Badnje Vece was a long night for Santa Claus. He listened to detailed toy requests from good children who assured him of their best behavior. Santa's many elves offered their assistance to move the line along and gave out candy canes and gift bags, Thanks, Santa!

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St. Sava Church celebrated 98 glorious years as an Eastern Orthodox Christian Serbian parish on Sunday, November 18th. Traditional memorial wreaths were used to commemorate the sacrifices of all members who served in previous wars. His Grace Bishop Longin presided Divine Liturgy as Deacon Nikolaj Kostur, V. Rev. Tom Kazich, V. Rev. Marko Matic, and V. Rev. Bogdan Zjalic held a Parastos for all deceased members and benefactors of St. Sava Church. The new outdoor Pavilion was consecrated with donors Nicholas and Eleonore Chabraja in attendance. A permanent plaque will be displayed in loving memory of Nick and Angie Chabraja, parents of Nicholas Chabraja. Nick Chabraja was a past church president and dedicated member who served our church in many capacities. Angie was an elegant woman who was an active member of our Kolo for many years. Kolo Sisters prepared a fantastic meal for the banquet that followed in the south wing. Church Board President Vonnie Orlich welcomed the guests and Keynote speaker V. Rev. Tom Kazich spoke of his personal memories and inspirational figures of growing up in a "Serbian Gary" environment.

Children, Moms, and Dads were in attendance for Divine Liturgy followed by Blessing of Eggs Service. Executive Board President Vonnie Orlich, KOLO President Beba Rudman, and folklore dancers Marija Novakovich, Camille Sisk, and Sofia Grimsgard passed out beautifully colored Easter eggs. Enjoy the family photos below, and be remember to click on the picture to enlarge. If you'd like a copy, email dorothyshops@gmail.com.

Once again St. Elijah of Merrillville hosted a great tournament. Their facility is spacious, the food was delicious, and The Fieldhouse was the perfect choice for games. Even the weather cooperated for a perfect weekend of fun. Final game scores and winning trophy details will be published in the next issue of the SRBOBRAN. (more videos and photos still coming)

This festival is staffed by volunteers, a commitment that is truly appreciated. The second and third generation is represented in many families. Without our volunteers, we couldn't have the festival, a fund-raiser that our church depends on. Thank you all once again! The photos below are only a small representation of the great number of volunteers.

The Main Event was the SOCA Festival Concert hosted by St. George Church in Clearwater, Florida on Saturday, June 13th at noon. The Sunshine State host parish worked very hard to prepare for this unforgettable concert. Each choir director took a turn directing the mass choir anthems and various songs. This year's musical selection for the mass choir was "St. George Troparion", directed by Mr. John Vukovich from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.The following choirs participated in this year's festival program:

Stevan Mokranjac Choir, Hamilton, Canada, John Vukovich, Director

St. Sava Choir, St. Petersburg, Florida, Emil Esapovich, Director

S.S.S. Karageorge, Merrillville, Indiana, Kim Simic, Kathy Baroevich, Directors

St. Archangel Michael, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Petar Drobac, Director

Draza Mihajlovich Choir, Cudahy, Wisconsin, Karen Wortchow, Director

Stevan Mokranjac/Branko Radicevich, Chicago, Illinois, Elizabeth Neskow, Director

Very Rev. Father John Todorovich, President Zoran Milic, Dobrinka Milic, Kolo Sisters, Peter Puhar, and the membership of St. George Church were gracious hosts, and provided everyone with a wonderful lifelong memory. Thanks for hosting this special weekend in beautiful, sunny Florida.

Thanks once again to Jelena Mulin for the wonderful pictures!

Mirko Roknich Orchestra provided non-stop music for dancing and plenty of sing-alongs. Several rounds of "Mirjanaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" were heard across town, as is the case when Joey Puhar and friends are in the house. As seen in the photos, everyone had a wonderful time visiting with old friends and making new ones. Check back for more pictures soon.

Click the small thumbnail photo once to enlarge; then once you're on Photobucket, click it again for a full screen view. Photos can be purchased on Photobucket and picked up at Target. (Saturday photos by Jelena Mulin. Thanks, Jelena!)

Sunday, June 14th marked the final day of this year's SOCA Festival. The combined choirs sang responses for Divine Liturgy at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Clearwater, Florida, where Father John is now parish priest. Several visiting clergy also celebrated Divine Liturgy and were overwhelmed by the beautiful voices. The banquet was well attended and everyone got a taste of Dobrinka and friends' wonderful cooking. Click the small thumbnail photo once to enlarge, then once you're on Photobucket, click it again for a full screen view. Photos can be purchased on Photobucket and picked up at Target. (Sunday photos by Peter Mulin, Thanks, Peter!)

The host parish from St. George Church in Clearwater, Florida arranged an elegant dinner cruise on the Starlight Majesty out of Clearwater Beach. Looks like everyone enjoyed some kolo dancing and a breath-taking sunset. It's nice to see Karageorge members take a well-deserved break. Several choirs are in attendance, one from as far away as Hamilton, Canada. Thanks to Jelena Mulin for sending these great photos. Check back daily for more pictures of events.

Last Sunday night was loads of fun, and there was plenty of great food and snacks. St. Sava Folklore sponsored their 2nd Annual Big Game Bash. Looks like Nick Ajder was ready for those commercials with his 3D glasses. Everyone had a wonderful time, and the 4th quarter surely was exciting. Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers!

"2 Thumbs Up!" The critics agree that every year the talented children work hard to learn their poems and music. It's a pleasure to attend this wonderful program each year. Thanks to Kim Simic and all the teachers for working with the kids and preparing them just 3 weeks after the Christmas play. Sofia Grimsgard played Minuet #8 by Bach on her cello. Danilo Orlich, Sasha Novakovich, and Dimitri Simic brought the house down with a comedy sketch. Xenia Jancarich provided these wonderful photos.

