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

A Trip to Kansas for a Czech Festival! :)

Well I made my first out of state appearance as the Nebraska Czech-Slovak Queen this weekend. :) I wanted to travel around Nebraska as much as possible as the Nebraska queen this year but I also wanted to make it to a few of the other state's festivals to see how different things are everywhere you go. We had to get up super early so we could be on the road by 5:30am (which turned into 6am with me and mom traveling. LOL) I wanted to sleep the whole way down there but couldn't fall asleep for the first hour or so. I finally crashed after we grabbed some breakfast in York. I was going to put my hair in curlers on the way but my curlers took too much power so we couldn't get them powered on. LOL! DANG IT! When we pulled up I got dressed (the rest of the way...Donna and Sandy could see me trying to get dressed in the back of the van...it worked much better when I was six...or any time before I was 6'1". HEHE!) It started to sprinkle so we were hoping to make it through the parade before it rained. Well that definitely didn't happen. I did OK keeping myself somewhat dry but it wasn't the most fun parade we've been through this year. My mom had just made me new signs to go with my Nebraska signs so she found someone with Saran wrap to cover them with. :) After the parade we went down to the beer garden to hear the polka band play. Brad knew the band leader Dave Salmons so he sent out a song to us and introduced me as the Nebraska Queen. We walked around the park a bit to see all the vendors and I got a t-shirt made. I had them put Wilson Czech Festival 2009 on the front and the back has a list of things about being Czech. (I'll post what it says later.) Mom started being sneaky after this and we figured out that she was buying Brad a hat but wasn't sure what exactly it would say etc. We went to get some food and found out their buffet was running out. We thought there would be enough to get a bit but it was very well picked over. Oh well...live and learn. :) After we ate we headed back to the beer garden/vendors. Dave let Brad play a few songs with the band and of course they sounded really good. After he played a bit and had put the accordion back down Mom walked up and I knew what she was up to...surprise surprise....he asked Me and Brad to come up for The Blue Skirt Waltz. My voice hurt a bit and I had a headache so I didn't really want to sing but...all in a day's work as queen right? After that we went back to the vendors and had our picture taken in one of those cutouts where you put your face in. They were little Czech dancers. I started getting tired and hot so we grabbed some food and headed to the Pageant. There were only 2 contestants competing for the Kansas Czech-Slovak Queen title this year and they both did a great job. Once again...I don't envy the judges in any of these pageants. I couldn't believe how fast the pageant went with only 2 contestants! A few of the things that I noticed that are very different from our pageant are that it is indoors and they have the contestants walk off stage during kroj modeling so the audience gets a better look. Their judges sit all the way in the balcony so I hope that they got to see the beautiful kroj up closer (maybe during private interview?) They also give a huge variety of prizes to the contestants (luggage, crystal, gift certificates, etc.) We knew there were Vocasek's in Wilson at one time and we kept running into the name. We saw a plaque for Dorothy Vocasek in the Opera House and a certificate for Peppy Joe Vocasek. Dad went out to the graveyard and found several Vocasek graves. We also got to see Peppy Joe's old barber shop which is now the home of a family in town. We took some pictures in front of it. We heard stories about him being a POW and being thrown on a pile of bodies when someone saw him moved. Had they not been there at that moment he wouldn't have lived. Dad and the new owner of the house exchanged information so hopefully we may hear more about him someday. After chatting for a while we headed for the car to head home. It was a great day with some of my favorite Czech people. :) (Yes...SOME of them...there are too too many!) I'm so excited to have met Aubrey and so glad to have seen their pageant.

So far I have met Aubrey the 2009-10 Kansas Czech-Slovak Queen and talked to Jennifer the 2009-10 South Dakota Czech-Slovak Queen. These are 2 of the girls who will be in Wilber with me next year. The only one I haven't talked to (that I know has been crowned so far)is Stephanie from Wisconsin and I actually emailed their pageant director and asked her to send my information on so maybe I can talk to her soon too. Who knows she may even be coming to Wilber! :) I'm so excited!!!

