A note from Phil Hrvatin, senior editor of

A note from Phil Hrvatin, senior editor of www.clevelandslovenian.com September 11, 2008 Many cities across the country took part in Patriot Day ceremonies. Patriot Day occurs on September 11 of each year, designated in memory of the nearly three thousand who died in the September 11, 2001, attacks. Most Americans refer to the day as "Nine-Eleven (9/11)," "September 11 th " or "Nine-one-one," I had the opportunity to attend the memorial at the Cleveland City Hall Rotunda. Our close allies from the Canadian Navy HMCS Charlottetown FFH 339 were also on hand as Mayor Frank G. Jackson and the City of Cleveland honored the commitment of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and those who dedicate themselves to the safety our great city, the United States of America and our partners in defense throughout the world. Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/philip.hrvatin/patriotday

Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation One World Day 2007 c/o Rockefeller Greenhouse Manager 750 East 88th Street Cleveland, Ohio 44108 Cultural Garden Events--2008 September 14, One World Day celebration of the Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation with Latvian community hosting the event. Free and open to all. 1 PM to 4 PM. Starts at American Legion Peace Garden of the Nations at 9951 Superior with deposition of Latvia and Estonia s soil in the special crypt for the soils of all nations represented in the Cultural Gardens. Followed by parade, with all of the Gardens nationalities in costumes and national flags and banners, to the Latvian Garden at 1030 MLK Jr. Drive where the traditional swearing in ceremony for new citizens will take place along with entertainment and food. Contact Ms. Anda Cook for details at 216-651-0486 September 18, 25 and Oct. 2, Thursdays at 7:30 PM. Cleveland Italian Film Festival at Cedar-Lee Theatre in Cleveland Hts to benefit the Italian Cultural Garden. $10 fee per person. Additionally, $15 for Opening Night Party, next door, at Jimmy O Neill s Tavern 5:30-7:00 PM. These are all Oscar winners and some of the best movies from Italian cinema. Contact Joyce Mariani at 440-461-2806 for more information. September 21th, Sunday, Serbian Cultural Garden Benefit. 5 PM at St. Sava, 2001 West Wallings, Broadview Hts OH $25 donation per person for 13 years or age and up. Dinner, entertainment, raffle and more. Call Lex Machaskee at 216-3442011 for information and reservations. September 27th, Saturday. Cultural Garden Federation Annual Benefit. Judson Park Manor s ballroom at 7 PM. Features wine reception, sit down dinner, Murphy Irish Dancers performance, and brief recitals of music from the 15 composers with busts and plaques in the Gardens: Bach, Bartok, Beethoven, Bloch, Chopin, Dvorak, Enescu, Goldmark, Halevy, Liszt, Meyerbeer, Paderewski, Sebelius, Smetana, and Verdi; a unique performance event featuring familiar and lively music. Contact Mary Hamlin at 440-461-2533 for tickets and information. October 5,Sunday. Dedication of new Serbian Cultural Garden at 770 MLK Jr. Drive (immediately north of Wade Park bridge. 2 PM to 4 PM. Community and government luminaries. Serbian music and dancing for all. Free admission. Parking on MLK Jr. Drive and East Blvd. Call Lex Machaskee at 216-344-2011 October 25th, Saturday, Community Garden Day in the Cultural Gardens from 1 to 4 PM. Free and open to the public. Part of a national movement offering hands on work in significant gardens throughout the United States. Bring gloves and rakes and shovels as we get the Gardens ready for winter. Water and supervision provided by the Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation and invaluable help from Cleveland State University. To register call: 216-687-2048 December 9, Tuesday evening. Gala Holiday Party of the Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation. Details on location, food, entertainment, and cost pending. compiled by Bill Jones <cleculturalgardens@sbc global.net> 216-321-7807 9-10-08rev ***

