There are places that need no long explanations. It is enough to take a glance, to remember, to dream — and Ukraine ignites in your heart. Ellenville is one of them. Here, songs sound louder, the blue-and-yellow flag waves brighter, dumplings smell tastier, even the rain feels like home.
Ellenville is a hallmark of Ukrainians in America. Here, among green forests, the Ukrainian Youth Association gathers every Memorial Day for special competitions — the Zlet.
Zlet is what people wait for all year. Because here there are open-air competitions, meetings with veterans, memories of childhood. For some, it is their first participation. For others, it is a place where they bring their own children so they too can feel that Ukraine is not only somewhere across the ocean. Ukraine lives wherever it is loved.
This year’s motto is “Victory begins with you,” and it truly is so. Because victory begins with small things. With the youngest SUM members, just 4–5 years old, supporting Ukrainian traditions. Although due to bad weather the competitions for the youngest were canceled, the overall results of the Zlet are impressive.
More than 700 participants from 15 branches across America gathered here. Youth of different age groups competed in poetry recitation, knowledge of SUM history and Ukraine, including its regions. Special themes included the life and works of Lesya Ukrainka and Ivan Franko.
The youth also presented multimedia projects, proving that Ukrainian history can be not only studied — it can be felt, reinterpreted, and expressed in a modern way.
There were also competitions in dance, theater, monologue, and other genres. And here, imagination truly did not fade: from the delicate and stylish “Lviv Tango” to the folk dance “Oy na hori dva dubky.” Each performance had its own energy, its own character, and its own little Ukraine on stage.
The rain slightly changed the plans. It took away part of the sports competitions. But it seems it added something else — something not always visible in photographs. Warmth. Unity. Laughter in the rain.
Author: Tamara Zayats