of the University of Iowa and studies under Prof. Uriel Tsachor.
 
Catalina Teican, a native of Romania, holds degrees from the University of Music in Bucharest and from Bowling Green State University. Last year, she was awarded a fellowship from the University of Iowa and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Music, studying with Dr.Uriel Tsachor. She is a prizewinner in multiple national and international solo piano competitions including the Dinu Lipatti and Mihail Jora, and while at BGSU she won the 33rd Concerto Competition and received 1st place in the Ohio MTNA Collegiate Level Competition. In addition, she has received multiple chamber music and accompanying recognitions and has taught for many years at the Dinu Lipatti National Music School in Bucharest.
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Cedar Rapids’ Czech School Alive and Well After 135 Years

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Cedar Rapids’ Czech School is 135 years old, and still going strong. Visitors to the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library will have the opportunity to learn about this unique school at the noon Learn at Lunch program on Thursday, May 26, 2005. Czech School Director Barbara Edmunds presents "The Tradition Continues – Czech School." The program will include a history of the school, curriculum, and attendance and registration information for parents or grandparents interested in enrolling their special little ones this summer. The program is free and open to the public.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Kamil Kubik: Master of Cityscapes Opens at National Czech & Slovak Museum

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – On May 6, 2005, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library will open Kamil Kubik: Master of Cityscapes in the museum’s Laska Gallery. The exhibition features two dozen impressionist oils, pastels, and art prints. The museum is open Monday – Saturday from 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and on Sundays, noon – 4:00 p.m. The exhibition is free to museum members and included with paid admission to the museum galleries. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org. Kamil Kubik: Master of Cityscapes runs May 6, 2005 – September 18, 2005.

Born in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia, Kubik has studied in Prague, Sydney, San Francisco, London, Paris and New York. In 1948, he escaped from his homeland and settled in Australia. In the past 40 years he has lived and traveled extensively, creating art as he traveled. He has painted on every continent and is best known for his cityscapes, magnificent floral paintings, and paintings of major public events. Subjects on display include Prague Castle, the 1994 World Cup, Autumn in New York’s Central Park, the Washington Monument, and Old Town Square in Bratislava.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
 
UpBeat! Concert Series Returns to the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
Musical fun for the entire family all summer long!

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is hosting its second UpBeat! Concert Series. Last summer’s series was so successful, the museum decided to do it again. All concerts are free and open to the public. Please bring your lawn chair for the outdoor performances. All of the concerts in the series are sponsored by David H. and Rose Marie Burke in memory of John and Rose Dryml.

May 14 Wisconsin Czech Choraliers and the Miss Czech-Slovak Iowa Talent Competition 3 p.m. WFLA Heritage Hall

May 15 Czech Heritage Band 2 p.m. NCSML Garden Stage

June 10 Czech Plus Band 7:30 p.m. NCSML Garden Stage

June 22 Cedar Rapids Municipal Band 7:30 p.m. NCSML Garden Stage

June 25 Leonard Reyman’s Iowa Accordion Club 2 p.m. NCSML Garden Stage

June 26 The Bunny Band 2 p.m. NCSML Garden Stage

July 9 Czech School Singers. 2 p.m. Hruska Grand Hall

July 30 New Horizons Band of Cedar Rapids 2 p.m. NCSML Garden Stage

Aug. 6 The Polka Dots. 2 p.m. NCSML Garden Stage

Aug. 13 Czech Heritage Singers. 2 p.m. Hruska Grand Hall

Sept. 10 The Old Post Office Brass Quintet 2 p.m. NCSML Garden Stage

Sept. 24 New Horizons Band of Iowa City 2 p.m. NCSML Garden Stage

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site at www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Houby Days Activities at the National Czech & Slovak Museum, May 12 – 15

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Every year, the Czech Village Association and the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library celebrate the coming of summer with one of the first festivals of the season – Houby Days. This year’s festival takes place May 14 – 15, 2005 in Czech Village. Houby is the plural form of the Czech word for "mushrooms" (the singular form is houba). This year, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library has added a couple new venues for those wanting to get a jump-start on the festivities.

