3 Events in One Day !

Well I did it! 3 events in one day...round one! :) I had an amazing day with the Wilber Czech-Slovak Queen, Laura Shestak, yesterday. We planned a fun filled day a few weeks back and one event fell through...so what did we do? Well found something else to attend of course! HEHE!

We started the day at the Central Nebraska Ethnic festival in Grand Island, NE. We walked around and said hello to as many people as we could. They just had lots of different vendors with ethnic foods, crafts, clothes, etc. They had a big stage with different bands playing. It was a very nice event and luckily we didn't get rained out. We were a bit nervous on the way there as we drove through rain almost the whole way on the interstate. Me and Laura shared a strawberry smoothie and got the cutest picture (which she framed and gave me for my birthday!) Laura took a picture with Wilbur the pig from Famous Dave's....I saw his name tag and thought it was great. Wilber Czech Queen and Wilbur the pig! HEHE! We walked around a bit and enjoyed the music then headed back to Crete to be on our way to Cortland for event number 2.

The Cortland Days parade was the 2nd stop for the day and I think we spent more time waiting for the parade than actually going through the parade. It was pretty short but I think people were really excited to see me and the Wilber Royalty there. I think they only had about a 5 block parade route so they tried to space us out a lot to make it last longer so it took a while. My little brother came down from Lincoln and took some pictures of the fire department's stuff and us going through the parade. As soon as we were done we had to load up and move out again. Off to Sutton for event number 3.

I emailed about Dugout Days in Sutton when I first found out that I was going to be the Lincoln Czech-Slovak Queen and had been in contact. We didn't have any link there or anything but I tried to find some different parades and events to attend this year to bring awareness to other communities about the Czech organizations that are around. We walked around a bit as we got there pretty early which was unexpected. Grabbed a bite to eat at Subway and then headed to the parade lineup. There were tons of other floats and cars there! When we started the parade it was really neat as they routed us from the school through the nursing home drive so everyone at the nursing home could see the parade without having to go far and some were even inside and still able to see. Then through the rest of the parade...we were all shocked how big this parade was for a smaller town. It was fairly long and there were lots of people thorough the whole thing. Instead of walking all the way back to the school and their cars the WHOLE Wilber crew loaded onto the back of Shestak's convertible. I about died when I first saw them...and was surprised that Larry wasn't having a heart attack. :) This is definitely a parade we want to look into going to next year. After the parade I was ready to crash! It was a long fun filled day and I'm sure there are many more to come!

I'm officially a year older today and finally starting to feel like last weekend actually happened!!!

Na Shledanou,
Stefanie Vocasek
2009-10 Nebraska Czech-Slovak Queen

Clarkson Czech Festival...The State Pageant...

