Društvo Slovenski Dom - Toronto - Slovenian Home Association

Slovenski Dom Banquets are a lot of fun. Below is a report on the 2008 Banquet

Slovenski Dom Christmas Banquet 2008

Report by Oscar Koren

Slovenski Dom’s annual Christmas banquet (Boži?ni?a) was held on December 6, 2008 at Marija Pomagaj parish hall in Toronto. Despite the dangerous driving conditions created by the heavy snowfall that had begun that afternoon, our banquet was very well attended. The evening commenced with a social hour when old friendships were renewed and new ones formed. Among the guests were members of Slovenski Dom and their friends, representatives from our sponsor organizations as well as representatives from other Slovenian organizations¨- Slovenska Šola, Dom Lipa, Društvo Simon Gregor?i?, Slovenska Telovadna Zveza, Slovensko-Kanadski Svet.

The formal part of the program started with greetings and best wishes from the President and Vice-President of Slovenski Dom. In his opening address, the president emphasized that Slovenski Dom is a registered non-profit organization whose mission is to promote Slovenian culture and heritage in Canada. He invited all other Slovenian organizations and clubs to work together to make Slovenian Canadians proud of their heritage.

We enjoyed a delicious Slovenian dinner and scrumptious desserts. We held a draw for a door prize just before the band started its first set. Our music that night was provided by the Matt Lebar Enseamble, which entertained us with Slovenian songs and lively dance music. At the first intermission, guests were entertained and engaged with the evening’s cultural program.

The cultural program started with a recital of the poem “Slovenski Dom na Pape” by Bernarda Cemaš, winner of the Slovenski Dom poetry contest. Next, a ladies choir, “Naša Pesem”, from the Slovenian parish in New Toronto, performed a number of Christmas carols and Slovenian folk songs.

During this first intermission, a number of awards were also presented. This year’s recipient of the Outstanding Volunteer Award was Majda Resnik. Other awards included the Achievement Award to Randy Dresar, the Poetry Contest Award to Bernarda Cemaš and the University Scholarship Award to Annemarie Muhi?. In addition, Dom Lipa and Slovenska Šola received cultural/financial awards. Congratulations to all 2008 award winners!

During the second intermission, we held a Raffle Draw; the wide variety of prizes were generously donated by our Slovenian sponsors, members, guests and other Canadian organizations.
As we have done in the past, two youngsters in our audience helped us pull the lucky tickets from the drum.

The singing and dancing continued late into the night and a good time was had by all.