Thursday, May 12

Naturalist Chuck Ungs from Linn County Conservation will lead a Houby Hike. Sometimes, those elusive morel mushrooms are difficult to fine. Ungs will show us some of their favorite growing places. The hike begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center, 10260 Morris Road, Toddville, IA. The fee is $2.50 for adults, $1.00 for children 16 and under, or $5.00 per family.

Friday, May 13

For the past several years, the Museum Guild of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library has hosted the very popular Taste of Czech and Slovak to kick-off Houby Days. This year is no different. Enjoy samples of old favorites and new tastes of Czech and Slovak cuisine. Proceeds to benefit the Museum Guild of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. The event is held from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. Ticket prices are $4.00 for 10 samples, $7.00 for 20 samples. Tickets are available at the door.

After you’ve had a bite to eat, take a Walking Tour of Historic Czech Village. Learn about the west side of Czech Village with Jan Stoffer, NCSML educator, and historian Mark Hunter of the Carl and Mary Koehler History Center. The 60-minute tour begins in the museum’s Grand Hall at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $4.00 for NCSML members and $5.00 for non-members. Advanced registration is encouraged. United Fire Group is the sponsor for this event.

Saturday, May 14

Houby Days officially begins May 14, 2005. The NCSML will host the 4th Annual Miss Czech-Slovak Iowa pageant, Jawa Motorcycle Show, a May pole dance, and concerts. For more information about other Houby Days events, call Two-Star Detective Agency on 16th Avenue (319) 364-0001. For more information about NCSML events during Houby Days, call (319) 362-8500. All NCSML activities are sponsored by United Fire Group.

10:00 a.m. Vintage Czech-made JAWA Motorcycles are on display in front of the museum until 1:30 p.m.

10:00 a.m. Join us for a May pole dance in the Museum Garden led by Jan Stoffer, museum educator.

1:00 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to take a gallery tour of Bohemian Garnets: Exquisite Artistry from the National Museum in Prague with curator Edith Blanchard. The tour begins in the Grand Hall at 1:00 p.m. It is free to museum members or with paid admission to the galleries.

2:00 p.m. Houby Days Parade on 16th Avenue begins at and features members of the JAWA Motorcycle Club here to show off their Czech-made vintage motorcycles. Cycles will be on display in front of the museum before and after the parade.

3:00 p.m. The NCSML is proud to host the UpBeat! Concert Series Season Premier featuring the Wisconsin Czech Choraliers plus the Miss Czech-Slovak Iowa Talent Show. The free program begins at 3:00 p.m. in the WFLA Heritage Hall. The program is sponsored by David H. and Rose Marie Dryml Burke in memory of John and Rose Dryml.

6:00 p.m. The excitement continues with the Miss Czech-Slovak Iowa Pageant and Crowning in the NCSML’s Grand Hall. A brief reception will follow. The Miss Czech-Slovak Iowa Pageant is sponsored by the Czech Heritage Foundation.

Sunday, May 15

2:00 p.m The UpBeat! Concert Series presents Czech Heritage Band on the Museum Garden Stage. The free concert is sponsored by David H. and Rose Marie Dryml Burke in memory of John and Rose Dryml.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2005
CONTACT: Carmen Langel, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or Carmen@NCSML.org

Unique Czech Motorcycles Roll into Cedar Rapids for Houby Days and Motorcycle Rally

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The JAWA Motorcycle Club will be at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library on May 14, 2005 to help celebrate Houby Days and as part of the Third Annual Jawa/CZ/Yezdi Day 2005. Club members from throughout the U.S. and Canada are expected to display their vintage Czech-made JAWA motorcycles in front of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library on May 14th from 10:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.. Club members will ride their machines in the Houby Days parade at 2:00 p.m. before returning to the Museum to continue their exhibition. The motorcycle show is free and open to the public. Owners will be on hand to talk (or boast!) about their machines. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org, or www.jawaday.org.

Club members first came to Cedar Rapids in 2000 to view the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library's temporary exhibit of Czech cars and motorcycles. They have met every year since then and find it's an ideal opportunity to enjoy friendship, compare their machines, and share them with the public.

This year, the JAWA club gathering in Cedar Rapids coincides with the Third Annual Jawa/CZ/Yezdi Day. Mike Thomason of Mobile, Alabama and editor of the North American Jawa/CZ Register coordinated this event to occur the same weekend as Houby Days. The event encourages owners of Czech motorcycles all over the world to ride their motorcycles on the same day (this year May 14th). The goal is have as many participants ride as many miles as possible on the same day, while promoting these historic motorcycles. Thomason will assemble "ride reports" for transmittal in English. People are encouraged to take pictures, make videos, and submit full accounts of their adventures that day. The world-wide 'virtual rally' celebrates how important these machines are and have been to the owners.

