Wisconsin Czechs
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About us

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The Wisconsin Czechs provide many services to the community including:

  • A scholarship fund for senior high students seeking financial aid to attend a college, university or technical school of their choice                                                 Applying students must be children or grandchildren of Wisconsin Czechs members
  • Events throughout the state celebrating Czech music and culture
  • Preservation of Czech traditional cooking through our collection of cookbooks

Currently, the Wisconsin Czechs number 300 members. Members hail from 13 states, one member lives in the Czech Republic, and one member lives in Canada.

Quarterly meetings during the year include the Masopust celebration (mardi gras) which is held on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. A dinner, a dance and a parade of costumes are included in the program.

Masopust is a season of merrymaking and masquerading which peaks on the last few days before lent. The word “masopust” means “goodbye to meat” or literally “dropping of meat”. In old Czechoslovakia the preparation for Masopust, starting on “Fat Thursday” usually involves the slaughter of a pig and the preparation of a traditional Czech meal of roast pork, sauerkraut and dumplings. According to tradition, this was a day filled with eating and drinking to keep one’s strength all year long. The main masopust celebration begins on Sunday with a fine dinner. It is followed by dancing, entertainment and fun all day long.
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The scholarship meeting is scheduled in May. Students who have won scholarships are honored with scholarship certificates. The students receive their monetary awards after the first semester at a school of higher education. The students’ families are recognized. 

The August meeting is a pout’ celebrated by Wisconsin Czechs as a harvest festival. Definitions also include going on a pilgrimage or attending a fair. The Wisconsin Czechs begin the day with a mass at St. Theresa’s Parish at the St. Lawrence site in Stangelville, WI. This is followed by a dinner, meeting, and dance.

At Christmas time in December, the annual Czech-Slovak Christmas Festival is held. The main entertainment usually includes music performances in the Czech language and instrumental holiday music. The event includes vendors with various gift items and traditional baked goods, set up in a manner similar to Old Town Christmas markets in Prague, Czech Republic.  The event provides a fun-filled day of ethnic music, food, and shopping open to the public. 


Board of Directors
   President:  Tom Cook (2023)
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   Vice President:   Betty Schleis (2023)

   Secretary:   Carol Sisel (2024)

   Treasurer:    Gail Johanek and
                         Karen Konop


   Directors:
   James Young (2024) 
   Gale Kronforst  (2022)
   Ann Caflisch (2023)
 
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