Czechs in the City: The Czech-American Experience in Cleveland
A Night at Marta’s
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Jessica, Mary, Tahnee, and Pete enjoy a Czech dinner at Marta's in Euclid
The class enjoyed an evening out last night! We ventured to Euclid, OH to experience Czech cuisine at Marta’s Restaurant and Bar. We dined on potato pancakes, chicken paprikash, pierogies, dumplings, spaetzels and duck. Our intention was to feast and discuss literature reviews, but only a few of us were able to share our new found sources. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant evening.
I arrived a bit early and took the opportunity to speak with Marta herself. In 1985, her family of four, her husband and her two sons, “escaped” the Czech Republic to find comfort in America. They worked with immigration services and arrived directly in Cleveland. They came to Euclid because friends of theirs were connected to the local manufacturing facility, so her husband would have employment right away. The president of the company was Czech. Their new home was a rental a few blocks from the plant, which was convenient because they had no money to purchase a car or even pay bus fair. It was easy for them to get around.
The family brought very little with them. Marta mentioned that they really only brought clothes for the trip and the little money that had. She stressed that “when you are escaping” it is hard to think about material things. I didn’t have the chance to pursue what she was escaping from, but her demeanor as she spoke was tense. I asked if she missed “home”. She replied “sometimes”. She has traveled back a few times in the past twenty plus years, but she prefers America much more. She really never thinks about moving back. Behold opportunity, America.
Summary of Class Minutes 2.18.09
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The following is a copy of our Class Minutes from 2.18.09. We took the opportunity to discuss event possibilities for opening night and reoccurring themes to support our public history exhibition.
February 18, 2009
Ursuline Campus Pilla 105
Brainstorming Session
Events
A. Exploring Czech Culture and Making it Accessible to the Community
1. Concert:
– Dvorak
– Local band? Euclid High School band?
2. Polka
– Hall of Fame in Euclid
– Lessons
– Band
– Mary O’s family connection/ accordion player friend
3. Cultural Dinner – Opening Night
– Beef goulash
– Start with Soup: potato, garlic, chicken, beef &liver dumplings, sauerkraut,
– Sides: potatoes, fries, rice, breaded dumplings
– Desserts: crapes, honey cake (medovnik), blueberry dumplings, apple strudel, ice cream sundae
– Chicken and pork, beef served with sauce (omacka), trout, cod, carp on Christmas Eve
– Beer – served with all meals; Czechvar
– Martas: catering, advice, props?
– Sell tickets
4. Fashion:
– Swarovski crystals: contact local jewelers for “donation/display”
– Fashion show: exhibit on clothing vs. selling
– First person interpretation/dressed mingling with guests
5. Gymnastics:
– Sokol – gymnastics: floor show presentation
– Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City: Vera Caslavska
6. Guests
– Holy Rosary Church: Italian Vice Council
– Ambassador visit
– Alum.
– Sokol Community Center
– Domink Hasek – Red Wings/Czech Historian
– Maltz
7. Expatriate Radio
– See External Link on ex-pat’s for contact
8. Bohemian National Hall
– 12 week language class – abridged version for presentation
9. Commemorate Czech Churches
10. Presentation of Culture
– Campus:
o Pilla displays polka
o Library displays literature
o Directional plaques to lead to next area
– Map designed to resemble Czech Republic and explore exhibits
11. Introduction Lecture
– McVay/Wright tag-team presentation
– Event in Theater, tape it, show it at dinner
– Key Note Speakers
12. Czech Hop
– Highlight vendors, merchants, cultural gardens, communities
– Lolly the Trolley
– “Silver Bullet”
13. Czech Movies: Link posted on Discussion Board
14. Dates/Holidays
April 30 Burning of the Witches*
Dec. 5 2009 St. Nicks Day*
Nov 17th 2009 Freedom and Democracy*
Oct. 28 2009 Establishment of Czech-Slovak Republic / Independence Day*
Sept. 28 2009 Czech Statehood Day*
19. Czech-Jewish population – connect to Maltz with exhibit (Czech Hop)
20. Czech Proverbs: translation
21. Folklore Exhibit in Library
– Storyteller, puppeteer
22. Tents, staging, dance floor (if needed) for outside, dancing, presentation events
*Dates may be different in 2010
Questions:
1. When to go “public”?
a. Marketing
b. Making contacts
2. How to delegate?
3. How to balance expectations of all shareholders?
Organizational Strategy (Jobs/Teams)
– TBD
Scheduling
February 25 – Dinner at Marta’s – Discuss Literature Reviews
March 4 – Spring Break
March 11 – TBD
March 15 – Cultural Landscapes – Split Class Visits
o March 15 2:00 PM – Little Bohemia: Dr. McVay, Jason, Jessica, Amy, Amy, Peter, Tahnee
o March 15 10:00 AM – Taborville: Dr. Stith, Dylan, Chrissy, Cassidy, Emily, Mary, Chris, Jennifer
Items TBD:
– Bohemian National Hall
– Guest Visits
Webcams of Prague…
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Live images from Prague:
We should try to get some kind of Internet linkup between the Prague party and our Cleveland party. I think Thomas Mulready would have some really good advice about setting something like this up.