JAWA was formed in 1929 when Czech arms manufacturer Frantisek Janecek purchased the rights to the German Wander motorcycle. The company was a strong competitor in the European motorcycle market until the outbreak of World War II. JAWA continued production behind the "Iron Curtain" of communism after the war. Though it struggles today, it is once again producing motorcycles that do it justice and JAWA owners are very proud of the long heritage behind their machines.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Slovak Native Addresses Living with Communism

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library welcomes Slovak native Andrea Siebenmann as she presents "Life Under Communism" on Thursday, April 21, 2005 at noon. This Learn at Lunch program is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch and learn what it was like to grow up in a communist society. United Fire Group is sponsoring the program.

Andrea Siebenmann was born in Nitra, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) during the Cold War. She will share her remembrances of what it was to grow up in a communist country, be a member of the youth brigades, learn the truth about her country’s past, and experience freedom for the first time. Siebenmann is now a resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and president of the Museum Guild of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum’s web site at www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Got a Hankering for Gramma’s Treats? We’re Cooking in Babi’s Kitchen, April 16

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is Cooking in Babi’s Kitchen on April 16, 2005. Ever wonder how Grandma made those delightful Czech and Slovak comfort foods? Here’s your chance to find out. Expert Czech cooks prepare and demonstrate the steps (and tricks) behind some of your favorite ethnic foods in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. Learn how to make Bohemian Garnet Cookies with Shirley Alexander at 10:00 a.m. and Czech Goulash with Marj Nejdl at 11:00 a.m. The demonstrations are free and open to the public. This event is sponsored by United Fire Group.

The Museum Store will hold drawings during the demonstrations in the morning. Test your chances at winning some fabulous Czech-made wares, must be present to win. In store specials offered all day. And, don’t miss your chance to meet with a representative from Simax Glass, a Czech glass company.

Tentative schedule is:

10-10:45 Demonstration of Bohemian Garnet Cookies by Shirley Alexander.

10:30 Drawing - Plate of Garnet cookies and a Blex sugar sifter.

10:45-11 Simax Glass representative - Greg Bittner.

11-11:45 Demonstration of Czech Goulash by Marj Nejdl

11:30 Drawing - Czech goulash and Blex dumpling ladle

11:45 Simax Glass representative - Greg Bittner

12:30 Drawing - Museum tote bag and 2 museum passes

In-Store-Specials offered from 9:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. include 20% off all in-stock Simax Glass cookware, Blex pans & cooking utensils, Recipe Card Cookbooks ("Cherished Czech Recipes," "Czech & Slovak Kolaches & Sweet Treats," "Quality Dumpling Recipes," "Quality Czech Mushroom Recipes," and "Slavic Specialties").

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
 
Community Invited to Learn Together Through a Unique Series
 
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – "Whatever happened to the pickle factory?" "Slav, Slovak, Slovene – what’s the difference?" These and other intriguing questions will be posed and answered at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) this spring.
 
The NCSML is sponsoring "A Community Learns." This new annual series will have interesting programs available to the community, provide in-service educational opportunities for museum volunteers, and serve as a vehicle for introducing newcomers to the museum, its programs, and the opportunities it offers for personal involvement. The seven session series meets from April through June in the museum. Participants will receive a syllabus and supplemental handouts. NCSML volunteers and potential volunteers will also receive docent handbooks and have the opportunity to earn certificates of course completion and official NCSML Volunteer Badges. The series is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required. For more information contact Patricia Hikiji at (319) 362-8500 or e-mail: phikiji@NCSML.org.
 
The series will cover a variety of topics and utilize NCSML staff, community members, and other resource people. Most of the programs will be presented in two parts with a social break between the two sessions. Programs will focus on community, history, museology, immigration, ethnicity, artistry, architecture and more. Through dynamic presentations, slide shows, hands-on learning, and field trips, participants will have a unique experience at every session.
 