Just a few words of wisdom from myself and Shandra Korbelik (a past Nebraska Queen.) Well we were talking...you know how they say that the best way to a mans heart is through his stomach. Well we decided this is a lie because it works for us too. We have revised this phrase and it is now "The Best Way to a Czechs Heart is Through Their Stomach!" Keep that in mind ladies and gents! :0)

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

Bickford Cottage Visit

I don't get to do a whole lot around Lincoln so I'm always excited to be invited to events around Lincoln. Bickford Cottage contacted my mom a few months back asking if the Lincoln Czech-Slovak Queen would perform for their Czech week in July. (For those of you who don't know...my mom is the President of the Lincoln Czechs this year.) I started working with them and agreed to come on the 22nd of July. When I walked in on Wed it was hilarious. The activities coordinator announced that she had invited the Lincoln Queen to come and speak and couldn't believe that she just didn't show up like this. But luckily the Nebraska Queen was here to take her place. Then she said oh wait...that's because she's the same person. :) I thought that was pretty cute. I spoke about what I've done as the Lincoln Queen previously and my plans for the future as the newly crowned Nebraska Czech-Slovak Queen. I told them about how I was raised with my Czech heritage being an important part of my life and have chosen to keep it as a big part of my life as I've gotten older. I told them about the pageant and all of the girls in Clarkson. I was proud to again get to describe my kroj a bit and show of some of the very important pieces to me. I showed them what Anne had embroidered and then they said the Choraliers would be there that evening. I told them to tell her how beautiful her work was. After talking for a while I performed my talent for them and even did my old talent from a few years ago. They had kolaces for a snack and I walked around a bit in case anyone had questions or wanted to see my kroj up close. I had to rush out of there because I had to be back to work. It was a great visit and I told them I would love to come back again next year. Now I'm preparing for a longer trip all the way down to Wilson, KS on Saturday.


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

Another Busy Weekend! Gretna, Western, and Dwight

Well another busy Czech filled weekend! :) We started the weekend by going to Gretna for a parade. Sandy Schnakenberg from the Omaha Czech Cultural Club and the State Pageant Committee asked if I could come so I was excited to get to see her there. They had one of the Omaha members on a small float playing the accordion right in front of me. I couldn't believe how big the parade was! It was long and there were TONS of people. It was great to see Sandy again and it was the first time that my Lincoln Prince and Princess were able to come to an event with me. I've been able to have one of them come to one event but never both. They had fun but we had some typical brother/sister moments. They were arguing over who had more people on their side of the car etc. HAHA! They did a good job and then we had a break because we didn't have another event until that evening.

I had lunch with some of my friends at Grisanti's and didn't have time to go home and change or I would have had to cancel on them...so I did what I had to and had lunch in kroj. :) I got some funny looks but we got some first class service. ;)We also had several people walk by and ask to read my sash or asked why I was dressed up etc. LOL! I had a quick 20 min nap when we got home and had to get back into kroj to head to Western for the parade.

I got up and started to get dressed to go to the parade but had to redo my hair etc and surprise surprise...I wasn't ready when Brad came to pick me up. HEHE! I'm so glad he is understanding with me. I rushed around and got everything that I needed and hopped in the car to head to Western. Of course he wouldn't let me forget my accordion so he grabbed it on the way out the door. We got to the parade a bit early (see I wasn't running late...I was just getting us there at a good time so we wouldn't be waiting for too long. LOL) We actually ended up waiting for my parents to get there because they went to see Grandma Dorothy. She was really excited to see some pictures from the pageant. Mary Jean Keller gave her one of my fans from the pageant when she was still at the Wilber Care Center and she said Grandma was really excited to get it. I know Grandpa would be really proud of me too. I miss him a lot and it's been hard doing all of this without him there but I know he's with me always. My prince and princess were running a bit late and we were afraid that they weren't gonna make it before the parade began but they showed up about 2 mins before we went. Their little brother Jake rode in the front seat with my dad and he was excited to be in the parade. After the parade dad dropped us off by the bar where Sue and band would be playing. The kids were only out on the parade route for about 10 mins and they walked out with a whole bag full of candy. They went crazy! (Plus they're super cute so I think they got a lot more thrown to them than anyone else. LOL) We walked down and said hi to Uncle Bob and Phyllis and then headed back to the bar for the band to start playing. I stayed in kroj as I knew they would make me play. They introduced me as the newly crowned Nebraska queen and then had me sing Blue Skirt and play then went through all of the songs I can play and had everyone play with me. After playing all of them that I knew...I was ready to change. I had been in kroj all day. I changed into some regular clothes and sat around and listened to the band play. All of the other royalty had left but Charlie Keller was still there in full force. He was SO FUNNY! :) Not that it's unusual for him to get the crowd going. About 30 mins after I got done playing Shandra showed up and played with the band for a while too. It was a great night but we were a bit nervous to drive home. The band quit playing around 12:40 and then had to pack up. We left around 1:30 and my dad had already hit a deer around 8pm when it was still light so it was scary. My parents said they saw 3 or 4 more deer on the way home but we didn't see any. Thank goodness! I was very tired when we got home and crashed. I had to get up before leaving for Dwight to finish a bit of homework.

