Get ready to dance the night away! The Czech Heritage Foundation is hosting the St. Wenceslaus Dance, and it's going to be a blast! We've got Barefoot Becky and the Ivanhoe Dutchmen bringing the tunes, so you know it's going to be a party.

Join us at the Dancemor Ballroom in Swisher for plenty of sweet treats, fantastic music, and non-stop dancing. Tickets are just $10 at the door and if you're under 21, you get in for free!

All proceeds go towards supporting the amazing educational programs of the Czech Heritage Foundation. Don't miss out on the fun – see you there!

Please join the Czech Heritage Foundation for our Výroční Piknik (Annual Picnic) at the National Czech & Slovak Museum and Library on Sunday August 20 from 6-8 PM.

We'll be celebrating another successful year - potluck style. Break out your favorite side dish or dessert recipe ... Babi's kolach recipe, Aunt Mary's favorite “salad” or Deda's sauerkraut ... bring enough to share! We'll take care of everything else (meat, drinks, etc.).

Please RSVP by August 5th. Call 319-677-1609 (If no answer, just leave your RSVP in Voice Mail.)

The Czech Heritage Foundation is sponsoring the Czech Plus Band at the Kosek bandstand a Friday during the Summer. Come join us for beautiful weather and great music!

Czech Plus Band is a group of musicians dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Czech band music in the mid-west. Czech Plus has been declared the official band for Czech Village in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is the only band in the United States to be able to perform the national anthems of The United States, The Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Performing in costumes (kroje) patterned after the brass bands of Southern Bohemia, the Czech Plus Band has a library which is constantly being up-dated with new music from the Czech Republic, thanks to a contact in Prague.

Join us for a night of history and heritage!

Don’t miss this one-time-only, educational experience sponsored by the Czech Heritage Foundation! We’re honored to welcome Jiří Klůc, a doctoral student from the Charles University in Prague, who has traveled to Cedar Rapids to collect first-hand stories from our World War II veterans.

This is a free opportunity that is open the public and will be held in the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library theater! Plus, we will be providing delicious kolaches to enjoy during this event.

www.jirikluc.cz

Photo: Cindy Hadish

Join us for an unforgettable afternoon of music and cultural celebration, brought to you by The Czech Heritage Foundation. Immerse yourself in the lively tunes of Becky & The Ivanhoe Dutchmen as they take the stage at the DanceMor Ballroom on Sunday, March 24, 2024, from 1 pm to 5 pm. Tickets are priced at $10 per person and can be purchased at the door, with those 21 and under enjoying free admission. Join in on the chance to win big in the 50/50 raffle or indulge your sweet tooth at the tempting Bake Sale. Come together with friends and family for a joyous celebration of Czech culture and music in the heart of the community.

Click here for more information.

Please look forward to this event! The annual Czech Heritage Foundation and National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library meeting will be held Tuesday, Feb. 20,2024 and will begin at 5:30pm with the annual meeting of NCSML, a potluck meal following the meeting around 6:30/7PM. The Czech Heritage Foundation meeting will follow dinner starting approx 7:30PM. Reservation can be made by CLICKING HERE TO RSVP, and this must be done by FEB. 14, 2024 in order to guarantee there will be enough meat for everyone. We hope to see you all there! Please remember our annual membership is from Jan-Dec. Please renew if you haven’t!

Join us for our annual membership drive! Meet any new nominations for elections. Updates from various committees. Members are encouraged to bring a side dish or desert to the meeting to share.

2023 Wreath Raffle is Czech Heritage Foundation main event! This is in conjunction with the Czech Museum’s Old World Market and is in the Ballroom. Be sure to put the Old World Christmas Market | National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (ncsml.org) on your calendar! Look for more information as the Christmas season approaches. Susan Houser will be the main contact for this event in 2023. The event will offer Pop up vendors, food, music, and crafts. The event will be open and offer lunch and dinner until 8:00 PM.

This is the main fundraising event which helps support our Exchange Program (Homestay), The Royal Court, our scholarship programs for students, Czech bands, and our annual picnic. Please help support this wonderful event!

Czech Traditions of Christmas

Svaty Mikulas
Dec. 1 at 5:30 pm at Hospoda 62 16th Avenue SW.  Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

Svaty Mikulas (St Nicholas) Andel (angel) and Cert (devil) will greet the children followed by a short presentation on the Czech and Slovak traditions of Christmas.
Activities include singing Christmas carols & cookies, Christmas Traditions of the Czech and Slovak Republic, walk to Kosek Bandstand, and a tree lighting ceremony at Kosek Bandstand or the center circle tree in front of the museum.

Everyone is welcome! Please see the flier for additional information, or reach out to CHFwebmaster@gmail.com with any questions.

Please join the Czech Heritage Foundation for our Výroční Piknik (Annual Picnic) at the National Czech & Slovak Museum and Library on Sunday August 15 from 6-8 PM.

We'll be celebrating another successful year - potluck style. Break out your favorite side dish or dessert recipe ... Babi's kolach recipe, Aunt Mary's favorite “salad” or Deda's sauerkraut ... bring enough to share! We'll take care of everything else (meat, drinks, etc.).

Please RSVP by August 5th. Call 319-677-1609 (If no answer, just leave your RSVP in Voice Mail.)