A Community Learns will meet on:
Thursday, April 7 from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Guest speakers Jan Stoffer and Mark Hunter
Thursday, April 21 from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Guest speakers NCSML staff
Thursday, April 28 from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Guest speaker Dr. Jitka Sonkova
Thursday, May 19 from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Guest speakers NCSML staff
Thursday, May 26 from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Guest speakers Max Naxera and Andrea Siebenmann
Saturday, June 11 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Tour guides Jan Stoffer and Mark Hunter
Thursday, June 16 from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Guest speaker Jan Stoffer
 
The programs in this annual series are planned so that the 2006 programs will build upon the 2005 series of presentations.
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids. For more information, call Patricia Hikiji at (319) 362-8500 or via e-mail at phikiji@NCSML.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org
 
Local Museum Educators Showcase Offerings to Grant Wood AEA Forming Important Partnership with Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation
 
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Local school teachers, principals, school board members, and Parent Teacher Organization presidents will have a unique opportunity to learn about nontraditional educational opportunities and study trips at a Museum Educator Open House, from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday April 12, 2005 in the Educational Service Center’s cafeteria. The ESC is located at 346 2nd Avenue SW. Reservations are encouraged and may be made by calling Cindy Monroe at (319) 558-2000. The event is co-sponsored by the Cedar Rapids Community School Foundation, Grant Wood AEA, and local museums and nature centers.
 
The Open House will provide teachers, administrators, and parents a chance to learn about off-site study trips and educational resources for schools and students. Those attending can also sign up to win free study trips for their students and receive other prizes.
 
Organizations participating in the event include:
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
The Carl and Mary Koehler History Center
Brucemore
The Science Station – McLeod/Busse IMAX Dome Theatre
African-American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa
Usher’s Ferry Historic Village
Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center
Indian Creek Nature Center
Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra
Theatre Cedar Rapids
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

National Czech & Slovak Museum Welcomes Spring in a Uniquely Czech Way

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is ready for spring. Thursday, March 17, Patricia Hikiji and Jan Stoffer will present "Good-bye Winter, Hello Spring: Welcoming a Warmer Season." The pair will talk about Czech and Slovak springtime traditions. Those attending the free program will learn how to make a Morena, the old winter witch, and ready their home for Easter and spring. The program begins at noon. The public is invited to bring a sack lunch and join in as we toss Old Mother Winter into the river.

Patricia Hikiji is the museum’s volunteer coordinator. Jan Stoffer is the director of education and programs at the museum.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2005
CONTACT: Gail Naughton, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or GNaughton@NCSML.org
 
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library elects officers and new members of Board of Directors
 
The following officers and new members were named for 2005 at the January board meeting:
 
Tony Golobic - Chair; Chairman & CEO, GreatAmerica Leasing Corp.
 
David Kubicek - First Vice-chair; Attorney, Simmons, Perrine, Albright & Ellwood P.L.C.
 
Carey Downs Gibson – Second Vice-chair; Community Volunteer
 
Lu Barta Barron – Secretary; Linn County Supervisor
 
William Vernon – Treasurer; Attorney, Moyer & Bergman P.L.C.
 
Frank Mitvalsky - Past Chair; Attorney, Gray, Stefani & Mitvalsky
 
New board members elected are:
 
Donald Hattery; Shive-Hattery
 
Sue Plotz Olson; Community Volunteer
 
Mark Mathis; ME & V
 
Marvin Smejkal; Sound Concepts
 
Bob Vancura; Premiere Development
 
Denver Dvorsky; Czech Heritage Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

St. Joseph’s Day Activities at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is celebrating St. Joseph’s Day, Saturday March 19. The museum is open from 9:30 – 4:00 p.m. Persons named Joseph, Josephine, Jody, Joe, or any derivation there of, and folks wearing red will receive a $1 discount off admission. Accordionist Ron Johnson will perform while Sokol bakers sell fresh kolace and dumplings in the museum’s Grand Hall.

Additionally, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is offering a curator-led gallery tour of the current special exhibition, Bohemian Garnets: Exquisite Artistry from the National Museum in Prague. Curator Edith Blanchard will begin the tour at 1:00 in the museum’s Grand Hall. The tour is free to museum members or with paid admission to the galleries.

The St. Joseph’s Day Parade begins at 2:00 p.m. The parade route starts at the corner Third Street SE and 14th Avenue SE, proceeding across the Bridge of Lions and through Czech Village.

