Bay area Ukrainians gather to celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day (09/26/04)

THE 13th ANNIVERSARY OF UKRAINE'S INDEPENDENCE

Bay area Ukrainians gather to celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day

by Nestor Wolansky

SAN FRANCISCO - As in the years past, Ukrainian Day, this year celebrating Ukraine's 13th anniversary of independence, took place in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on August 29. This year's event was held in the lush Botanical Gardens, rather than on the main Rotunda stage, due to contruction of the new de Young Museum.

In spite of the lack of seating - the public had to sit on the grass, or bring their own chairs - the crowd of about 350, consisting not only of Ukrainian Americans but other ethnic groups, came in force to see the Ukrainians perform their magical dances and sing their unforgetable songs.

No one was disappointed.

The main attraction this year was the visiting Ukrainian Dance Ensemble Barvinok from Manitoba, presenting unique dances from various regions of Ukraine: Volyn, Bukovyna, Podillia and the Hutsul highlands. The Hopak dance was performed enthusiastically to a thundering applause that seemed endless.

The young dancers, most of whom were already wide-eyed from their first visit to California, danced with such vivacity and rapture that the crowds worked themselves into a frenzy. They all loved the Ukrainians' dances.

A warm, welcoming speech from the special guest, Valery Hrebeniuk, the consul general of the recently opened San Francisco Consulate of Ukraine, informed the public about Ukraine's successes and failures of the past year, the outstanding performance of its athletes at the just completed Athens Olympics, and about the uncertainty of the upcoming national elections in Ukraine, where much is at stake.

It should be mentioned that a number of pro-Yushchenko banners was evident in the crowd, but Yanukhovych supporters were not.

The consul general was unwavering and confident about Ukraine's economic and political future. The same optimism was echoed by the youthful and enthusiastic vice-consul, Taras Kuzmych, who said he sees Ukraine making continuous progress in all fields, in spite of the often negative press reports in the Bay Area.

Ola Herasymenko, the well-known merited artist of Ukraine who lives in California, performed a medley of lovely Ukrainian pieces on the bandura, while the renowned mezzo-soprano soloist from Lviv Opera House, Ivanna Taratula-Filipenko, sang movingly, as she has in the years past, to the delight of the crowd. She was followed by another mezzo-soprano, the exuberant veteran Maria Tcherepenko, who served as the event coordinator as well.

As in previous years, the Historical 122-year-old Golden Gate Park Band, under the direction of Michael Wirgler, performed Ukrainian melodies. The event was sponsored by the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, in cooperation with the Ukrainian Heritage Club of Northern California, the Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic Church, St. Michael's Ukrainian Orthodox Church, St. Volodymyr Mission - Santa Clara, Ukrainian Fraternal Association (Assembly 270), the Ukrainian National Association (Branch 486), the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (Chapter 107), the Ukrainian Medical Association of Northern California, and the Ukrainian Professional and Business Group of Northern California.

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