Prague Heritage Day

I was excited to get to participate in Prague's Heritage day this year! I wasn't sure who would be there but I reminded all of the queens on Facebook because I miss all of them!

I actually had gone back to Columbus with Brad to meet some of his friends back home so we headed to Prague from Columbus on Sunday morning. I finally got to listen to Mark V on his Polka show and even called in to say hello and thanks to everyone for supporting me so far this year! We got to Prague around 11:15 and ate a WONDERFUL duck dinner (with dumplings, kraut, stuffing, and rye bread....YUMMY!!) at Kolace Corner. I headed over to the National Hall to see if anyone needed any help and ended up finding a garnet ring that I liked at the Czech Cottage booth...surprise surprise....once again Heidi had something I wanted! :-D I didn't buy it though...WILLPOWER! I went back to Kolace Corner and ran into Rabecca (the Prague Czech Queen) and her family. Everything started to come together by the time I made it back over to the National Hall! The program started a bit late but I was able to talk about myself and what I've done so far as queen and perform my talent (minus all of my props.) After I performed with Brad playing I invited Shandra up to the stage and had her play a few songs with us also. It was great to get to play with her again! They had Shandra and Rabecca speak a little bit about themselves and even had Sandy S come up and talk about the state pageant. Next was Sue Underwood and Carrie Brown (Miss Czech-Slovak US 2nd Runner Up and past Nebraska Queen) to do their demonstration and performance on the Dudy (Czech Bagpipes.) It was great to hear them play together and they did an awesome job especially since they had to throw it all together a few minutes before the performance!! I got to draw a few raffle tickets (hope nobody is mad if I didn't pick them!) Brad and I stuck around until it was all over and they were cleaning up. I ran into Annette's sister again and told her that I had actually met her sister only a few days before. There was also members of Studio Trio (who I sang with in Dwight) and a few from the night we went to Abie's Place. It was a great day and I can't wait to attend more events with the Prague Czech Chapter! Oh and I forgot to telly you...I gave in and bought the ring...yupp...another SILVER Garnet ring (so i can wear it everyday...and I do!) My every day jewelry now consists of 2 garnet rings, a garnet necklace, and sometimes a garnet bracelet if I feel like wearing one. ;)

I have a TON of stuff to get done this week before Oklahoma and the York Festival! WISH ME LUCK ON KNOCKING A HUGE TO DO LIST OUTTA THE WAY!

Spanem Bohem!
Stefanie Vocasek
2009-10 Nebraska Czech-Slovak Queen

Nebraska Czech Brass Band at Bohemian Cafe

I was excited to have another chance to go to the Bohemian Cafe! :) I had also never heard the Nebraska Czech Brass Band play so this was even more exciting. Brad and I decided to head up there and mom asked if she could come along at the last minute. We got there late as I wasn't feeling too well but at least made it in time to have some wonderful food and hear some great music. When we got there I realized one of the judges from the state pageant was in the band. I remembered him talking about a band and traveling to the Czech Republic with them etc but didn't realize it was THIS BAND! I also had the honor of meeting Annette Vanek, the first ever Miss Czech-Slovak US. We had been Facebook friends for a while but it was great to actually meet her. :) Oh and I had actually met her older sister in Abie a few months back if you remember so it was fun to tell her about that also. After they finished playing we talked a few people and everyone kept asking when Brad and I would be back...HOPEFULLY SOON! (Kinda made me feel good that they asked about me too! HEHE!) We also got to meet Barry Boyce in the back of the restaurant. Glad we didn't miss it!

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

Just Go to the Hot Air Bloon on the Interstate...Yorkfest!

Well I felt like a bad queen last weekend! I didn't do anything in kroj at all or at least get introduced and sing...hmmmm gonna have to work on that so it doesn't happen again! ;)

I remembered going to a Yorkfest parade several years ago before York had it's own Czech Festival so I started looking into it. I haven't had a chance to work with the York Czechs much yet. My mom gave me the email address of one of the York Czechs so I emailed here and asked if I could attend. I started making plans and also told her that I would be at the dumpling cook-off and if they needed a server or judge or anything let me know. (I'm sneakier than you though huh? FREE DUMPLINGS...I'M THERE!) She asked if I would be a judge and of course I said YES! LOL! I was definitely excited for this event.

