A two-day Ukrainian Village Fest was held in Chicago, which was held in the courtyard of the parish of Saints Volodymyr and Olga. Festival visitors could attend concerts by Ukrainian performers, dance performances, a fair, taste traditional dishes and take part in family entertainment.
This was reported by Ukrainian Village Fest.
The festival brought together thousands of guests. The program of both days included performances by Ukrainian music and dance groups, including "Gromovytsy", Iskra, Elegy, ETNOS, Creative Kids and other performers. Among the musical guests of the festival were Mad Heads, and "Patsyky z Franek" became the headliners of the Sunday program. Vocalists, violinists and children's and youth groups also performed on stage.
A separate part of the Saturday program was the traditional party under the Big Top. On Sunday, the festival continued with a concert program, dances, and other activities. Vendors of Ukrainian clothing, embroidered products, and other merchandise were on site, and guests were offered traditional Ukrainian cuisine and drinks.
One of the notable elements of the festival was the performance of the Gromovytsia ensemble. The dancers opened the Saturday program with a hopak, and over the course of two days they performed various Ukrainian dance compositions. The program also included “Boykivskyi tanok,” “Chorna hora,” “Dovbush,” “Hopak,” “Rakivchanka,” “Mosquito polka,” “Drianda,” and other numbers.
According to the organizers, the festival was held in all weathers. A large tent was set up for visitors, and performances continued on the main stage throughout the day. The organizers also emphasized the accessibility of the event for the whole family.
During the festival, the parish also presented an exhibition project dedicated to the history of the founding of the parish of Saints Volodymyr and Olga and the construction of the church. The exposition tells about the first steps of the community, taken in 1968 with the blessing of Patriarch Yosyf Slipy, and contains historical photographs.
The initiators of the exhibition noted that they wanted to acquaint visitors with the history of the parish and the people who participated in its creation. According to them, among the guests of the festival were representatives of the American Congress and Senate, Bishop Venedikt, parish clergy, and the Consul General of Ukraine in Chicago Kostyantyn Vorona.
The organizers of the exhibition paid special attention to the reaction of Parana Maksymchuk, who, together with her late husband Ivan, was among the founders of the parish. According to the authors of the project, the historical photographs helped visitors remember the events and people associated with the founding of the Ukrainian community in Chicago.
The festival organizers thanked the parish priests, Pastor Volodymyr Kushnir, Father Serhiy Kovalchuk, and Father Peter, for organizing the event.
Photo: Peter Koutun
Author: Danylo Pievchev