January 17, 2010

We have several congratulations to begin this week's update:

Former Clevelander Mindaugas Idzelis will marry Maria Reyes on February 6th in Guatemala. Relatives and friends from Cleveland and Lithuania will travel to Guatemala for the wedding. Mindaugas is a computer specialist working for IBM in North Carolina. Contratulations to Mindaugas and Maria!

This past week, Henrikas Stasas was honored with a 95th birthday dinner at Americano Grill in Bratenahl. The dinner was given by Henrikas' daughters Ingrida, Matilda and Ugnele. Happy Birthday to Ponas Stasa! The exectutive chef and co-owner of Americano Grill is Vytautas Sasnauskas.

Kazimieras Julius Marcinkevicius recently celebrated his 90th birthday, and his wife Marija, and children Egidijus, Daiva, Nida and their families would like to wish him a very happy birthday.

A big shout out to the 130 people who turned out on a very cold and snowy evening last Monday to tour the LaSalle Theater, and provide their input on possible future uses for this historical structure. The good news is that the LaSalle is in much better condition than the Capitol Theatre on Cleveland's west side was before its recent restoration. So there is feasability and support for creating an anchor destination on East 185th Street.

The St. Casimir Parish Coffee Committee would liike to thank everyone for their very enthusiastic response to their request for hosts to upcoming after-mass coffee hours. The schedule is currently being finalized and the published calendar will soon be distributed.

Next Sunday Moksleiviai will provide the coffee and pastry. On January 31 it will be Zidinys, on February 7: Exultate, on February 14: The Bacevice Family, on February 21: Lithuanian Schools, and on February 28: TAUPA.

Many thanks to Dalia Armonas, Loretta Gudenas and Ingrid Civinskas for their hard work in coordinating the coffee social schedule.

If you are interested in being a part of the St. Casimir parish Steering Committe, please contact Father Bacevice by this coming Wednesday, January 20th. The Steering Committee will take responsibility for forming a Parish Council and crafting a parish Mission Statement.

If you consider yourself a member of St. Casimir parish, you are asked to register at the rectory as a member. Registration allows the parish to accurately record contributions, maintain an accurate mailing list, and generally understand the makeup and needs of its parishioners.

Join the the Svyturys dancers on January 30th at 6:00 pm in the ballroom at Lithuanian Village as they warm things up with a Beach Party-themed fundraiser. The party, will feature burgers, hot dogs, dance contest, prizes and more. You are encouraged to wear your summer attire under that heavy coat and help create a little summer spirit in the middle of the Cleveland winter. Proceeds from this event will help fund the upcoming Lithuanian Youth Dance Festival on April 24th, which will feature Svyturys, along with dancers from Toronto and Chicago.

Starting this month, Lithuanian Village will present Lithuanian Movie Night, every Thursday from 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm in the dining room.

Zaibas will hold its annual Hall of Fame induction and Night at the Races event on Saturday, March 6th at Recher Slovenian Hall.

Rumor has it that there will be a Lithuanian Independence Day celebration in Cleveland next month, but no word yet on when, where or who will be performing or speaking.

There will also be a WJCU Radiothon in February, and your support will be important this year, as it is every year. WCJU will be completely remodeling its air studio this Spring, which will be a major financial undertaking. More details on that in upcoming weeks. Radiothon 2010 will be held either February 14th or February 21st. We haven't finalized the date of Radiothon since we never want Radiothon and Vasario Sesuolikta to take place on the same weekend.