Half Way To Simply Slavic Wrap Up

The Slavic Clans of the Mahoning Valley gathered at the Lemon Grove Café on Friday, December 2, 2011. This was a first-ever Simply Slavic event held indoors and was organized to raise funds to help defray costs associated with the large outdoor festival held each June in Downtown Youngstown. The evening was filled with Slavic-themed entertainment non-stop from 5 pm until 2:30 am. Also featured during the event were several imported beers from some of the Slavic nations, šljivovica- the potent plum brandy beloved by so many Slavs, and an extremely popular kolachi tasting. A Russian-inspired Beef Stroganoff plate was offered by the Lemon Grove chefs to help maintain the Slavic theme of the evening. Special drawings were held and enabled event organizers Dave Slanina, John Slanina, Ken Shirilla and Aundréa Cika-Heschmeyer to mingle with the crowd sprinkled with local descendents representing most of the lands where Slavs originated in Europe. Even a smattering of people wearing ethnic costumes could be seen among the revelers, and those were rewarded with a chance at a special prize.