Greetings from Professor Luka Zibelnik Slovenian proverb says: Far from eyes, far from heart. I am glad that it is not true in the case of American Slovenians. As my wife and I came to the U.S.A. we did not know, what to expect. What I recieved was a warm welcome from everyone we have met. That is a big relief for us, as we know we came to a»part«of Slovenia that is beautiful and yet so different. We have started the courses at Cleveland State University and Lakeland Community College, however I hope I will not be just a language instructor, but a observer of Slovenian culture, participant at Slovenian events and with time a friend from Slovenia. Yours, Luka Zibelnik Instructor of Slovenian language LZibelnik@lakelandcc.edu L.Zibelnik@csuohio.edu Slovenski pregovor pravi: Daleč od oči, daleč od srca. Veseli me, da slednje ne velja za ameriške Slovence. Ko sva z ženo prišla v ZDA nisva vedela, kaj naj pričakujeva. Pričakal pa naju je topel sprejem, kamorkoli sva se ozrla. To naju je pomirilo, ker veva, da sva prišla v»del«slovenije, ki je lep a hkrati tako drugačen. Na Clevelandski državni univerzi in na Lakelandskem kolidžu so se pričela predavanja, vendar upam, da ne bom ostal samo profesor jezika, ampak bom postal opazovalec slovenske kulture, udeleženec slovenskih dogodkov in sčasoma prijatelj iz Slovenije. Vaš, Luka Zibelnik Profesor slovenskega jezika

Mike Benz writes: Americans in Slovenia September 2008 Nearly 150 travelers from across America arrived in Slovenia the second week of September prepared to enjoy the beauty of Slovenia in early fall. In addition to family groups and individual travelers touring the country on Kollander World Travel trips, several larger groups landed at Brnik Airport to begin their two week trips. The KSKJ tour led by Joe Hovecar and famous tour guide, Barbara Bedenk, began their stay at the Hotel Union in Ljubljana. They will travel onto Portoroz for a few days of fun before exploring Plitvice National Park in neighboring Croatia. The group will highlight their tour with a stay at the Golf Hotel at Lake Bled. Musical events planned for the group features Denis Novato and Miha Debevec. The Slovenian Genealogy Society International (SGSI) conference in Slovenia began Friday morning the 12 th at the Hotel Histrion ballroom in Portoroz. Mr. Peter Hawlina from Ljubljana and Ed Kucler of SGSI here is America have coordinated an intensive series of talks on Archive research and genealogy exploration. Tour members will be meeting and learning all about the latest data available at the archives and eventually in an online format. Local Slovene students and friends will be leading individuals from the trip on a series of local village visits to do some in-depth research for their own families! We are sure to explore not only the roots on this tour, but the vines as well to be sure our study of Slovenian culture is thorough! Our great tour leaders from Long Island, New York; Adam and Margaurite Barthalt are leading their 25 th Anniversary Tour to Europe (yes they have led 25 separate tours-mostly to Alpine Europe). They begin in Venice and then spend time in Portoroz and Ljubljana, including a rendezvous with SGSI tour members at a Denis Novato dance concert at a Gostilna near Portoroz. That should be a fun evening indeed! The tour is a collection of All Time Favorites and who would argue about Kitzbuhl, Austria and Munich, Bavaria for Oktoberfest being on the trip! The Barthalts have included Slovenia on dozens of tours and were