I couldn't believe how fast this weekend came up. Of course we didn't have everything done but we had to get it together! Mom was up until 4:30am on Saturday finishing everything. I was really tired when I got up in the morning because I thought I would keep my older brothers dog overnight so he wouldn't have to stay at home alone when he went to Omaha. BIG MISTAKE! He started barking which made my dogs bark which made him bark which....ok you get the idea right? After about 25 mins I called my dad and told him I couldn't take it anymore. He came and picked Titus up and I tried again to go to sleep. Apparently my dogs were still upset so it took about an hour for them to settle so I could get some rest. It was around 12:30 at this point and I had tried really hard to get to bed early because I usually don't get to bed till 1am or later. I got up around 6am to get the last few things thrown together and put my hair up in curlers. Did I mention I don't like getting up in the morning? Well...I don't! :) We were behind getting outta the house. (For those of you who know me and my mom...I know you're shocked right?! HAHAHAHAHA!) Of course once we got of to a slow start we had to get gas, got stopped by a train, and ran into about 20 miles of construction where we had to stop and wait for about 15 mins. Well we made it there to drop my things off at the Novak's house where all of the girls stay in Clarkson. I decided not to go in kroj because we don't have to be dressed until an hour or so after we got there. The cooler the better! Carrie Brown (the 2008 NE Queen) and me were the only ones who showed up in regular clothes. After dropping all of our stuff off we headed to the main stage to practice our talent with the sound system etc. We drew numbers for not only the order for the pageant but also who would sit at each table at the luncheon with the judges later in the day. I drew number 4 for the pageant order...right in the middle. I was happy with this as I hate going too close to the end. I drew table 1 for our luncheon and was paired with Annie Brabec from Clarkson. I wasn't sure how my talent would go on stage but it went pretty well. We got everything in order for talent and then they asked if we wanted to practice modeling our kroj. I thought about going back to the Novak's house to change but decided I would be fine to practice in jeans. It was kinda funny but I felt ok after running through it once other than holding back tears. I knew it would be hard when I put my Grandpa into my kroj description but it REALLY hit me that morning. After running through everything we headed back and I got dressed. Next we went to New Zion Presbyterian Church for lunch. They had pork, sauerkraut, dumplings, corn, rolls, applesauce, and strudel. One heck of a meal! I couldn't eat all of my pork and Carrie wanted more pork so we traded the rest of our meals and I had some of her sauerkraut. Between the 2 of us...we were proud because we ate 2 meals. :) Missy tried sauerkraut AND dumplings for the first time ever. A couple of the moms (including mine) had our leftovers. I told them it was silly for them to buy a whole meal when we had about 3 whole meals left over between the 7 of us. After lunch was our first official introduction of the weekend at the stage in the park. We took a few pictures on our way over there and sang both of the national anthems. I tried to use my Czech introduction...and messed it up. I just made a joke about not using it much and moved on. We went back to the Novak's house to freshen up a bit before personal interviews. I have to admit this was the part of the pageant I get most nervous about. It's the only part that really has the element of surprise. The rest we can prepare for ahead of time for the most part. We sat in one room with Shandra while we waited to go into interviews. They put the room with all of us right next to the interview room and we were being SOOOO loud! I think there was so much nervous energy in the room we were releasing it by joking and laughing and being loud. Hmmm some of the topics were cheese, boys, going down stairs in laundry baskets, and a little about the interviews and us being nervous. When Laura went in (she was right before me)I know I got really quiet because I started thinking about what I was going to say etc. I walked in and shook hands with each of the judges and made a joke about "the hot seat." They had 5 questions total and of course I can't remember all of them now. LOL! Lets see... Why do you want to be the NE Czech-Slovak Queen? Tell us about your kroj. What is your favorite part about being Czech? Why did your family come to America? I know I'm missing one but I can't for the life of me think of the last one. I usually stress the most about this one and start thinking about what I should have said as soon as I walk out of the room but I was actually very confident in how it went so that felt really good. We talked a little about what we said in the room with Carrie. After everyone was done we went to the luncheon with the judges. Donna and Sandy went to check the weather as there was storms coming and they had to make a decision about where the pageant would be held by 4:30. We had a light dinner and each of the judges sat at our table for about 10 mins to get to know us a bit better and for us to get to know them. After we got to spend some time with each of the judges the pageant committee came back and let us know that they had decided to move the pageant to the school to be sure we didn't have to fight the weather. I thought this was great but I'll tell you a little more about it later. We went back to the Novak's one last time before the pageant and grabbed everything we needed. Then it was up to the school for the rest of the evening. When we got there we realized...it wasn't air conditioned. It started out warm but after everyone came up there it started getting warmer...and warmer...and warmer. Oh and just when we thought it wouldn't get any warmer...IT GOT WARMER! I made fans for my friends and family in the heart shape with paint sticks at the end. They had my picture on one side and "Stefanie Vocasek 'Fan Club'" on the other side. Well since it was so hot everyone wanted one...so some of my friends/family didn't get them. I totally forgot to even get a picture with everyone who came and them with their fans! Dang it! Oh well...guess we have another year for that! :) First off was the Oratory competition where we spoke on stage in front of everyone. We went through my 3 topics pretty quickly and I still had a minute left so I took the time to elaborate on my 3rd topic. Again I walked off stage pretty happy with how it went. The next category was the Kroj Modeling. I had a really hard time in practice when Grandpa was brought up so I was really nervous about this. As expected...it went really well till they brought up my uncle and my grandpa. I was able to hold back the tears until I got off stage. Overall I felt ok about this category but not great as I didn't think that my simple red, black, and white kroj would take me all the way...but the modeling went well. I did start bawling back stage thinking about grandpa after I was done. Last was talent...which I was very nervous about. I haven't played my accordion in front of people much so I had no idea what to expect. I also hadn't practiced my talent with all of my props yet. Well it was now or never. My voice was a bit shaky due to nerves but it went ok...remembered the words...hung all the kroj...and got done with that a bit early. Then it was time to play my accordion....the moment of truth. I was having a hard time smiling while playing when I practiced but I smiled...I played...and it was over! I DID IT! :) (Too bad I'm never playing accordion again until my good friend Brad learns to polka dance!) I walked off stage feeling pretty good again. We listened to Carrie Browns farewell speech and Sandy Ptak spoke about her year as Miss Czech-Slovak US. Then....it was the moment of truth. We all went on stage and they started awards. First was Personal Interview....I was really excited when my name was called! Next was Oratory....my name again...woah! Then it was Kroj...WHAT!? MY NAME AGAIN?! Now I was definitely not expecting that one. Next was Talent....Missy Vavra for her clogging. She did great! Then to Miss Congeniality...Missy Vavra again! Now it was really time...although if I really thought about it I guess I should have known....I was terrified. 1st runner up goes to....Emmy Beacom. Then of course they announced "And Our New 2009 Nebraska Czech-Slovak Queen Is....." there was a what seemed like never ending pause as he walked and stood between me and Missy....."Stefanie Vocasek." I don't think I took a breath for about a minute after he said my name. Was this REALLY happening...was one of the biggest dreams I've had since I was little REALLY COMING TRUE!?! Was I really going to Wilber next year?! Oh....my....goodness.....WOW! Tears kept bubbling up but I did my best to keep from crying. I think I was on stage forever taking pictures. I held it together until mom came on stage and all she had to do was hug me and whisper in my ear "You did it Doll!" I started BAWLING! After stopping the river of tears we took some family pictures. Man was I excited to get off that stage...I think it was 20 degrees cooler out in the hallway. I talked to some friends who drove all the way from Lincoln to be there for me and gave lots of hugs. I couldn't believe how many people were there to support me! I can't imagine what it will be like in Wilber! We headed back downtown to the beer garden to meet up with everyone else. Dad hugged me when we got there and said "Grandpa is so proud of you." Of course on came another waterfall! I immediately hugged my Grandma and Grandpa Bowen and told them how amazing it was to have them there and how I can't imagine if something would have happened to one of them and they weren't there either. It's been a scary year with BOTH of them. I danced a bit and spent some time with everyone who was there. I talked with a few people who I've known since my first year competing in 2004 and faster than a blink it was time to head back to the Novak's house for curfew...even though it should have been changed to 12:30 since that was what was announced at the pageant. HAHA! We tried! Mom helped me get out of my kroj and get it hung up. My stomach was killing me because of all of the stress and excitement from the day. I took a shower and tried to go to bed. Problem was...Mom said she would call when she got to her motel and Shestak's said to be careful because there were tons of deer on the road an mom was super tired from being up so late. I hadn't heard from her and now she wasn't answering. I sent Dad a text and about 10 mins later she called and he sent a text back saying that she was ok. I tried to settle down but it was still hard as I was trying to process what had happened.