I arrived with my dad Saturday morning and after getting the cars unloaded went and lined up with the rest of the York Czechs for the parade. It was great to see such a wide variety of people supporting the York Czechs. I asked if everyone would take a picture together before we had to start on our way through the parade to show that there were people young and old to support this chapter. After the parade Pam agreed to take me around town so I wouldn't be left on my own. :) We stopped by the kolace booth for a bit to see everyone and then headed back to her house for a bit before we had to run a few errands. We first grabbed some lunch then headed to the local Chinese food restaurant to pick up some Chinese Dumplings that they had entered in the dumpling cook-off. They also had asked me to call Brad and have him come early to play with a few other people before/during the cook-off. We headed to the college to start setting up and I helped her carry in all of the things she needed. After setting up I got to be a judge and eat some of each of the 8 different entries....YUMM! :) There were fruit dumplings, potato dumplings, and Chinese dumplings...how on earth do you decide!?!?! Each of the 3 judges got to pick our 1st - 3rd choices and we tallied the results. Then all of the other guests got to try them all and vote too. They picked both a Judges Choice and a Peoples Choice winner and they got a bowl, wooden spoon, dumpling mix, and dumpling potholder. They actually had dumpling mix for sale...what a great idea if you don't have time to throw it all together yourself it's only about a 2 min job this way just to mix in the wet ingredients. Keep an eye out for that at the York festival this year...I bet they'll have it there. After stuffing myself full of dumplings I played a few songs with the group of accordion players and then spoke a little bit about what I've been doing so far this year and thanked everyone. I am definitely excited for the York Czech festival in a few weeks! :)

Spanem Bohem!
Stefanie Vocasek
2009-10 Nebraska Czech-Slovak Queen

Come on Down and Join in the Fun

....Nebraska State Fair

I know you know the jingle! Don't try to pretend you didn't hear it 1,000 on the TV and radio this year. :) I actually hadn't made it to the state fair at all this year with my busy schedule. (Surprise, surprise. LOL) It was a late night as I said before but luckily I slept quite a bit in the car on the way home so I wasn't too incredibly tired when we got up to get ready for the fair. My parents just dropped Brad off at home and then dropped Laura and Me off at my house to sleep but we left everything in the car. Luckily....my dad doesn't like to sleep in so he had everything unloaded when we got up and got to their house to get ready. :P Oh and BONUS...mom warmed up everything they got from the bakery in West for breakfast! We got ready and headed down to the fairgrounds and met Laura's parents to get all of her stuff back with them. We headed in and found our float. They had several queens participating from rodeo queens to beauty pageant queens to Czech queens so they just had a float for all of us to ride on. Lane (the Wilber Czech Prince) was also riding with us so the sign they had said "Nebraska Queens (and One Prince Too!)" We thought that was just too cute! After the parade we went to the family activity tent and had an autograph signing/meet and greet. Unfortunately I didn't know what exactly we would be doing so I didn't bring autograph sheets. I made a sign up sheet for people to give me their email address or physical address for a photograph. I emailed a photograph of me to each kid with their name and mine along with a special message. I definitely need to get my autograph sheets and business cards ready for the next event. EEK! It was a lot of fun and after the signing we went out and changed so we could walk around a bit. Laura decided to head back home with her parents right after that because she had to get back to class but Sheyenne, Brad, and I walked around for a while together and Sheyenne and I got to wear our shirts we got made in TX. We even stopped by the Franks booth from Wilber and took a picture with them. :) After Kiesels left Brad and I walked around till the booths started shutting down. A fun day at the fair and most likely the last time I'll be going for the next few years.

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

WESTFEST! (The Furthest Journey Yet!)