among the first to bring Americans of Goettscheer descent to their ancestral lands near the Kocevje area. Our own travel ambassador, Mr. Tony Petkovsek will be traveling as well, catching up with each group and working on details for our 2009 line up of tours. Even after 40+ trips to Slovenia, Tony was glad to volunteer for the job of making sure the music, wine, and food for our groups is up to expectations! He is still a very smart traveler! SLOVENEFEST at SEA March 1 8, 2009 Rendezvous with Slovenefest Fans and Friends from around the country for a mid-winter getaway to the warm Caribbean! We ll enjoy great musical entertainment from our talented hosts playing the best in hot Slovenian style polkas, warm waltzes, and swinging standards for our tropical cruise. Arrive a few days early in Florida and get the party started at the Spring Hill SNPJ Days! The cruise features the wide ranging talents of the Don Wojtila Orchestra with the lovely Christine Hibbs on feature vocals, Tony Klepec s traditional Slovenian style, and the amazing talents of Denis Novato who plans to join the cruise with some friends from Slovenia! The cruise already has nearly 100 sign ups and is expected to be a great event! From all of us at Kollander World Travel, we thank the American-Slovenian community for the relationship we ve enjoyed for 85 years now! The office had its start in the front of the Slovenian National Home in 1923. We are now planning trips and honeymoons for the grandchildren and great grand children of our first customers! Please contact us for information on our 2009 line up of international travel adventures throughout the world. Thank You! Michael J. Benz mbenz@kollander.com Kollander World Travel 971 E 185 th St Cleveland, OH 4119 216-692-1000 800-800-5981 www.kollander.com

Lemont, Illinois St. Anne s Society ( KSKJ ) based at the Slovenian Catholic Mission in Lemont, IL will hold a fund raising dinner for Holy Cross Church in Črenšovci, Slovenia. The fundraiser will be held in the Slovenian Catholic Center after 11:00am Mass on Sunday September 14, 2008. This fundraising dinner is being held under KSKJ s matching fund effort. This is the second fundraiser we have held this year for this church. It has great meaning to many of our parishioners because either they or their parents consider this to be their parish of birth. The pastor of this parish (Fr. Janez Kranjc) came and spent a vacation with us two years ago saying he came here to visit his parishioners. He estimates that from this parish alone over 15,000 immigrants went abroad most of who went to Chicago while others went to Montreal and Bridgeport, CT. He had a monument to immigrants built in his parish and has worked to reconnect the immigrants and their descendants here in the United States with their roots back in home parish in Prekmurje. One of our parish organizations, the Holy Cross Society was established over 80 years ago as a social welfare society to aid Prekmurci in their resettlement in Chicago. It was named for the parish church in Prekmurje. The parish church was in very bad condition. Fr. Kranjc had a tent set up in the courtyard in front of the church and they have been having all of their regular masses under the big top for the last six months. This fundraiser is to help them move them back in doors! All are welcome. Janez Vidmar, stalni diakon pri Slovensko Versko Sredisce

Vinska trgatev na Slovenski pristavi Bliža se konec poletja in na Pristavi imamo še eno veselico, vinsko trgatev v nedeljo 21 septembra. Kosilo bo ob 2. uri popoldne, ki ga bo pripravila Jožica Cerer z svojimi pomočnicami. Kot ponavadi, rezervirajte kosilo in pokličite Elizabeto Zalik na st. 440-537-1941. Za ples in zabavo bo poskrbel ansambel Staneta Mejača. Vsi člani in prijatelji Pristave vabljeni. Queen to see Slovenia and Slovakia The Queen of England will visit Slovenia and Slovakia for the first time, said Buckingham Palace. She will fly out with the Duke of Edinburgh for a two-day trip to Slovenia at the invitation of the country's president, Danilo Tuerk, on October 21, 2008. They will then travel to Slovakia, which was part of the former communist state Czechoslovakia, to meet President Ivan Gasparovic, on October 23. 2008. The Prince of Wales previously visited Slovenia, formerly part of Yugoslavia, in 1998 and Slovakia in 2000. Join the Joey Tomsick Orchestra as they bring their Cleveland Slovenian style music to the 2008 Ohio Swiss Festival in Sugarcreek Ohio. Sugarcreek is strongly influenced by the German, Swiss and Amish communities. Sample some wonderful Ohio Swiss Cheeses that will be available throughout the festival. The band performs in the pavilion on: Friday September 26, 2008 3:00 5:00 and 7:00 9:00 Saturday September 27, 2008 4:00 8:00 A few photos with the JTO at the 2008 Perchfest in Fairport Harbor, Ohio http://picasaweb.google.com/philip.hrvatin/perchfest

