Yonkers veterans host gala celebration of Y2K

WESTCHESTER, N.Y. - There was that tower in Paris, that ferris wheel in London, some kind of party in New York's Times Square and other attractions that received some media attention on New Year's Eve.

But only a select group of 300 revelers had the opportunity to witness the Ukrainian American Veterans' ball descend at the Ukrainian Youth Center in Yonkers, N.Y. As the band led the countdown, a fiery silver ball descended and at the stroke of midnight lit up a giant "2000" bedecked in gold and filled with bright fiery red lights.

The New Year's Eve gala was organized by members of UAV Post 301. The committee, headed by Steve Rudyk, spent months preparing for this event. As this was the first major event organized by Post 301, which was formed in the spring of 1999, all aspects were thoroughly planned and executed with military precision.

The objective was to do all that was necessary to ensure that guests always remembered where they were and who they were with as they greeted the year 2000. No detail was overlooked, as Post Commander Taras Szczur rallied the troops to work with the committee. And like the good soldiers that they were, the veterans did the job correctly the first time.

An innovation not previously experienced at other Ukrainian social events was a separate "gala" for children age 5-12, which proved to be exceptionally popular. Each child was greeted with a New Year's Eve hat and noisemakers, as well as a loot bag filled with candy, small games and other treasures. The children partied downstairs at first, but eventually came up to join the older crowd.

A rich buffet consisting of various hot and cold entrees, salads, appetizers and breads was available all evening. At 1:30 a.m. of the New Year, several brightly decorated cakes ablaze with sparkers were wheeled out, and then served along with cookies and coffee.

Two bars managed by veterans Nick Skirka, John Tkachuk and Theodore Kocur kept the spirits flowing all night. Festive spirits appeared at each table minutes before midnight, as each group appointed a trusted and qualified representative to pop its bottle of champagne.

The hall was decorated in unique year 2000 paraphernalia hanging from the walls and ceiling. Tables were decorated with matching centerpieces, helium balloons, confetti and the mandatory hats, tiaras and noisemakers. Olia Rudyk picked out the decorations and was helped by Andrea Warycha and Tracy Evans in setting them up.

To create a permanent record of this special evening the vets provided each table with a disposable camera. Each guest received an official "I survived Y2K" certificate. Many used the reverse side of the certificates to jot down the names of the people with whom they had spent this once-in-a-lifetime evening.

The kitchen under the command of Mr. Szczur was hard at work several days before New Year's Eve. In addition to a full complement of workers, Mr. Szczur was helped by volunteers Nancy Zakotiria, Sophia Scarpelli and Emily Scarpelli.

The kitchen staff, waiters and waitresses did a super job in helping make the evening a success. To show their appreciation, the vets arranged for "Popravyny" on Saturday (January 1) evening. Joining a small group of UAV members with their families, these workers helped polish off some of the leftovers - and, yes, some of those spirits as well. Mr. Rudyk got to deliver part of the speech he was fortunate enough to avoid on New Year's Eve.

All the workers - most of them recent arrivals from Ukraine - were thanked for all their hard work. The senior worker, one of the group's great cooks, Natalka Hreshko, said a few well-thought-out words on behalf of these new potential citizens of the "Fourth Wave" and then proceeded to entertain everyone by reading some of her moving poetry.

The evening was rounded out with a round of spontaneous singing of Ukrainian folk songs to the accordion accompaniment of Wasyl Sivilsky. It was a fitting ending to a truly special New Year's Eve.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 30, 2000, No. 5, Vol. LXVIII

| Home Page |