Well everyone I just got back from Westfest and had a blast! I definitely recommend heading down to West, TX over Labor Day Weekend if you have a chance. It wasn't Wilber but I figure I have a biased opinion. :-D I had been in contact with Sharon Middlebrook (the mother of Sarah Middlebrook, Miss Czech-Slovak US 2006) on Facebook for a few months and she was so helpful and welcoming when we began talking about traveling to West for the festival. If you haven't already you should definitely check out her blog. She has made several replica kroj for Sarah...COMPLETELY by hand and she has been kind enough to share her secrets in case you are looking to make one or something similar. Click Here to Visit Sharon's Czech Costumes Blog I can't thank her and her family for their hospitality over the weekend enough. You truly made myself and my WHOLE family feel like royalty and you are the type of people who keep people coming back to events like this again and again!

We left around 6am on Friday morning (as usual we were a bit late.) HAHA! I didn't get to sleep until around 4am and had to pack up the van at 5am. Nothing like waiting till the last minute to pack and get ready for a trip. :) I swear traveling with 5 was a lot easier when we were all little kids! HEHE! Both of my parents went along with myself, Laura, and Brad. We drove and drove and drove then stopped in Oklahoma City to visit some relatives. They were cousins of my Grandmother's on the Rezabek side of the family which made it even more fun because they were my relatives AND Laura's. We thought while we were driving through we would stop by and since Brad and I had brought our accordions...we had a small concert in their commons area of their apartment. Their names are Mary Ann and Erma Rezabek. They have been sending me Birthday...Christmas...Easter...Valentines Day...St Patricks Day...etc cards since I was little. :) They never had grand kids of their own so I guess they just adopted us and we think they are the sweetest ever so it was well appreciated! A few months back I received a package from Mary Anne after my parents and brother had stopped by on their last trip to TX and showed them all of the pictures and videos from the state pageant. She had sent me several books about Czech heritage, 2 records one of which was from the Czech Choraliers that I now sing with, a piece of Czech trim, and the last was a complete shock. She had sent me a beautiful garnet necklace. With the necklace she had handwritten it's story. It was several pages long so I'll summarize. Basically she used to be a teacher on military bases for children of US soldiers. She was getting sent to Germany when a soldier asked her to do him a favor and if she ever went to Prague to find his elementary school pen pal. She did find him on her first trip to Prague and continued to visit him and his wife each time that she visited the country. Before she came back to the US she visited one last time and they gave her this garnet necklace. The man has since passes away but she told me that whenever I wear it that she would be proud along with him, his wife, and a now free Czech Republic. Mom and I cried when we read this. They loved having all of us stop by and hearing a bit of our music and in the last card I received from them they said that they still get questions about who we were and why we stopped and why we were playing. :) After leaving their apartment we stopped at the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. I still wish I could go into the museum but it is like 4 stories tall and I'm sure I could spend a whole day just looking through it. I recommend stopping at least to see the outdoor memorial if you are ever in the area. I had been there before but now being older and really knowing what happened that day it literally took my breath away to walk in there. I held back the tears more than once. After those 2 stops we were set to drive the rest of the way with no other major stops....wrong....apparently traffic decided to make us stop ON THE INTERSTATE...MULTIPLE TIMES! We even took a 50 mile detour once to try to get around an accident that happened in a construction zone and were still at a stop when we got back on the interstate. Next we hit rush hour traffic in Dallas....LOVELY! By the time we checked into our hotel...our 11 hour drive had turned into a 14.5 hour drive. We were definitely ready to get out of the car when we got there. We hopped into the pool for a bit to relax when we got there which was fun. Mom and I tried doing flips together in the pool and almost drown each other then Brad and I tried our shot at a lyrical synchronized swimming duet. HAHA! Poor Laura had to get some homework done so she decided not to swim the first night. After winding down we tried to get some rest for a busy day on Saturday.