Father Marko ended Divine Liturgy Sunday with blessing of the Kolach and Koljivo at the base of the Icon of Holy Confessor Varnava Bishop of Hvosno. Serbian Historical Society's talented member Paul Jancarich sang the Troparian for Bishop Varnava in his own musical arrangement. Many church members helped with preparations and baking. and their efforts are greatly appreciated. Thanks to all who stayed for the wonderful Luncheon and offer their support for St. Sava's newest organization. A Supporting Membership Drive will be presented in 2009, so be sure to become a Charter Member!

Sunday School kids and their parents had so much fun that they forgot how cold it was! A special outing to County Line Orchard was a great way to spend a cool autumn evening. They enjoyed many fun activities and built a giant spider web, roasted marshmallows, and made s'mores. Everyone was tossed around on a bumpy hay ride. And of course, there was soooooo much food - but did someone forget the pumpkin strudel? Special THANKS to Mary Halfman and Betsy Kirby for providing these wonderful photos.

Re-live the fun at this year's Serb Fest, Northwest Indiana's best ethnic festival. If you missed this year's event, visit us next year, always the first weekend in August. This annual fund raiser will help build facilities for future festivals and events on the Church grounds in Merrillville. Serb Fest is staffed by dedicated volunteers of all ages. The first day is always kicked off with the Golf Classic, followed by a Serbian Buffet, and the evening is filled with music, dancing, and of course, more great Serbian food. This 3-day event includes a Big Cash Raffle with a $25,000 Grand Prize, many live bands, and a Cultural Exhibit. Serb Fest Menu includes BBQ Lamb, Cevaps, Raznici, Sarma, Chicken, Palachinke, Krofne, Nut Rolls, Strudels of many flavors, and the fabulous Serbian Bakery! See you next year! Watch all 3 Slide shows below.

Helpful Hint: You can double-click on the arrow, go directly to YouTube, RE-START, and click on HIGH QUALITY for a better picture.

Everyone had a great time. The food was outstanding, the palachinka lines were long, the pivo taps were working non-stop, and Thanks to all the hard-working Volunteers, Serb Fest 2008 was a successful new beginning for St. Sava Church. Non-stop music kept everyone dancing. Saturday night's highlight was hearing all the young voices singing "Djurdjevdan" with "Sumadija" Orchestra in the moonlight with the lighted domes of the church behind them. Positive remarks from the public were focused on being impressed with the number of workers of all ages, and the friendliness and hospitality they were shown. Check back daily for more info and photos from Serb Fest.

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St. Sava Church towers over the many tents, providing a picturesque backdrop for the festival. This was the first year for hosting our Serb Fest in Merrillville, and proved to be the right choice. As soon as the final attendance and food numbers come in, we'll let you know. Check back daily for more photos.

The volunteers are the foundation for the success of this monumental event, and we'd like to THANK each and every one of them. Many have worked for months preparing nut rolls and strudels, while others worked feverishly to remodel the garage and transform it into a functioning kitchen. Planning the layout, utilities, and set-up took weeks. Raffle Ticket sellers had an especially big challenge this year. Preparations in all areas were covered by our parishoners and our dear friends. Moving Serb Fest to Merrillville in such a visible location has drawn many new local faces this year. And of course, with all your help, we handled it. Thanks to everyone!

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The Serbian Folklore Federation of North America celebrated it's 8th Annual Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida June 20th through 22nd. Our own Srbadija senior group attended the event and performed along with many groups from around the country. Wonderful memories were made with friends old and new. Looks like half the fun was just getting there. The performing groups traveled from Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Joliet, Cleveland, Monroeville, Merrillville, McKeesport, Schererville, Aliquippa, and the host town of St. Petersburg. Send us your concert photos to stsavachurch@gmail.com so that we can share them. Thanks to Erin Devaney for sharing these photos.

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Thanks to John Buffalini, Associate Director of Basketball for the SNF, for providing these images from some of the games and awards presentations. Send us your photos to stsavachurch@gmail.com so that we can share them. More pics in previous blogs and in your upcoming SRBOBRAN Issue.

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The excitement built up to the Championship games played Sunday afternoon at Purdue Calumet. Sunday evening concluded 4 exciting days of games, music, dancing, and socializing. St. Elijah Cathedral's hard working volunteers handled the huge crowds efficiently, serving up countless meals and drinks throughout the long weekend. Everyone had a great time, and all the players made new friends. Early Sunday evening, trophies were awarded in various categories, including Sportsmanship, All-Stars, and the winning and runner-up teams. This year's Senior Men's Winning Team is Cevap Amigos. Congratulations to all players, St. Elijah, Nick Beader, Mico Stojic, and the SNF for continuing the tradition of the historic Serb National Federation Basketball Tournament. See you next year in Lansing, Illinois.

A complete list of winners will be posted as soon as we receive the info. from the SNF. Send us your photos and videos of games or events to: stsavachurch@gmail.com    We'd be happy to share them. (Click photos to enlarge)

Where were you Friday night? St. Elijah Church sure put on a great event for all who attended. So many celebrated being Serbs by showing off those kolo dance moves this weekend. Srbija Band from Arizona, and local bands Ti Roma and Dunav entertained the huge crowds. The kitchen offered tasty plates of sarma, lamb, and cevaps and a bake sale with endless choices. You still have two days left to enjoy the games and evening festivities, so don't miss out!

Send us your game and dance photos to: stsavachurch@gmail.com

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