"This is to thank the three generations of Serb descendants in America who have for the past forty three years respected, honored, and protected the tomb of my father, King Peter II, at the Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Libertyville Illinois. Many of you I know personally having lived in Chicago as a young family man and from my many visits these past sixty years. In some cases I also knew your parents and even grandparents just as my father knew many of them.

My father’s resting place these past four decades has been among his friends, soldiers and fellow refugees from World War II at our cemetery in Libertyville. Whatever tragic consequences my father, King Peter II, suffered as a result of World War II, they were no greater than those suffered and endured by your own parents and grandparents who, like him, were wrenched from their beloved country and thrown out into a strange and sometimes hostile world. These blessed souls, your families, my father’s friends, arrived and lived with him in the United States after World War II as refugees and “displaced persons” sometime pejoratively called “DPs”.

My father was born a King and fulfilled his duties faithfully as best as he could under the circumstances. During World War II your parents and grandparents chose whether to be Royalists. They were the military professionals of the Royal Army who became prisoners of war in 1941, or they chose to join the Chetniks and other members of the Royal Yugoslav Army of the Homeland under General Dragoljub Draza Mihailovich rather than join the Partisans. For the choice your parents and grandparents made I know my father was grateful just as I am grateful today for that exercise of free will and display of loyalty.

To bring my father home required some difficult decisions in the face of possibly long and unsettling proceedings. The circumstances of my father’s death and funeral in 1970 are best left to history. Thus, a quiet and dignified transfer was arranged. I know all who respect the monarchy and my father’s memory understand that his return was necessary and long overdue. King Peter’s final resting place at the Royal Mausoleum at Oplenac nearby his father King Alexander I in the now free and democratic Serbia will be open to you at all times to come and pay the respect you were unable to demonstrate last week. Thank you again for your past and continued loyalty."

King Peter II, Crown Prince Alexander II as a young boy, and Queen Alexandra

The Karageorgevich Family

Queen Maria, King Peter II as a boy, and King Alexander I of Yugoslavia Circa 1930

On behalf of the executive board and membership of St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, we'd like to thank everyone who attended and supported our festival in any way. We hope you enjoyed yourselves and look forward to seeing you next year. You're always welcome to attend Divine Liturgy worship services Sundays at 10:00 a.m. Check back soon for photos and videos from this year's Serb Fest.

Serb Fest is almost entirely staffed by volunteers of all ages. Our sincere Thank You goes out to anyone who helped in any way. Pictured below is only a part of the hundreds of great volunteers. This year presented difficult challenges for chairpersons Melanie and Vinko because of our church president Dennis Svilar's absence due to illness. Everyone stepped up to the challenge and pulled together to make it a successful event. Thankfully, Dennis is slowly recovering and surely very proud of his team.

Sincere THANKS to anyone who worked for months planning and organizing, scheduled volunteers, chaired the golf outing, solicited sponsors, placed signs all over town, worked the cash room, baked at home, sold baked goods, parked cars, pulled 54 cars out of the mud Saturday night, made repairs, painted safety stripes, worked the food line, tended bar, sold tickets, drove carts, supervised inflatables for kids, made 400 nut rolls - 1000+ strudels -  2000 palachinke - 1000 krofne - countless sarmas, ordered supplies, washed dishes, set up tables and chairs, cleaned up Monday, worked the Sunday School tent, set up the historical exhibit, roasted lambs and pigs, performed folklore dances, performed in the combined choir, sold raffle tickets, cleaned tables, and for months helped transform the kitchen and storage facilities to a beautiful workplace with a walk - up service window.

Many volunteers took time off from their jobs or used vacation time to help. Hundreds of sore feet and backs later, we'll all be back again next year to do it all over again. There's a special love and commitment we have to our Church and to each other in preserving what our parents and grandparents built for us. Thank you all and Ziveli! See you next year, "Ako Bog Da".