Please look forward to this event! The annual Czech Heritage Foundation and National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library meeting will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023 and will begin at 5:30pm with a potluck meal following at 6:30pm. The Czech Heritage Foundation meeting will follow at 7:00pm. Reservation can be made by CLICKING HERE TO RSVP, and this must be done by FEB. 14, 2023 in order to guarantee there will be enough meat for everyone. We hope to see you all there! Please remember our annual membership is from Jan-Dec. Please renew if you haven’t!

The annual St. Joseph’s Day dance will be back in 2022 with a bake sale and live music by Becky & The Ivanhoe Dutchmen. This event will be held Sunday, March 20, 2022 from 1pm-5pm at the Dancemor Ballroom. This event is sponsored by the Czech Heritage Foundation and all profits will go to support the CHF educational programs.

In Czechoslovakia, St. Joseph’s Day was a day of fun and gaiety. Musicians of the village serenaded the homes of people where a Joseph lived. The band traveled by horse and wagon and the festivities continued late into the night. It is thought that St. Joseph’s Day originated in Italy in the 14th century. A friar named Joseph was honored on March 19. In 1870 Pope Pius IX declared Joseph a patron saint to honor the day of his death. Many Czech families use the name Joseph in honor of the saint. Unlike the green on St. Patrick’s Day, red is used in clothing, bread and even beer. (From Czech and Slovak Heritage, Family Traditions, Stories and Recipes … available at https://store.ncsml.org.)

The date for 2023 TBA! Please look forward to this event! The annual Czech Heritage Foundation and National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library meeting will be held Tuesday, March 15, 2022 and will begin at 5:30pm with a potluck meal following at 6:30pm. The Czech Heritage Foundation meeting will follow at 7:00pm. Reservation can be made by calling (319) 677-1609, and this must be done by March 9 in order to guarantee there will be enough meat for everyone. We hope to see you all there and don’t forget to bring your own table service!

2022 Wreath Raffle is Czech Heritage Foundation main event! 12/4-5, 2022. This is in conjunction with the Czech Museum’s Old World Market. We know everyone missed the wreath raffle in 2020 … so did we. It’s back in 2021! Be sure to put the Old World Christmas Market at NCSML on your calendar! Look for more information as the Christmas season approaches. Holly Stepanek will be the main contact for this event in 2022.

2022 Fall Harvest Dance will be 10-1-2022 at DanceMor in Swisher from 1-5. How long has it been since you’ve cut a rug? Months? Years? Come join us at a Fall Harvest Dance and break that dry spell!

Dožínky (doe-shink'-key) is a Slavic harvest festival. In various places throughout Europe - including the Czech Republic - it is celebrated annually to give thanks for a bountiful harvest.

Malek’s Fishermen Band continues the great tradition of dance music excellence started by Syl Malek in the 1930’s. If you’ve never experienced a live polka band before, there is no better way to start than this!

NEW LOCATION!

Join us at the DanceMor Ballroom in Swisher for our dance. Tickets are $10 cash at the door.

We will have a bake sale (including kolaches), as well as Czech Heritage Foundation merchandise for sale!

Please join the Czech Heritage Foundation for our Výroční Piknik (Annual Picnic) at the National Czech & Slovak Museum and Library on Sunday September 12 from 5-7 PM. Date in 2022 TBA

We'll be celebrating another successful year - potluck style. Break out your favorite side dish or dessert recipe ... Babi's kolach recipe, Aunt Mary's favorite “salad” or Deda's sauerkraut ... bring enough to share! We'll take care of everything else (meat, drinks, etc.).

Please RSVP by September 5th. Call 319-677-1609 (If no answer, just leave your RSVP in Voice Mail.)

The Czech Heritage Foundation is sponsoring the Czech Plus Band at the Kosek bandstand on Friday July 23rd. Come join us for beautiful weather and great music!

Czech Plus Band is a group of musicians dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Czech band music in the mid-west. Czech Plus has been declared the official band for Czech Village in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is the only band in the United States to be able to perform the national anthems of The United States, The Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Performing in costumes (kroje) patterned after the brass bands of Southern Bohemia, the Czech Plus Band has a library which is constantly being up-dated with new music from the Czech Republic, thanks to a contact in Prague

Come celebrate the 4th of July Czech-style with Barefoot Becky!

Mix a cup of German, Czech & Slovenian style polkas and waltzes, a cup of country, two steps, foxtrots and big band, a dash of latin and line dances, and party favorites to taste. Once it’s to your liking, you’ve got a recipe for a band that’s really cookin’! That’s what you get when you see a live performance featuring Barefoot Becky & the Ivanhoe Dutchmen, a group based out of Mt Vernon, Iowa.

Don’t forget to stick around (or come back) for the Fireworks Display hosted by Freedom Fest!

Join the NCSML President and CEO Dr. Cecilia Rokusek, Czech Heritage Foundation President Jim Gruntorad, Slovak Ambassador to the U.S. Radovan Javorcik, and Director of the Czech Center in New York Miroslav Konvalina and Deputy Director Jan Zahour at the Czech National Cemetery at 10 a.m. to dedicate the planting of four new Linden trees, donated by Trees Forever. Many cultures consider the Linden tree, with its heart-shaped leaf, a sacred symbol representing peace, love, prosperity, friendship, and good luck.

Ceremony will be held near the Jan Hus memorial (enter from C St. SW).

More Info: Linden tree planting followed by coffee & kolaches | National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (ncsml.org)