A note from Edward Sedmak Glas Naroda / The People Voice, Cleveland's only weekly Slovenian Newspaper. Greeting to all our readers! Glas Naroda weekly will transcend all divisions within the Slovenian Community, bridging a gap between the new and old generations. On a weekly basis, we will announce new events and critique past ones, as well as discuss the stubbornness of the Slovenian community and the decline in Slovenian culture. You can pick up the special edition at Patria Imports, Gostilna at Knezak, Azman and Sons Market and the Harbor Inn Tavern. Subscription are only 35$ for a year. For more information you can email info@vajkard.com Edward Sedmak Publisher Sample Slovenian Heritage Weekend Blairstown, NJ November 7-9, 2008 Registration is now open. Space is limited. SAMPLE SLOVENIAN HERITAGE WEEKEND This weekend getaway at the Mohican Outdoor Center* in Blairstown, NJ features a folk dance workshop, fun with proverbs, a kifli demonstration (nut butterhorn cookies), hiking and more. The fee is $115 for AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) members and $122 for non-members. Fee includes activities, two nights lodging, two light breakfasts, and a Slovenian wine tasting and dinner on Saturday evening. This event is organized by Slovenian Women's Union of America / SWUA Branch 93-NYC members Ria (Polajner) Whitmire and Lynn Zalokar. If you are interested in attending, please contact Lynn Zalokar at (201) 947-6336 or lzalokar@yahoo.com *An AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) facility that is 90 minutes west of New York City and 90 minutes north of Philadelphia. Click here to view a slide show: http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/lodges/mohican/index.cfm

Calendar of events: Saturday, October 25, 2008 50th Anniversary Stajerski Prekmurski Club Martinovanje- GALA BANQUET and Wine Christening, Slovenian National Home, St. Clair Ave. Cleveland, 5:30 pm. To reserve a table or individual tickets call: Tonica Simicak at 440.256.6716 or Mimi Kozina Cupar at 216.531.4817 Slovenian Ansambel KLOBUK performances USA/Canada Saturday October 18 Lemont (Chicago) Saturday October 25, 50th Anniversary Stajerski Prekmurski Club martinovanje-- GALA BANQUET Slovenian National Home, St. Clair Ave. Cleveland. 5:30 pm Sunday October 26 Pittsburgh Friday October 31 St. Mary s Parish, Cleveland Saturday November 1 Captain John s Harbour Boat Restaurant, Toronto, Canada ANNOUNCING - SHOWBAND KLOBUK PERFORMS IN USA/CANADA To celebrate its 50th Anniversary, the Stajerski-Prekmurski Club of Cleveland is hosting the popular 5-member band KLOBUK from the Maribor area this fall. The Gala celebration will be held at St. Clair Slovenian National Home on Saturday, October 25th in conjunction with the annual St. Martin s Wine Christening Banquet Martinovanje. To reserve a table or individual tickets call: Tonica Simicak 440.256.6716 Mimi Kozina Cupar 216.531.4817 www.showbandklobuk.com

Embassy of Slovenia cordially invites you to The Opening of Photographic Exhibit A RIVER S GIFTS Archeological Excavation of the Ljubljanica River in Photographs By Arne Hodalič on Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 6.00 p.m. The opening of the exhibit will be preceded by an author guided tour at 5.00 pm Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia 2410 California St., NW Please RSVP by September 22 Nina. Aguilar@gov.si 202 386 6611