Saturday started early as we were trying to be to West by 7am and we were 20 mins away. Plus we had to be in kroj and ready for the day. We got up and started getting ready. Laura and I were runnin around with our tights already on and shorts and puttin on makeup and doing our hair. It was kinda like having a sister! Then while I was pulling my curlers out of my hair...I dropped one in the toilet! I told my mom I wasn't grabbing it and it was either staying there or she had to pull it out. :) Don't worry...I got pictures. HAHA! When we got to the Middlebrook's house we met up with the wonderful Kiesel family also. We didn't have a lot of time before we had to head to the parade but got to meet everyone and say hello at least. The Middlebrook's had a float made for us "Nebraska Czech Royalty" so Myself, Laura, Sheyenne, Carrie, and Konner got to ride through in the parade. I couldn't believe how fast they drove through the parade! We originally wanted to dance on the float but we stood up a few times and almost fell...not good. :) On the parade route I found out that my Texas family had met up with my parents. It was wonderful to see them and have them support me! My uncle Russ, aunt Linda, her parents Ann and Earl, my cousin Angie and her husband Dan and their 2 kids Nathan and Brayden ALL came down to West to see me. After the parade we got to watch some of the entertainment before the parade of kroj. I LOVED seeing all of the different and unique kroj and what better way than to have each person parade through and describe their kroj a little bit. LOVED IT!!! Once we were done walking through the open air auditorium they had us parade through the whole festival then take a picture under the Vitame Vas na Westfest (Welcome to Westfest) sign. They wanted some pictures with all of the queens so we had to wait to get all of us together too. After all of that I was pretty worn out and ready to go back to the hotel and swim/relax. It was hot which I had been hoping for but I definitely didn't ask for all of that humidity. We didn't have much time to walk around but Laura and I had a shirt made by the airbrush people with our titles but had to wait until the following day to pick them up. We left early to go cool off and my parents didn't want to come back the next day because they had see everything but Laura,Brad, and I decided we were coming back to see everything the next day. We had fun visiting my aunt and uncles campsite and swimming but we were definitely ready to crash when we went to to bed...AFTER waiting forever for the showers. LOL...5 of us and 1 shower = lots of time waiting if you're the last one to shower (ME AND I WAS THE FASTEST ONE OF ALL!)

Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast. We ran into the Kiesels at breakfast and had a few issues with the waffle making! LOL! We went back to Westfest and walked around for a few hours. We bought some of the stuff from the craft section and I had to make another stop by the outdoor air conditioning because I thought it was just too funny. I even walked through several purse booths...AND DIDN'T EVEN BUY ONE!!! Mom and Dad made it to the bakery in West to grab some goodies and called when they ran out of things to do. We grabbed some food (WE FINALLY FOUND THE CZECH FOOD) and headed back to the gates to meet them. Oh I didn't mention this was a lot like a fair...craft booths....fair style food....and entertainment only with a Czech twist. We stopped by my aunt and uncles campsite on our way out of town to say goodbye to everyone before we headed for our HOPEFULLY NOT SO LONG trip home! I had such a good time and wish I could have stayed longer but had to be back in Lincoln for a parade at the Nebraska State Fair. On our way home we decided NOT to go through Dallas this time and stopped to show Brad and Laura my aunt and uncles outdoor living area that I am IN LOVE WITH! The basically have a living room, dining room, and bar under a shelter with fans etc so most of the year you can sit out there instead of being stuck in the house all of the time. They also put in a wood burning stove and heaters plus screens you can drop down so you can spend some of the "cold Texas months" out there too. Someday.... :) We had a less crazy drive home but it was 2:30am when we finally got home and headed to bed!! I was definitely happy to be home and see my puppies! (I'm pathetic...I know.)

Spanem Bohem!
Stefanie Vocasek
2009-10 Nebraska Czech-Slovak Queen

Brad Husak Combo Bohemian Cafe

Well Brad is snagging jobs all over the place and you know his #1 fan has to make an appearance as often as possible! :) This time he had the chance to play at Bohemian Cafe. If you remember we had gone there to hear Less Talk More Polka play a few months back and when he was there he started talking to the owners/managers. He gave them a CD and asked if they would be interested in having him come and play sometime. He was excited to play as he hasn't played much around the Omaha area. (I didn't complain either because this meant I had an excuse to eat there!!!!) We got there a bit later than we hoped to because my mom and I had to work until 5 but we were lucky to make it there before they started to play. It also took a bit longer because I wore my full kroj. A group of us said we would but I ended up being the ONLY one. We had dinner (this time I decided to just get sides because I ALWAYS order way too much when we go there) and as usual the food was wonderful. I at least got to eat my food before they started asking me to go up and play/sing. The crowd was AWESOME! I started to sing and they all joined in. :) I've never been anywhere where they have done that. I got to play my accordion and Brad as usual thought he needed to play it quite a bit too. I even tried hiding it from him under my table but he found it when I walked away! We can't wait to go back as we have more fun every time we go!!