Museum educator Jan Stoffer is conducting a Walking Tour of Historic Czech Village beginning at 3:15 p.m. This hour-long tour of the west side of Czech Village begins in the Grand Hall. Tickets are $4.00 for museum members and $5.00 for nonmembers. Advance registration is encouraged. To sign up, call (319) 362-8500. This tour is sponsored by United Fire Group.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site at www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Traditional Czech Wax Resist Egg Decorating Classes at the National Czech & Slovak Museum, March 19

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is offering egg decorating classes this spring. Master Folk artist Marj Nejdl will teach students how to do the wax resist style of egg decorating. Two classes will be offered Saturday, March 19 and cost $20.00, materials included. Class size is limited to 15, for ages 8 and up. (Note: an adult must accompany 8- through 11-year-olds.) Registration by March 11 is required. To enroll, for the 9:00 a.m. – noon class or the 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. class, call (319) 362-8500. The class will meet in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Bohemian Garnets Have a Long, Sentimental History for Local Czechs

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA—For their current special exhibition, Bohemian Garnets: Exquisite Artistry from the National Museum in Prague, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library decided to include an American touch. Museum members, volunteers, and supporters were invited to include their heirloom garnet pieces by loaning them to the museum for the exhibition.

Among the most unusual pieces submitted was a garnet pin in the shape of a beetle. The owner, Anne Naibert Buchacek remembers that her Aunt Viola Naibert Elesenbast wore this "ugly pin" constantly when Anne was a child. Years later, as an adult, Anne learned that the pin had been given to Viola in 1909, when she was 2-years-old. Her father, Wencel Frank Naibert, bought the pin in Bohemia for his young daughter. According to Buchacek, little Viola’s mother was "furious that he had selected such a gift for a little girl."

Another story is that of a very special garnet necklace smuggled into the United States by Marie Hanefel Mishak. Afraid someone would steal it, she kept it safely hidden in her bra during her 1892 ocean voyage. Marie and her family arrived in Cedar Rapids, where Marie’s father went on to work at the Sinclair Packinghouse. Marie’s daughter, Antionette Misak Rozek, had earrings made from the necklace. She is remembered for wearing the set on very special occasions and Christmas Day. Referred to by the lender as the "family jewels," the earrings were passed from mother to daughter. They now belong to Marie’s great-granddaughter Joan Mosel.

All of these garnets, along with 370 garnet encrusted pieces, may be seen at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s special exhibition, Bohemian Garnets: Exquisite Artistry from the National Museum in Prague from March 4 – September 25, 2005. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m. After May 1st, the exhibit will also be open on Mondays, 9:30 – 4:00.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Bohemian Garnets’ Long and Rich Mythical History

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The latest blockbuster exhibition at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Bohemian Garnets: Exquisite Artistry from the National Museum in Prague, chronicles the history of the Bohemian garnet, starting with its first mention during the era of the Migration of Peoples in the early Middle Ages (roughly 500 to 1450).

Cut gemstones first appeared in Prague in the late-Gothic period (late 1500s). The Bohemian garnet found its way into stone-carving and jewelry-making due to its alleged healing properties. In the Roman Catholic Church, garnets symbolized the drops of blood of holy martyrs. These examples of the mythology are especially associated with the early items made of Bohemian garnets. They are also found in rustic homemade, religious jewelry such as amulets related to folk healing and for christening and pilgrimage souvenirs and rosaries, and in sentimental jewelry, like medallions with portraits of the owners’ loved ones.

This is the first exhibition of garnets to travel abroad from the National Museum in Prague. It features over 370 Bohemian garnet-adorned objects spanning six centuries - the 16th to 21st century. The once-in-a-lifetime exhibition features thousands of garnets set in jewelry, personal accessories, religious objects, souvenirs, and sentimental objects, accompanied by period paintings, drawings, prints, statues and period clothing.

The oldest items on exhibit are garnet rosaries and penitential crosses, with scenes of the Passion of Christ in garnets. Designed and hand-made by monks, these objects demonstrate a high level of goldsmithing and craftsmanship. Among the rare pieces included in the exhibit is a Renaissance period (1450-1600) garnet-embroidered chasuble, which is a sleeveless outer garment worn by priests for important church ceremonies, religious chalices, and two rare medallion-clasps with silver-filigreed garnets from Jesuit coats from the Baroque period (1600-1750).