Arne Hodalič Arne Hodalič is a photography editor of the Slovenian edition of National Geographic Magazine. Hodalič started his rich career as a photographer early in his teenage years. Since then, Hodalič has gained a reputation as a photographer, reporter, world traveler, diver, and cave explorer. He has exhibited his work around the world and gained prestigious international awards for photography as well as film works. A River s Gifts, published in National Geographic Magazine in 2007, is one of his numerous documentary works, published for international publications. A River s Gifts: Archeological Excavation of the Ljubljanica River in Photographs To some the Ljubljanica River is sacred, while to others it is a trove of treasures waiting to be discovered. The river's gifts span the centuries-from a prehistoric ax made from deer antlers, to an iron spearhead forged in the Middle Ages, to a 16th century clay furnace tile from the Renaissance. While some divers have sold the artifacts to museums, most went to private collectors. Arne Hodalič s interest has been to capture the story of the underwater treasure hunt in pictures. A River s Gifts was published in National Geographic Magazine in January 2007.

Newsletter September 12, 2008 Page 1 Upcoming Events September 6 14 World Schools Debating Championship, with a participating team of high school students from Slovenia. Arlington, VA and Washington, DC. September 13 - Annual performance of the Slovenian folk dancing group, Folklorna skupina Kres. 7:00 pm at the Slovenian National Home, 6417 Saint Clair Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44103. September 13 2008 Jazz- Poetry Concert by City of Asylum, featuring Slovenian author Cvetka Lipuš. Pittsburgh, PA. September 19 The European Night. EU countries embassies presenting their cultures. La Maison Française, Washington, DC, 6.30 p.m. - 10.30. p.m. September 25 - November 10 - A River's Gifts: Archeological Excavation of the Ljubljanica River in Photographs. Embassy of Slovenia, Washington, DC, Guided Tour: 5:00 p.m., opening: 6:00 p.m. Embassy of Slovenia won a construction award McLean, VA, September 10, 2008 - Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) each year recognize and celebrate outstanding projects built by Washington-area ABC members. The 27th annual construction awards reception took place on September 10th in McLean, Virginia. In the category Institutional buildings, the award was presented to Monarc Construction, Inc. for renovation of the Slovenian Embassy building. ABC awarded the Embassy of Slovenia with the Certificate of Merit for excellence in Construction. This year, more then 170 projects were entered in over 30 different categories. The awards competition serves to raise the www.washington.embassy.si level of construction standards throughout the industry. Embassy of Slovenia wishes to congratulate The President of Monarc Constructions John Bellingham and his team for achieving this distinguished award. Photographic Exhibit: "A River's Gifts" September 25 - Due to the rich archaeological finds from its bottom and its banks, Ljubljanica river is among the most important cultural monuments not only in Slovenia but also worldwide. Its slow course across the relatively flat, 19 kilometers long riverbed over the Ljubljana marshes hides many remnants of the past as the river for many centuries represented the beginning of the waterway between northern Italy and the Danube lands. Thus we can find on the bottom numerous objects from the copper age, mostly from the washed away lake dwellings as well as huge finds from the bronze and Iron Age, the Roman period and late Middle Age. In them, we can recognize objects which came into the river by accident such as shipwrecks, battles or a crossing gone wrong as well as the traces of votive offerings of individuals