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

Brad and Band at Kolace Corner, Bellvue, and Milford

Well another fun and eventful weekend filled with a variety of different things. Friday night I got a group of family and friends to go to Kolace Corner in Prague to watch Brad and his band play. It was a blast to get to spend some time with my family and friends and run into some people I haven't seen in a while. After I finished eating Brad announced that they were going to take a break and then some special guests would be up to play with them. It was really funny because he said he had to go get something and ran to the car. Well...a few weeks back my mom made him "Brad Husak Trio" and "Brad Husak Combo" signs...yea you're probably catching on here. He ran out to the car to get the combo sign and put it up when Shandra and I played. I messed up several times because I was using the Kuchar and I'm not used to the spacing on the square keys yet. I sang the Blue Skirt Waltz and played some songs with the band. I got to enjoy the music a bit longer. I kept telling Brad to put the black Kuchar down so he wouldn't get attached. He seems to have played that one more than his own in the evening. Later in the evening I decided to try to sing a few more songs since someone had the words. I TOTALLY messed up because the words are a bit different than the ones I knew. I sang Musicians Come and Play, Wide Meadow, and the Prune Song. Lots of fun and I know there are many more to come!

Saturday morning I had to get up early to head to Bellvue, NE for their parade. I was excited to get to go through the parade with Carrie Brown (2008 NE Czech-Slovak Queen and 2009 Miss Czech-Slovak US 2nd Runner Up.) Sandy S (from the NE pageant committee) was kind enough to borrow a friends convertible for us to ride through in so we met up with her and headed to the parade. There was a group from the Omaha Czech Cultural Club who walked through with a banner and Carrie and I rode in the convertible. It was fun and a BEAUTIFUL day for a parade but there was A LOT of sitting and waiting and moving a foot forward and sitting and waiting....yea you get the idea. I think we waited about an hour and a half before we were actually up to the beginning of the parade route. There were lots of people there and for once I heard "I love your tiara" or "I like your crown" or "You're pretty" INSTEAD of "Nice car" or "Burn out." They actually noticed us back there and not just the car! :) After the parade was over we decided to go have lunch at Ruby Tuesday. Mom and I joined Sandy, Carrie, and Monica. It was fun to sit down and talk to them about events around the state and the national pageant. When I finally looked at the clock I got a bit nervous as I had to be in Milford by 4pm and it was already 1:45.

We ran back home on our way through Lincoln to make some signs for my special guests for the 2nd parade and headed to Milford. I was excited to get to ride through the Milford Fun Days parade as SCC has been such a big supporter of me in my journeys as queen for the past few years. Dad was on a golfing trip so he couldn't drive me through so Donna Havener agreed to drive us through. Once again Donna saves the day! :) I always tell people I can tell you what not to do in WebAdvisor when registering for classes because I've done everything you shouldn't do. Donna has bailed me out of quite a few little situations when I've messed something up in my account! LOL! We met her at the High School along with Blair and Blaze Miller from Friend. They got to ride through the parade with me together this time. This was Blaze's first parade so he was pretty excited...his sister however didn't want me to get too attached. :) We had fun riding through the parade and parted ways. I was pretty tired after all of that. Mom and I got some food from the Milford Fire Dept and headed back to Lincoln. It was good to see some of my old/current instructors and go through this parade again as the Nebraska Czech-Slovak Queen this time.