The core of the exhibition consists of groups of jewelry (both sets and individual pieces) and personal accessories, such as combs, picture frames and medallions dating from the late 18th century to the 19th century. In this time period, the numerous domestic mining companies and grinding plants in central Bohemia led to the first boom of the garnet-processing industry. The jewelry they produced included multiple strands of garnet beads, bracelets, crosses, earrings, combs with diadems, and finger rings, featuring fine quality-cut garnets, often set with rock crystals, citrines, agates, lapis lazuli or pearls.

The rustic artisan-made garnet jewelry of the 1800s was worn by rural inhabitants and less affluent townsfolk alike. Frames for coins, medals, medallions and lockets, chains, crosses and rings, jewels affixed to clothing accessories (bonnets, clasps, hooks, buckles and buttons) and other fancy goods worn and used by these people may also be found in the exhibition.

In the 1880s, garnet jewelry became a mass-production industry, and a broad choice of designs was required for its commercial success. The manufacture and distribution of garnet jewelry was found in large companies employing dozens of men and women, using machine-pressed metal settings for the garnets. New designs and some old designs were placed on the market for even as long as fifty years, like brooches and medallions that hold a photographic portrait.

The exhibition also features the modernist, avant-garde and retrospective styles of the 20th century. Unlike the ornate settings of traditional pieces, avant-garde jewelry designs used simple of geometric forms and cut stones. These patterns have been modified and adapted to fit changing fashion taste, and are still used today. Two contemporary pieces were designed and loaned by Vladimir Komnacky, one of the top Czech jewelers today.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s special exhibition, Bohemian Garnets: Exquisite Artistry from the National Museum in Prague from March 4 – September 25, 2005. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m. After May 1st, the exhibit will also be open on Mondays, 9:30 – 4:00 p.m. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

National Czech & Slovak Museum Welcomes a Former Czech Senator and an Award Winning Filmmaker to Conference, March 11 – 12, 2005

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Two dynamic women are coming to the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s Czech and Slovak History and Culture Conference. Keynote presentations by Dr. Zuzana Justman and Dr. Jaroslava Moserova (pronounced YAR-o-slava MOZ-er-o-VA) will highlight the biennial conference.

On March 11 –12, 2005, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library will host scholars and attendees from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the United States in a two-day conference exploring Czechoslovakia Behind the Iron Curtain: 1948 – 1970. The conference runs all day Friday and Saturday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. Registration is required. The conference fee is $90.00 for both days and $50 for one day, plus meals. Individual dinner tickets for Friday and Saturday evening events may be purchased separately, $30 for Friday night and $35 for Saturday night, by calling (319) 362-8500. Both dinners will be at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Convention Center and begin at 7:00 p.m. For more information, or to register, call (319) 362-8500.

Every other year, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library hosts a conference highlighting the 20th Century in Retrospect. This year, presentations revolve around the manner in which communism swept Eastern Europe, and the resulting consequences. Scholarly presentations and first-hand accounts, along with two dynamic keynote addresses, will provide a well-rounded event for all attendees. The two-day conference follows a film series featuring Czech and Slovak cinema based on events in the 1960s.

In a pre-conference event, on Thursday, March 10, the museum will show Justman’s film Voices of the Children (1996) at 7:00 p.m. The film will be shown in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall and is free and open to the public. The film profiles three people imprisoned as children at Theresienstadt.

Friday night, March 11, Emmy-award winning film director, screenwriter, and producer Zuzana Justman is the keynote speaker. Justman, a survivor of the German concentration camp Theresienstadt, has made several documentary films about post-World War II Czechoslovakia. After dinner her film A Trial in Prague (2000) will be shown followed by discussion led by Justman. The film is a documentary about the Communist Show Trials of the 1950s, which led to the execution of 14 leading Czech Communists, 11 of whom were Jewish.

Saturday night, Dr. Jaroslava Moserova is the keynote speaker. She will talk about communism’s lasting effects on the people of the now free Czech Republic in her presentation "The Alteration of Thinking and Behavior under Communism and How it Still Lingers."