Newsletter September 12, 2008 Page 2 or communities. In Ljubljanica, 60 swords from the 11th till 14th century were found, a fact which we can perhaps connect with rituals described by the legend of Excalibur, the magical sword of King Arthur. The cultural heritage of Ljubljanica, which was given a lot of attention already in the research conducted in 1884 and which has, with the invention of Aqualung, become accessible to both amateurs and highly trained underwater archaeologists, hides many a detail about the role of this mysterious marsh river. A diver finds an ancient sword Photo by Arne Hodalič The Embassy of Slovenia cordially invites you to The Opening of Photographic Exhibit "A Rivr's Gifts," a photographic exhibit of the archeological excavation of the Ljubljanica river, which will be held on Thursday, September 25, 2008, at 6:00 p.m. at the Embassy of Slovenia, 2410 California Street NW, Washington, DC. The opening will be preceded by an author guided tour at 5:00 p.m. For photos of the Ljubljanica river excavations please visit the National Geographic's website. Slovenian Debating Team Already in Octafinals Washington, DC, September 12 A team, representing Slovenia at the 20 th World Debating Championship, held this year in Washington DC, has so far reached the 11 th place after 8 debates with 6 continuous winnings. The last winning was against the US. Slovenian tem has already repeated last years success, when it reached the octafinals, but is planning on entering quarter-finals, if not go even further. Members of the team, with their mentor Bojana Skrt and a Championship Judge from Slovenia, Mrs. Liana Miholič, visited Slovenian embassy on Thursday, and conversed with the Embassy s Staff on the topics of debating, rules and procedures, as well as their personal objectives for future study engagements. They understand that the experiences, gained from the Debating Championship, could be extremely beneficial for their future careers. Slovenian Debating Team with Ms. Mozgan, DCM, at the Embassy The final round of the competition will be held on Sunday at 2:30 pm September 14, 2008 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (1300 Penn. Ave., Washington, DC, 20004) For direction visit: www.itcdc.com/about.php?p=2 Hope to see you there! www.washington.embassy.si The European Night Closer to the Stars! Washington, DC, September 19 The European Night. Closer to the Stars! at the La Maison Français in the second half of September will be organized to showcase EU countries cultures, together with their food and beverages. The uniqueness of various European traditions will be presented to the Washington community, as this event is open to the public. Additionally, a music band will perform a concert to entertain the audience. Information and reservations available at www.la-maisonfrancaise.org, to purchase tickets go to www.euronight.org Slovenian Parliamentary Election 2008 The next parliamentary election in Slovenia will be held on Sunday, September 21, 2008. August 22, 2008 was the last day for citizens abroad to register for voting by mail or at the diplomatic-consular representation of Slovenia. National Voting Commission s web site offers information on candidates by voting districts ( Kandidati po enotah in okrajih ). Your voting district is marked on your ballot, if you decided to vote by mail.

Newsletter September 12, 2008 Page 3 In the United States, the elections will be organized for those who decided to vote at the representations, at the following locations: Embassy of Slovenia 2410 California ST., NW Washington, D.C. 20008 General Consulate of Slovenia 600 Third Avenue, 21 st Floor New York, NY 10016 Slovene Home for the Aged 18621 Neff Road Cleveland, OH 44119 Please, call the Slovenian Representation nearest to you, to confirm the location and hours of the voting station. ESTA: Electronic System for Travel Authorization The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced a new Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), a program that will be utilized within the context of their current Visa Waiver Program. This will be important for any Slovenian citizens planning a visit to the U.S. after January 12, 2009. Once ESTA is mandatory, all nationals who plan to travel to the United States for temporary business or pleasure will require an approved ESTA prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program. To apply for authorization to travel to the United States under the Visa Wavier Program, travelers will need to log on to the ESTA website at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov and complete an online application. Applications should be submitted no less than 72 hours prior to travel. The ESTA web-based system was made available for voluntary applications starting Aug. 1, 2008. For further information regarding ESTA please visit the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol website at http://www.cbp.gov/esta/. Internship Opportunities The Embassy of Slovenia in Washington is offering a great opportunity for students to obtain experience and exposure to the diplomatic work. BACKGROUND: Internships at the Embassy of Slovenia are designed to provide students or recent graduates considering a career in international affairs with hands-on experience of the Embassy's activities. Prospective interns will have the opportunity to meet with high Slovenian and U.S. officials, Washington diplomats and engage in dialog on matters important to Slovenia-US and EU-US relations. DUTIES: The intern will assist with basic event management, student inquiries, database tasks, administrative tasks and research. The intern might also be asked to be available to work outside of the regular working hours (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) to assist at events organized at the embassy. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide financial compensation for the interns. Questions/inquiries and/or resumes should be e-mailed to: vwa@gov.si. www.washington.embassy.si