Well another fun filled weekend and more to come this week! Oh and I have to tell this story. I've been trying to figure out how I was going to pay for my accordion. My dad said he would have to check his farm account (from the farm land he inherited from grandpa Eddie Vocasek.) I told him that I know grandpa would have wanted me to spend the money on the accordion. :) As much as I joke about it I know he's smiling down on me every time I pick an accordion up. I miss him but he'll be with me always!

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

First Look at MY Accordion! :-D

Well I've officially fell in love...with an accordion. HAHA! I've been looking for a Kuchar accordion for a few months now. It is to the point where I really needed my own to play since I really do love it and don't plan on giving it up anytime soon. :) Well the hard part is nobody else wants to sell their Kuchar. Well a few months ago I was lucky to have met Math and Dottie Sladky. Brad was very close to them and I started to get to know them through him. Well Dottie bought 3 accordions a few weeks back and knew how much I wanted a Kuchar. Although she originally was getting the Kuchar for herself she said that she would sell it to me because I may not have the opportunity to buy one again soon and she may. I couldn't believe it! Well Brad and I went out to see it and got to play it for a while. We looked at all 3 accordions first then went and had dinner. After we got back to the house she let us go through a bunch of CDs and Tapes from artists around the US and even some that Math had brought back from the Czech Republic. After going through all of those we played together for a while and we had to head back to Lincoln because I had an early morning at work. It was a great night and we definitely plan on going to visit her more often. I love the accordion...you'll have to check out the pictures of all 3 of them!! Hopefully I'll get the money situation in line so I can buy it soon. I am blessed to have met so many great people who are so supportive of me and my love of my Czech heritage. I don't think I could say thanks enough to all of you!

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

Playing at Aunt Pam's Wedding

Well as usual I didn't plan anything Czech for this weekend but ended up adding something to the list. My aunt got married this weekend and had asked Brad to play a song or 2 at the reception. This way she could have a few polka songs and also give the DJ a bit of a break. Well guess who got volunteered to help. :) We played several songs and I decided to sing the Blue Skirt Waltz too. A few of my family members like to polka so they were out doin their thing. It was a lot of fun and at least I got to do something Czech this week. I made Brad do a few on his own so he could show off a bit too. Another example that my family is really supportive of me!

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

Wilber Czech Days 2009 = THE COOLEST CZECH DAYS EVER

Well I can't believe Wilber Czech Days has gone by already...EEK! Only one more year till I'm IN THE PAGEANT IN WILBER! (Well actually it's 366 days from today...yes I'm already counting down!)

Well I headed to Wilber on Friday night this year. I had a really early morning as I started my new shift at work. I worked from 6am-2pm and didn't take a lunch so I could get out of there early. I got everything together and got dressed so Brad and I could head to the accordion jam. (Of course I was a bit behind. HEHE!) When we got there Shandra was just running up to the stage too so I didn't feel too bad. :) We played for a bit...or rather he played and I tried. Then I had to get Shandra off the stage. She was getting an award and I couldn't tell her about it so I told her that we were walking through the children's parade and needed to stop by the bandstand so I could accept an award for my dad first. We totally got her...she had NO IDEA and didn't even hear Laura when she called her name. :) My dad really did get the award too so I accepted it for him. We spent a bit more time walking the streets etc. We stopped in Sokol and ran into Grandma Dorothy there which was good because we were going to head to her house next to catch her before she went to bed. She said nobody else was coming till Saturday so I was really surprised to run into my cousin Dana there (she's a past Wilber Czech Queen!) I changed and we all headed out for the evening. We went to the Fox Hole to watch Sue and Gaylen and Deb play and didn't leave from there as it started pouring rain not too long after we got inside. Brad left early because he had to drive back to Wilber the next morning and we went back to Grandma's and got our beds put together etc. Nothing too crazy and a good night overall. :)

