EDITORIAL: Save Verkhovyna (08/06/00)

EDITORIAL

Save Verkhovyna

Just two weeks ago we published a vibrant centerfold featuring a photo report from the 25th Ukrainian Youth Festival at Verkhovyna, an event that has become a time-honored tradition - if not the centerpiece - of Ukrainian summertime events.

But the bad news is that many fear this year's festival may be the last at the 142-acre resort located in Glen Spey, N.Y., between the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania and the Catskills of New York state near the Delaware River. The reason: Pennsylvania's insurance authorities have ordered the resort's owner, the Ukrainian Fraternal Association, to sell Verkhovyna. The UFA is a society much like the Ukrainian National Association (our publisher) that sells life insurance to its members, provides diverse fraternal benefits to those members, and supports myriad endeavors whose benefits accrue to the entire Ukrainian community.

The UFA's Supreme Assembly unanimously voted in June to sell the property for $925,000 to the Ukrainian American Cultural Foundation. The UACF has pledged not only to save Verkhovyna - which is known for hosting Roma Pryma Bohachevsky's dance workshops and Sitch sports camps - but to develop the property further for the benefit of all Ukrainians. Among the options being discussed are seniors' housing, halls for seminars and conferences, and facilities for hunting, fishing and camping.

As of mid-July the UACF had raised $541,000; during Verkhovyna's Youth Festival - within the span of two hours - another $50,000 in donations and pledges was collected. Nearly $350,000 remains to be raised. Time is of the essence, as the UACF expects to soon go into contract with the UFA, after which the closing will be scheduled. If the UACF does not succeed in raising the necessary funds, the UFA will have to sell Verkhovyna to the highest bidder - and reports indicate that several have already expressed interest in this picturesque site.

"What we're buying here is not so much the land, but the tradition - including 25 years of Verkhovyna Youth Festivals," UACF President Eugene Tataryn told The Weekly, noting that the effort to save Verkhovyna has attracted Ukrainians of all ages.

One of our readers, recent graduate and aspiring film-maker Damyan Kolodiy, 23, formerly of Maplewood, N.J., and currently of Boston, sent out a public appeal via the Internet. After laying out the facts about Verkhovyna's predicament, Mr. Kolodiy added: "It would be a shame to lose such a place ... it has two churches, the streets are Ukrainian-named, the whole place is like a little 'selo' [village]. ... There's just no way this stuff could ever be replicated once it's lost! I don't know if you've ever been up there, but the scenery is beautiful and it's very reminiscent of the Karpaty. ..."

Similar sentiments were voiced by singer Taras Petrynenko from Ukraine during his appearance at the Youth Festival. "Verkhovyna is a piece of Ukraine on the territory of the United States. If we lose Verkhovyna, we lose a part of Ukraine," he stated.

Indeed, Verkhovyna should be saved for the Ukrainian community. We urge our readers to lend a hand with financial and moral support for this project.

Tax-deductible contributions may be sent to: Ukrainian American Cultural Foundation, P.O. Box 418, Glen Spey, NY 12737. For information phone (914) 858-3805, or visit the website at http://www.uacf.net/.

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