Moserova is the current President of the Czech Commission for UNESCO. Moserova worked for thirty years as a house surgeon and in a research capacity at the Burn Center of the Department of Plastic Surgery in Prague. She was the first physician to treat Jan Palach, a student who set himself alight in protest to the invasion of Soviet troupes in 1968 and the fall of the Prague Spring. A leader in the fight to overthrow communism, Moserova joined the Civic Forum during the Velvet Revolution of 1989, this forum reestablished democracy in Czechoslovakia. In the first free election in 1990, she was elected to the Czech National Council (Czech Parliament). In 1991, President Vaclav Havel appointed her Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand.

In 1993, Moserova returned to the Czech Republic and was put in charge of the national UNESCO office. In 1999, 186 member countries elected her President of the General Conference of UNESCO. In 1996, she won a seat in the newly established Senate of the Parliament and, in 1998, she was reelected. Her mandate ended in November 2004.

In addition to her political career, she writes and translates. She has translated approximately 46 novels from English into Czech (all novels by Dick Francis), has written two film scripts, two one-actor plays, both staged in several countries by a British group. In 2003, she published a book of short stories illustrating the life in the country in the second half of the last century. The book already has had two reprints.

Moserova is a member of the Artists Union, the Association of Writers, Association of Translators, PEN International, Rotary International. In June 2004 she was granted the Order of the Officer of Merit by the French president. Her special interests: Ethics, Human Rights, the Media (freedom of Media, responsibilities of the Media etc.)

The Czech and Slovak History and Culture Conference is sponsored in part by a major grant from Humanities Iowa with additional support from The Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies and International Programs at The University of Iowa. The conference is an official program of the University of Iowa Year of Arts and Humanities.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

National Czech & Slovak Museum Explores Life Behind the Iron Curtain, March 11 – 12, 2005

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – "We’re going to pull back the Iron Curtain and take a look at what life was like in communist Czechoslovakia," explained Gail Naughton, president/ceo of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.

On March 11 –12, 2005, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library will host scholars and attendees from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the United States in a two-day conference exploring Czechoslovakia Behind the Iron Curtain: 1948 – 1970. The conference runs all day Friday and Saturday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. Registration is required. The conference fee is $90.00 for both days and $50 for one day, plus meals. For more information, or to register, call (319) 362-8500.

Every other year, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library hosts a conference highlighting the 20th Century in Retrospect. This year, presentations revolve around the manner in which communism swept Eastern Europe, and the resulting consequences. Scholarly presentations and first-hand accounts, along with two dynamic keynote addresses, will provide a well-rounded event for all attendees. Speakers include Dr. Slavomir Michalek (pronounced SLAV-o-meer MEEHH-a-leck) from The Institute of History at the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava, Slovak Republic. Michalek will address Czechoslovakia’s foreign relations with the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Dr. Otto Ulc (pronounced ULCH) will provide a personal account of what it was to be a judge during the show trials of the 1950s. Additional topics to be presented include the spread of communism, the role of religion during the communist regime, art and film as means of resistance, Dubcek and the Prague Spring, journalism and the media under communism, the role of youth in a communist society, and the renegade intelligence groups working inside Czechoslovakia. The two-day conference follows a film series featuring Czech and Slovak cinema based on events in the 1960s.

Friday and Saturday evenings feature two very special speakers. Friday night, Emmy-award winning film director, screenwriter, and producer Zuzana Justman is the keynote speaker. Justman, a survivor of the German concentration camp Theresienstadt, has made several documentary films about post-World War II Czechoslovakia. After dinner her film A Trial in Prague (2000) will be shown followed by discussion led by Justman. The film is a documentary about the Communist Show Trials of the 1950s, which led to the execution of 14 leading Czech Communists, 11 of whom were Jewish.

Saturday night, Dr. Jaroslava Moserova (pronounced YAR-o-slava MOZ-er-o-VA) is the keynote speaker. She will talk about communism’s lasting effects on the people of the now free Czech Republic in her presentation "The Alteration of Thinking and Behavior under Communism and How it Still Lingers." Dr. Moserova is the current President of the Czech Commission for UNESCO, former member of the Senate of Parliament, and former Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand.

Individual dinner tickets for Friday and Saturday evening events may be purchased separately, $30 for Friday night and $35 for Saturday night, by calling (319) 362-8500. Both dinners will be at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Convention Center and begin at 7:00 p.m.