Now as I said before...I don't like mornings...but I woke up at 7am and couldn't get back to sleep. I was thinking about everything all over again! I dozed off a few more times and then got up to get dressed in kroj and start the day over again! We got dressed and ready and went to the Polka Mass at the Catholic Church. We all stood outside and greeted everyone as they walked in then at the end of the service they introduced all of us. We shook everyone's hand as they walked out and talked to them a bit. It was good to meet some more of the wonderful people from Clarkson. After church we got another wonderful Czech meal (only this time I asked for less meat and extra sauerkraut and dumplings.) YUMMY! All of the other girls gave me their candy apples too! They had an accordion jam at the school where we ate and mom talked to a few of the guys playing about possibly selling their accordions some day!! :-D There are some pictures in my album of the ones we looked at. Next we went to the main stage for some pictures now that we weren't sweaty and gross from the pageant then we took some on the stairs of the Presbyterian church in hopes that if these are used for press releases that we may get published more. I had a few pictures taken at the rock wall with my new crown and sash for the NE Czechs website then we went to the park stage for introductions again. This time they gave us each gifts a BEAUTIFUL piece of painted Bohemian glass and a gas card to help cover some of the costs of traveling to the pageant. Next the gave us each our cash awards for the categories we won in the pageant. We introduced ourselves and I thanked Clarkson so much for their hospitality. I was asked to perform my talent and instead of doing my talent without my props I had Shandra Korbelik come up and play accordion with me. I messed up several times but it was not too shabby for it being the first time we've played together. After this we took a few pictures with Sandy and Shayla in front of the pretty rock wall and then headed up to the Nursing Home. We got there a bit early and there were a few new accordion players performing so when Shandra got there I got my accordion and tried to play with them. We did a few more introductions and headed out of there as they had other performances coming and we were running behind. They got to hear me play at least with the group that was there. We had some free time after this introduction. I went to the Opera House to hear the band play and spent some time with Carrie, Shandra, Sandy, and the Miller's. Blair (Shayla's younger sister) has become my little lady after riding through the parade in Milligan with me showed up and made friends with another future Czech Queen I had met earlier. :) After hanging out there for a while I went back to Novak's to grab a few things before the parade. I was asked to go talk to a 95 year old woman who was in town so I stopped by and took a few pictures with her and her cousin before heading back downtown. Several of the girls said they were doing the kolace eating contest and without knowing what I was getting into I agreed! Well...it wasn't the traditional eat one as fast as you can and whistle...it was eat 3 with no hands as fast as you can. LOL! I'm sure there are some lovely pictures but it was fun as it was Emmy, Carrie, Me, and Sandy all up there in a row. We didn't have much time after that so we walked down to the parade. My car was covered in signs because it's so small anyways and there was a sign for each of my awards but it was neat to have all of that represented for those who didn't get to go to the parade especially since it was moved. The Wilber crew tried to take me out with candy before we even took off! LOL! After the parade I talked to Sandy and the Miller Crew before they headed out of town and then went back to Novak's one last time until next year to change and pack up my things. I can't believe how fast the weekend went!

Thanks from the bottom of my heart to all of you who came to Clarkson to support me...it truly kept me going. Thanks to all of you who have been there in my journeys since 2004 and those of you who will be there for me in the future. I could go on for days with names but then you'll never read my blog again! Much love to all and you've got a lot more reading to do now! :-D See you all in Wilber next August!

Na Shledanou,
Stefanie Vocasek
2009-10 NEBRASKA CZECH-SLOVAK QUEEN!!!!!!!!