I got up the next morning to finish homework and start the day in kroj again. We left for Dwight around noon so we would get there around the same time as Laura and family. We had free meal coupons so we went to eat first and found out that introductions would be in the same place as where we were eating. It was nice to not have to run across town several times. When we walked in the band who was playing (Studio Trio) asked which one of us was going to sing. :) We polka danced for a minute in front of the stage (I was the boy this time because I made Laura be the boy last time.) After we got our food sat down at the table they took us to the front and introduced us. Laura went first and introduced herself and invited everyone to come to Wilber in a few short weeks. I introduced myself in Czech and then in English. I told everyone that I had just won the Nebraska title in June and was excited for what the year would bring. They had asked us again who was going to sing before we started talking. I agreed this time and so after introductions I sang the Blue Skirt Waltz. It was a bit high but I survived. :) We got to go watch all of the kids dance after we ate lunch and they did a WONDERFUL job! I'm so proud to see so many kids involved and having fun dancing. It was really neat becuase after they danced their director told that she had been teaching the dancer for 20 years and before that she was a queen too! She performed her talent for the kids....twirling a flaming baton to a polka. It was so neat and it was amazing that she can still do it. (I would kill myself if I had to be that coordinated! HEHE!) Next we stopped by the Legion to hear Mark Vyhlidal play but they were on break by the time we got there and we had to head to the parade route before they started playing again. Brad was going to ride through the parade with me on the back of the car for the parade so we practiced accordion for a bit. Sheyenne and I both played Brad's accordion and then it was time to head on through the parade. Lane got sick right before the parade so his family headed out to get him feeling better. People loved hearing Brad play in the parade. They were clapping etc. it was great. After the parade we tried to walk back to where my supervisor from Time Warner was sitting with his son (who speaks a bit of Czech) but he had already left. We grabbed a snow cone and headed out of town. I was a bit grouchy because I was so tired so I was ready to head home and get to bed. It was a great weekend!


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

Savannah Pines, Diller, Wilber, and Blue River Lodge

I know you'll all be surprised to hear I did more than one Czech thing this weekend! ;)

My Czech events started with Friday evening at Savannah Pines. I got off work a bit early and changed quickly to go there. They had us there to talk about being Czech royalty in Nebraska and perform our talents. I was so sad to have to show up late because I didn't get to see Sheyenne, Lane, or Laura's talents. I got to hear Laura talking a bit as I walked in and she was doing a great job. It's hard to just come up with stuff when you're up there talking. She introduced me and I talked a bit about myself and how great it is to represent Nebraska. I told them about where I had been this year and where I planned to go in the future. I talked a bit about my kroj and then performed my talent. I didn't have all of my old kroje but I told them about how I had displayed all of them at the state pageant. We walked around a bit and talked to a few of the residents. We ran into one of my older brother's elementary teachers there too. Lane's talent is showing how to make kolaces so I got to try one on the way out. YUMMY! We also stopped and took some pictures in front of the fountain in their entryway. Very pretty! Momma Vocasek and Momma Shestak agreed to take us girls out to dinner for doing a good job so we went to Runza after we finished. We got a few funny looks (as usual when we go out in kroj and people don't know why we are dressed like this) but we had fun. It was funny because our moms ordered the same thing and so did we! :) We got told that we could be sisters when we were there and discovered we eat our kolaces the same way! LOL! We said our goodbyes for a whole day and I headed home. When I got home I changed and immediately started practicing my accordion. I don't remember if I wrote about this so I'm gonna write it again. Brad knows I like to make deals (I tried to make a deal with him several times about the dancing thing before I was forced to play hardball and just make him do it.) So last week at lessons he tells me that if I learn to play all of the songs on his current CD that he'll record a new one...with one catch that I'll sing. Well...now I'm on a mission to learn them all ASAP! I practiced with his CD and got part of the way through several that we have never practiced. :) After a bit of practice I headed to bed because I had to be up earlier than normal for work.