The next morning I got up and tried to get ready early but did a lot more sitting around that I should have! When I did get ready, Brad came and picked me up and we headed to the accordion jam at the bandstand. We hid in the back which was good for me because I had some room around me and was able to hear myself play. But towards the end of the jam they wanted everyone in the back to come to the front. Of course they wanted me front and center but I told them I would only come up there if they played songs I knew. We played Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie, Koline, and When We Parted. It was fun to feel like I can play along now that I'm improving. After the jam we had a bit of time to wander around town because I had to do introductions of the chapter queens at noon. We met up with my prince and princess and watched the dancers perform. When we went on stage I COMPLETELY forgot my introduction but I just made a joke about it and moved on. I introduced Sidney and Jackson and made an announcement that it was Sid's 9th Birthday that day...nobody believed it because she is so stinkin little! We watched all of the National queens introduce themselves then headed up to the Czech Village for our dignitary luncheon. Before we got there we stopped at the Czech Craft Shop to get Jake a hat to wear with his vest in the parade (he got to ride through the parade in the front seat with us) and to Czech Cottage and bought me and Sidney new crown pins for our sashes (hers was broken.) We had time to run there while the national queens took pictures and then headed on our way. As usual my dad and younger brother were there to greet everyone and grandma was there serving food. We all grabbed some food then sat down for introductions. Well I had been trying to keep my dads award a secret...but CHARLIE KELLER spilled the beans at the bandstand and everyone started asking him where his sash was and telling him congrats. After Charlie introduced the mayor, senator, and Wilber Queen he introduced me. I spoke a bit and then asked for someone special to come up to the front. I explained that it was an honor to accept this award for my dad the night before and tried to choke down the tears when I explained that my grandpa had gotten this award when I was the Lincoln queen and now dad is getting it as I am the Nebraska queen. He was pretty proud. After that I did a few quick introductions and we had to run and get to the cars. I couldn't believe how cool it was! This couldn't possibly be Czech Days! :) The kids had fun and as usual bickered about who had more people on their side and which side their family was on. LOL! After the parade they went to get candy and I started to get ready for the talent show. There were several Friends/family members who weren't able to travel to Clarkson to see me perform my talent so I decided to do my talent in Wilber for everyone who missed it to see. After the parade was over the talent show started. I love watching all of the kids perform...they never stop surprising me! After all of the younger divisions were complete we started on the 18 and older division. The people in my division were Laura Shestak (the Wilber Czech Queen) who danced, Sydnee Kiesel (the Wilber Czech Princess' Older Sister) who sang, the Kiesel Quartet (Sydnee, Savanna, Sheyenne the Wilber Princess, and Conner) who danced, Myself, and 2 Girls who did a marshal arts performance. As usual...I definitely wouldn't want to be a judge in this competition. Everyone did an awesome job. Sydnee won 4th place, Kiesel Quartet won 3rd place, I won 2nd Place (which I've one for the past several years...I was really shootin for 1st this time,) and the marshal arts duo won 1st. After the talent show we watched the kids dance and then wandered around a bit before night 1 of the pageant. I was really excited to watch the pageant this year...hard to believe that my turn is only a year away. I've been watching this since I was a baby! The first night was kroj modeling and on stage interviews. I will tell you right now that things have changed! The interview questions just get harder and harder every year but they're looking for the best candidate and this is a great way to do that. I think there was 2 questions out of all of them that I may have stumbled on if I had to answer them right then and there. I was mentally going through what I would have said etc the WHOLE TIME! The kroj this year were BEAUTIFUL...but I say that every year. After the pageant my dad walked me back to grandma's house after a quick stop in the Hotel Wilber Beer Garden to see Vo (aka my uncle Gary) and Aunt Laurie because I haven't seen them in a while and they were there for his class reunion. I was SCARED TO DEATH that somebody was going to spill beer on me but I made it out of there clean and dry. YIPPEE! After changing we walked around a bit and I finally found some of the family to meet up with and it was already 11pm. We stayed out until the beer garden closed and walked back to grandma's house. I fell asleep on the recliner not too long after we got back and I was out for the night.

