Making kolaces . Photo: Becky Herman |
Tabor Czech Days
Held
in mid-June, this two-day celebration of Czech heritage attracts as
many as 10,000 people. A colorful parade with floats carrying out
the Czech theme takes place the first day. Performances by the
costumed Beseda Dancers, trained in the traditional Czech dances,
provide an authentic experience. Polka band music is performed
throughout the festival, and there is a public dance each evening.
Visitors consume thousands of
kolace, the traditional
Czech pastry, along with other Czech foods. A Czech Days Queen,
Prince, and Princess are crowned preceding the Grand Coronation
Ball that culminates the festivities. In the last few years, an
additional attraction has been the Polka Mass in St. Wenceslaus
Catholic Church; the mass features area singers and musicians
performing traditional Czech music and songs enjoyed by the
hundreds of worshipers filling the church.
The first celebration of Czech Days under that name
was in 1948, although the proposed name appears in official records
as early as 1941, and a celebration has been held in Tabor for more
than 85 years.
The well-documented project includes a report, 31
photographs, newspaper clippings, Czech Days brochures and posters,
cachet envelopes, a digital video of the Beseda Dancers, a video of
Czech plays, 1990 and 1991, a cassette of a Czech band and St.
Wenceslaus Choir, programs from previous years of the event,
posters, and several books:
History of the Czechs in the State
of South Dakota,
South Dakota: Our Towns, a Pictorial
Review (Southeast Region);
A Pictorial Review of Religious
Symbols and History (published by the St. Wenceslaus Catholic
Parish), a
Tabor High School Reunion Book (1971), a Tabor
Czech-Tennial Pageant Book, and a Tabor Days cookbook.
Originally submitted by: Tim Johnson, Senator.
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