I had to go into work at 8am...YUCK! :) I normally don't work till 10am every day but had to work an earlier shift so I could make it to Diller in time for the parade. As soon as I got home from work I had to change quickly and get in the truck to head to Diller. The parade wasn't huge but it was fun anyways. My mom tried to take out the whole Wilber crew out with candy when they happened to walk next to our car. I swear she'll kill someone with that stuff one of these days! I gave Laura a hard time that nobody noticed me in the parade because they threw out kolaces...who cares about the girl with candy when they get kolaces?! :) We stopped downtown to grab a drink and I had a polish dog with EVERYTHING on it (AKA kroj suicide...) I didn't drip anything! We also went by to say hi to Pam, Amanda, and Liz Busboom on our way out. The first year I was the Lincoln Queen, Amanda was the Wilber queen so we had gone to Diller because her grandparents lived there (if I remember right) so I figured they would be there. It was good to see them as they sent me a good luck card and a congratulations card for the pageant. :)

I was looking forward to Sunday all week so I was excited when it finally came around! All of the wonderful Jr Beseda Dancers in Wilber were performing and I was so excited to surprise Blair, Blaze, and Shayla Miller when I got there. I made their mom keep the secret and they weren't shy to let her know she lied to them. I told them they had to blame me because she made a promise to me! They were excited to see me there and I was so excited to see them dance. They did a wonderful job (not that I expected anything less.) After they danced they introduced the Wilber Royalty and they each performed their talents (this time I actually got to watch.) Sheyenne is doing so great on the accordion(they tried to get me to play but I've never played a 2 row so I didn't do it.) She has only been playing for 2 weeks and she played 2 songs for everyone. I love seeing younger GIRLS playing! :) Lane did his demonstration on how to make kolaces. Charlie helped him out with the speaking as there wasn't a microphone or anything there. He did a great job and I got another kolace! 3 days in a row!!! Definitely can't beat that! I had pineapple on Friday, apple on Saturday, and cherry on Sunday! Laura danced beautifully (I am definitely impressed that she can be that graceful on concrete...I would have fallen and broken my teeth out or somethin!) Then Charlie introduced me and I spoke a little bit about being the state queen and how I would compete in Wilber next year at the national pageant. I introduced Shayla and had her tell a bit about herself and even got to introduce Blair! I sang the Blue Skirt Waltz in Czech then in English and then we wrapped things up. We took a few pictures as requested and headed on to the next stop. Blair asked if she could ride with me so she got to come with me and Laura's family to Blue River Lodge to hear Brad play. I was so excite to see how many people showed up. The whole Miller crew, Shandra Korbelik, Erin Spicka, Shestaks, Sue Underwood, Charlie and MaryJean Keller, Gaylen Beck, and even Uncle Bob and Phyllis were there! I had some good food and sang/played the Blue Skirt Waltz again. I was excited for several people to hear that hadn't heard previously. After I sang I changed into jeans and Brad made me come up and play again....surprise surprise! :) I told him that if I had to play again he had to get Shandra up there so we played 2 songs together with Dottie. He was to introduce the all female front row! She played a few more with him after I snuck off stage and before we knew it the night was over. It was so much fun...I definitely didn't want to go! I helped Brad pack up and sat and chatted with Sue for a little while before we left. A wonderful night as I expected!

I'm planning to practice with Brad 2 times this week as I'm going to sit in on John's lesson on Tuesday and practice as usual on Wednesday. (John is the band leader of Less Talk More Polka.) I figure the more practice to learn all of those songs the better! ;) Hope everyone has a good week and I'll write again after another fun filled weekend next week!!!