Sunday morning came too quickly...mostly because the recliner wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep and I was in the living room so as people started getting up I heard them walking around etc. I took a shower and cleaned up a bit but put off getting ready for the day. I put it off a bit too long because I was rushing like crazy to make it to the bandstand for introductions at noon. I got there right on time but they were running behind with the dancers so I was fine. PHEW! I did introductions of the chapter queens (and got my introduction right this time) then me and the kids listened to the national queen introductions. After they all did their introductions we walked with them to the Czech Village for the luncheon again. This one was shorter as there wasn't as many people there as the previous day. We rode through in a different car on the 2nd day (I'm lucky to have the hookup on cars!!!) Jake decided not to be my little Jr Prince on Sunday because he wanted to stay and catch candy. Toward the end of the parade someone had turned off about 3 or 4 blocks early...so everyone else followed. When we got up there I told dad to keep going and go to the end of the normal parade route. Everyone started cheering really loud and standing up when we came thorough. They were so excited that now the parade would actually come past them like it should have. I think I may have made some extra fans for next year. ;) After the parade we walked down to the Outdoor Theater and sat in the shade for a while (it was actually ALMOST Czech Days weather by this time.) Laura and I sent my mom and her dad on a mission to find us some sauerkraut/good Czech food so when they couldn't find anything else they told us to meet them at Sokol. We had lunch then headed back to the Outdoor Theater. They did introductions of the Wilber Royalty and then asked me to come up and speak a bit. I was really nervous...I think I started to realize that I would be on that same stage in a year competing for a title I have always dreamed to have. Once we were done with that I went back to Sokol and found Uncle Dan because I've always wanted to dance in the dance contest but never had a partner. Well in the beer garden the night before we "practiced for next year" because I thought that the dance contest was on Saturday. I kept trying to get him to say he would dance with me and so did the rest of the family...even Aunt Jan! :) I finally wore him down. We had to dance one polka and one waltz. After we finished they called us all back up and told us they needed one more polka. What was that...an endurance test?! LOL! We were in the 55+ age division and didn't place...there were like 7 other couples out there. Oh well...it was fun and at least I can say I finally did it! After the dance contest the kids danced one more time and then it was time for the pageant again. The 2nd night is always really exciting...the talents and awards! The talent was awesome! I was surprised to see no accordion players this year. After all of the girls did their talend, Sandy Ptak (the outgoing Miss Czech-Slovak US,) performed her talent...with a twist. Her court and Shandra Korbelik came out and danced while she was singing...it was HILLARIOUS. I posted it on YouTube and it is spreading around like crazy. :) Just click here to watch it! Next she gave her farewell speech and surprisingly...we all held it together. Then they brought all of the girls on stage for awards....drumroll please! Here were the results:
TJ Sokol Award (For the Best Sokol Like Routine) - Olivia Cada, Miss Minnesota
Heritage Award (Based on Application) - Tanya Jech, Miss Illinois
Lois Fiala Spirit Heritage Award - Leilani Kurtak, Miss Arizona
Miss Congeniality (Voted by Contestants) - Olivia Cada, Miss Minnesota
Oratory Award (Public Speaking) - Teresa Mahoney, Miss Oregon
Americanized Kroj (Costume) - Christy Dowling, Miss Kansas
Authentic Kroj (Costume) - Teresa Mahoney, Miss Oregon
Talent Runner Up - Briana Tichy, Miss New Jersey
Grand Talent - Christy Dowling, Miss Kansas
2nd Runner Up - Carrie Brown, Miss Nebraska
1st Runner Up - Teresa Mahoney, Miss Oregon
Miss Czech-Slovak US 2009 - Briana Tichy, Miss New Jersey
They all did an AMAZING job! I loved watching all of these girls and look forward to being in the pageant next year and I'm sure that the competition will only get harder...it always does. After the pageant they took tons of pictures and then headed to Sokol for the queen reception. We danced and had cake/punch and spent time with all of the girls. It was a blast. Definitely a great way to end the weekend. I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE MY TURN IS A YEAR AWAY NOW! I'm sure the time is going to fly by but I'm gonna do everything I can to make it a wonderful and memorable year.

If any of you can suggest anything or can help me prepare for the pageant next year...I would love your help. You can send me a comment here or email me at stefanievocaek@hotmail.com I appreciate all of your support up to this point and hope to make all of you proud in the months to come!

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