Thomas Sidlo, esq., one of the great Bohemians of Cleveland and a true friend of great music…
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This is very exciting. Yesterday I learned from this “We Who Built America” ( pg. 418 ) book that I’m writing up for Wednesday that one of the Presidents of the Musical Arts Association (MAA) was a Czech-American! This MAA group founded and has always operated our legendary Cleveland Orchestra.
According to my Cleveland Orchestra program from last weekend, Sidlo was the MAA President from 1939-1953. That basically puts him in charge during the critical WWII era, as well as during the early Cold War years. That ALSO means that he hired the legendary George Szell, who was Maestro from 1946-1970!
I want to learn more about Mr. Sidlo…
Wittke, Carl. We Who Built America: The Saga of the Immigrant. Rev. Ed.. Cleveland: The Press of Western Reserve University, 1964.
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Here is Sidlo’s citation from the invaluable online edition of the “Encylopedia of Cleveland History”:
http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=STL
SIDLO, THOMAS L. (10 Mar. 1888-27 May 1955), lawyer and founding partner of the law firm of Baker, Hostetler, Sidlo & Patterson (see BAKER & HOSTETLER), was born in Cleveland to Thomas and Anna Sidlo, started as a freshman at Western Reserve University but transferred to the University of Wisconsin at Madison for 2 years, returning to WRU in 1908 and graduating in 1909, receiving his M.A. (1910) and LL.B. (1912) from WRU. He was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1912. Sidlo supported NEWTON D. BAKER† for Cleveland mayor, and when Baker took office, Sidlo was made chief deputy under PETER WITT†, the street railway commissioner. In 1913, Sidlo became commissioner of franchises, shortly thereafter commissioner of information and publicity, and in 1914 director of public service. When Baker left office in 1916, Sidlo joined him in forming Baker, Hostetler, Sidlo & Patterson. Sidlo was the financial director, controller, and general counsel for Scripps-Howard Newspapers, United Press Assoc., and the Newspaper Enterprise Assoc. from 1924-36. After Sidlo resigned, he devoted his time to his numerous outside interests, which encompassed more than 200 organizations, chiefly in music, theater, foreign affairs, and science. He was chairman of the NORTHERN OHIO OPERA ASSN.; president of the MUSICAL ARTS ASSN., CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE, CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, and the Foreign Affairs Council in Cleveland; chairman of the Cleveland Committee for Relief in Czechoslovakia; and a trustee of Science Service, Inc. Sidlo married Winifred Morgan in 1914. She died in 1932. He later married Elizabeth Avery in 1935. Sidlo was buried in LAKE VIEW CEMETERY.
Cassidy Laudadio
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Hi! My name is Cassidy. I’m a student here at Ursuline College working on my MA in Historic Preservation. I love everything and anything old and antique. You can sometimes find me picking at the mortar of old buildings or driving through a decrepit cemetery. Cheers.
J.R. Wobig
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Privet! We are Czeching it out Cleveland style. I am a grad student in Historic Preservation… my B.A. is in Film and Video. Also, I can help you out if you need some Russian or French help. P.S. Although, I require soy mocha’s in exchange.
Mary Ogle
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Welcome to our blog! My fellow classmates and I are excited to discuss anything and everything about Czech-American History in Cleveland, Ohio.
Hello, my name is Dr. Bari Oyler Stith
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I am one of the instructors of a new Historic Preservation/History/Liberal Studies class, called Czech Your Public History, at Ursuline College. This blog will track our progress as we research the Czech American experience in Greater Cleveland and plan a public history exhibit and programming. The exhibit is scheduled to debut in October 2010 so please continue to check (Czech?) our blogs to watch our planning process, find out where our field and research trips have taken us, and submit ideas for our class members to consider. This is a community project so we hope that you, our community, will participate in our discussions.
Networking
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Greetings, I work at the Louis Stokes Cleveland V.A. Medical Center. In my spare time I’m working on this master’s degree from my Alma Mater.
I would say that at this stage we are just building our network…
—Peter M. Petretich, Cleveland
ME!
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My name is Chrissy Hehr. I am a sophomore at Ursuline college. Iam an technically an accounting major, but I am thinking of changingmy major to History. One thing I am hoping for is that this class will help me to make a decision on my major.
Czechs in the City: The Czech-American Experience in Cleveland 