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

4th of July Weekend

I know you'll all be surprised...but I planned a busy weekend again. :-D I have been telling Brad Husak (my wonderful accordion teacher) that we want to know whenever he plays so I can try to bring a group out to hear him play and try to get a younger group out and about to the different polka dances etc around. We went to Abie's Place in Abie, NE to hear him play on the 3rd. It was the 1 year anniversary of Abie's place so they had him come play. I ended up getting my parents, my aunt and her fiancee, and Laura to join me. We had some good food then I found an awesome little dance partner (after getting denied twice first) and then another soon after. A request for the Blue Skirt Waltz was brought up for a 90th Birthday and of course mom convinced Brad to have me come up and sing. Well since we didn't plan for it he was playing it way higher than I normally sing it and with my allergies...it was definitely a strain. I sang it in Czech and English. Then we really started plotting...dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn. I can't remember if I wrote this in here before so I'm gonna explain it again. A few months back I asked Brad if he knew how to polka and he doesn't. Needless to say....I've been on a mission ever since then. :) I tried quitting the accordion, refusing to play the left hand till he learns, etc. etc. etc. Yes...I tried it all. Mom had an idea that if we got his accordion off of him I had a better chance. Well we did (but I had to play one song in return) and he finally agreed. Everyone who knows him couldn't believe he did it. It pretty much made my night. :) He did say that he's never going to dance again but I don't buy it. You have to start somewhere! (Now I have to start working on that left hand dang it! HEHE!) We handed out some info about the Wilber festival and met the lady they requested the Blue Skirt Waltz for (it was her 90th Birthday.) One of the guys had even bought me a beer and sent it to my table after I sang and didn't tell me it was him till they left. I told them all if they saw me anywhere to remind me that they met me in Abie. I chatted a bit with Brad's parents and had an awesome meal. We hung around and helped Brad get everything loaded so he wouldn't be there too late and headed home. It was an awesome night but I needed some rest so I could make it through the next day.

Saturday morning I woke up at 8am (again...I HATE mornings...) to get ready for the first parade in Friend so I could go see the wonderful Miller family. Shayla sent me a text to be sure I would be out there for the parade and I thought it was at 10:30 so I planned on getting there at 10am. GOOD THING SHE SENT A TEXT! The parade started at 10am so I would have been really late. Blair was looking forward to riding through with me so they played a few pranks on her telling her that she couldn't ride with me etc. She saw me pull up and started running towards me. :) We got loaded into the car and took a few pictures. I even made her a sign that says "Substitute Princess Blair Miller" for whenever she rides with me. She was super excited (plus I think she was excited be in the car with me in front of all of her friends and family.) She got the Little Sister for the Wisconsin queen in the national pageant and I'm a bit disappointed because that means she probably won't get to be little sister for me next year but we both agreed that we'll be special to each other no matter what. We didn't do very well handing out fliers in the parade so after we were done and stopped at the Miller's house we went walking back from the end to hand them out. We only made it about 5 blocks and we ran out. We went back and played with the lambs and I even got to feed them. We were crackin up because there I was...in full kroj...feeding lambs...with beer bottles! :) They showed us the rest of the animals and then we had to head to Seward.

Seward's 4th of July parade is awesome because it is HUGE! One of my favorite things that they do is find a random family who is traveling through the state on vacation and happens to stop in Seward. They ask them to be the tourist family and they become the guests of honor. They get to ride through the parade etc...just for being in the right place at the right time. There are always lots of people and lots of queens of all sorts there. We walked around downtown a bit and then headed back to meet with all of the other royalty that was there. They had several speakers and then we took group photos. Off to the parade we went! I saw several people there and as usual missed even more as I found out afterward. I saw Chris, Harley, one of the guys from Abie, John, Stephanie, Grandma/pa, Lavern, and the list goes on. We grabbed our free meals on the way out of town and had to rush back to Milford to drop off the car and back home as quickly as possible. We were going to see Larry the Cable Guy that night.

It was a great day and I had an awesome time at Larry the Cable Guy and saw the Oak Lake Fireworks last nigh. Fortunately Brad doesn't hate me too much for making him dance because he hung out with me on Saturday and Sunday (his Birthday) after that. :) Phew...I was a bit nervous!

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