April 29, 2016

Soyuzivka Heritage Center ready for 2016 season, 10th annual festival

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Bo Photography

The multitudes gather at Soyuzivka as the 2015 Ukrainian Cultural Festival program begins.

With all the renovations taking place at the Soyuzivka Heritage Center (see The Ukrainian Weekly, March 27) in preparation for the new season, it was a stroke of luck for The Ukrainian Weekly to get the manager, Nestor Paslawsky, to agree to a quick interview about what the summer of 2016 has in store for visitors to this beloved venue. Below is our quick Q & A with Mr. Paslawsky aimed at keeping readers in the know.

How are the renovations going? What can guests look forward to this year when they book a stay at Soyuzivka?

We’ve been very busy preparing for this season. Several capital improvement projects have been going on: the remainder of the “oselia” will be paved, the water reservoir is being repaired, and the pool will be resurfaced. In Soyuzivka’s Main House, the rooms, including the bathrooms, on the second floor have been gutted and are being redone. And the rooms with balconies have new French doors – a beautiful addition to the other renovations.

Guests will notice a lot of these improvements, but some of the improvements to the infrastructure may not be evident. All in all, however, the Soyuzivka of 2016 is making major progress.

Have you gotten any feedback from Soyuzivka regulars about all that’s taking place to improve the facilities?

We have various people and groups passing through in the off-season, and all are excited about the changes to the rooms. I think summer guests will be pleasantly surprised. But I’ve got to tell you that what all visitors notice is the newly paved roadways – it’s the first thing they see when they enter Soyuzivka, and it makes an immediate good impression.

And how about in terms of camps? Is there anything new for 2016?

We’re preparing for yet another very successful camp season and we’ve added a first-time bandura camp under the bandura virtuoso Victor Mishalow’s direction. Readers surely remember him from performances at Soyuzivka and at other major venues.

How many campers do you expect to have at Soyuzivka during the course of the summer? And where do they come from?

Once again, with the camp season kicking off with “Tabir Ptashat” [the Plast camp for preschoolers and kids up to age 6] and Tennis Camp, and ending with Roma Pryma Bohachevsky Dance Camp, we are expecting well over 500 camp participants this year. Our camps have proven to be extremely popular, attracting children and teens from all over the country, as well as Europe.

Participants and counselors of Tabir Ptashat 2015.

Alex Holuszczak

Participants and counselors of Tabir Ptashat 2015.

Are there any special programs or weekends on the Soyuzivka calendar that readers should mark on their own calendars?

Well, first of all there is the annual Ukrainian Cultural Festival on July 8-10. That’s always a great weekend to come up to Soyuzivka.

But already on Memorial Day weekend, May 27-30, we are hosting the Soyuzivka Workers’ Reunion. That should be a lot of fun for those who worked here and an opportunity for people to reconnect.

Of course, everyone should monitor our website [www.soyuzivka.com] and The Ukrainian Weekly’s pages for bands appearing and special events such as wine tastings, beer fests, dance recitals etc.

What can you tell us about the 2016 Ukrainian Cultural Festival on July 8-10? What can visitors expect to see and experience?

This will be Soyuzivka’s 10th festival, and it should be one of the biggest and best with an impressive line-up of performers featuring Pikkardiyska Tertsiya, Oleh Skrypka with Vopli Vidopliassova, Oksana Mukha, Serhiy “Foma” Fomenko, Vasyl Popadiuk, the Dumka Chorus, the Roma Pryma Bohachevsky Dance Workshop and more. It’s a program that will please festival-goers of all generations. There are audience favorites like the dynamic Vasyl Popadiuk and Foma, as well as performers new to Soyuzivka.

What’s notable is that Tertsiya has not performed here in the U.S. for over a decade, and VV [as Vopli Vidopliassova is known] is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Plus this will be the first Soyuzivka appearance for Oksana Mukha, a wonderful singer who’s often compared to Kvitka Cisyk. So, I’m sure these will be significant and memorable concerts.

A number presented in 2015 by the Roma Pryma Bohachevsky Dance Workshop.

Bo Photography

A number presented in 2015 by the Roma Pryma Bohachevsky Dance Workshop.

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