The Czech and Slovak History and Culture Conference is sponsored in part by a major grant from Humanities Iowa with additional support from The Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies and International Programs at The University of Iowa. The conference is an official program of the University of Iowa Year of Arts and Humanities.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

Young Piano Virtuoso Returns to Cedar Rapids, March 7, 2005

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – In 2003, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library welcomed 16-year-old Lukáš Vondrácek (Lukas Vondracek, pronounced LUK-ash VON-DRAW-check) to Cedar Rapids. His solo piano concert astounded the local audience. This March 7, the 18-year-old returns. Lukáš Vondrácek will perform at 7 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Temple, 616 A Avenue, NE, Cedar Rapids, IA. A reception in the lounge will follow. The program features works by Beethoven, Brahms, Smetana, and Rachmaninov. Tickets are $10.00 for NCSML members and $12.00 for non-members. Advance tickets are available at the Museum Store during business hours, Tuesday – Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Sunday, noon – 4:00 p.m. or by calling (319) 362-8500. Tickets will be sold at the door. Seating is limited.

This concert is possible due to the generous sponsorship of Mr. and Mrs. Victor F. Naxera, and George J. Naxera, Jr. The reception is courtesy of the Museum Guild of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.

Vondrácek is on a 3-city U.S. tour. He comes to Cedar Rapids from a 3-concert series with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and will appear with the Lake Forest Symphony in Illinois the following weekend. He has symphony performances scheduled with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in Finland in April and with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester in Berlin in May, just to name two of his upcoming appearances. In February 2004, at very short notice, he was invited to play Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 at Birmingham's Symphony Hall, when the soloist already engaged had to cancel. Richard Hickox conducted the London Sinfonia in an evening of Mendelssohn's music, and said afterwards "the boy's a genius".

Lukáš Vondrácek was born on October 21, 1986 in Opava, Czech Republic. His parents, both professional pianists, recognized his great talent at a very early age. Vondrácek began formal piano lessons at the age of two, and made his first public appearance at the age of four. By the age of nine, after performing solo recitals for several years, he began playing concertos and has since appeared with European symphony orchestras. He has won a number of competitions including the International Mozartian Competition "Amadeus" in Brno, at the age of ten.

He has studied at the University of Ostrava, Czech Republic, the youngest to be admitted for their graduate program, and at Musik Hochschule in Vienna, Austria. Vondrácek performs profusely throughout Europe with over 500 performances to his credit. His talents and sincerity of performing have been recognized by the Society for International Cooperation, which bestowed upon him the first Hanno R. Ellenbogen Award, 2000, honoring him as “the outstanding performing talent of the year.” Vondrácek regularly works with maestro Vladimir Ashkenazy as his sole private student, and performs as a soloist with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and other world-renowned ensembles under Ashkenazy’s baton.

Vondrácek has performed all over the world including performances in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Switzerland, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States museum collecting, preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting Czech and Slovak culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 319-362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

National Czech & Slovak Museum’s Learn at Lunch Program Looks at Cedar Rapids’ Contribution during World War I

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library’s Learn at Lunch program on February 17, 2005 is at noon in the museum’s WFLA Heritage Hall. Rollie Raim will present "How Cedar Rapids Czechs Worked to Free the Czech People during the Years of 1914 – 1918." This program is free and open to the public. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch to enjoy during the presentation.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org

National Czech & Slovak Museum Unveils Commissioned Limited-Edition Egg, Feb. 12

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – For the second year in a row, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library has commissioned Master Folk Artist Marj Nejdl to design and paint a limited edition egg. The hand-painted goose egg features a folk art design of white lace and multi-colored floral ribbon on a dark blue background. Each of the forty eggs are numbered and signed by the artist. They retail in the Museum Store for $50.00. The egg will be unveiled on Saturday, February 12, 2005 at a 1:00 p.m. artist reception. Nejdl will then conduct an egg painting demonstration until 3:00 p.m. in the museum’s Grand Hall. Light refreshments will be provided. The event is free and open to the public.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is the leading United States institution collecting, exhibiting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information, call (319) 362-8500 or visit the museum web site, www.NCSML.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2005
CONTACT: Jan Stoffer, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404. 319-362-8500 or jan@NCSML.org