Dear Readers: We’ve had some inquiries about our annual supplement called “A Ukrainian Summer,” which traditionally appears in the first issue of May. Some asked us whether the deadlines for the issue were the same as in previous years or had they been adjusted because many organizations had not yet made their final determinations about their summer programming. Others asked if they could submit some information on summer offerings now and additional information later, as the situation with the coronavirus pandemic became clearer. The major question was: Will there be a summer supplement this year?
The closer we got to May, the more evident it became to us and all concerned that our regular summer supplement could not be published on May 3, as would have been the case in keeping with our longstanding tradition. (This would have been the annual supplement’s 24th year!)
“Tabir Ptashat,” the Plast day camp at Soyuzivka for children age 4-6, announced it was cancelling its program for 2020. New York City decreed that all street festivals, concerts, parades, etc. scheduled for May would not be allowed to take place; the cancellation of such “nonessential events” was later extended through June. Thus, the St. George Ukrainian Festival planned for May 2020 was not to be. A similar decision was made by the city of Yonkers, N.Y., thereby necessitating the cancellation of the Yonkers Ukrainian Heritage Festival in mid-June. Soyuzivka Heritage Center, Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization and the Ukrainian American Youth Association were reported to be awaiting rulings from state and county health authorities in New York about whether and/or when camps could be held.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s All Saints Camp announced it was postponing its opening until August 31, but noted that the campgrounds in Emlenton, Pa., could re-open earlier if the safety and well-being of all campers, staff, volunteers and visitors could be guaranteed. Meanwhile, the UOC Camping Program announced it would provide online content for campers of all ages. The Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus informed its fans that the tour of western Canada which had been scheduled for early June has now been moved back to the fall.
And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Therefore, we at The Ukrainian Weekly have decided that this year, instead of publishing one issue devoted to all the Ukrainian summer happenings, we will gladly publicize our community institutions’ summertime events as they are announced. What does that mean? We will publish information on these events under the rubric of “A Ukrainian Summer” whenever such information is received. Thus, we encourage all organizations and organizers to keep us posted so that we can inform our readers and the community at large about what is available to them during the summer of 2020. And please don’t think virtual events are not worth sharing – do send in timely information about those too. (However, please take into account the mail delivery times for print media.)
Dear Readers: Rest assured that our Ukrainian summer has not been cancelled. It’s just different this year. So let’s all try to make the best of this unusual situation. Remember: We truly are in this together. And we at The Weekly are with you!