In search of a Czech queen -- in Wilber, Nebraska

Traces of the earliest Czech-American urban centres are still evident today, in street names recalling Czech patriots and historic towns, Sokol community centres, St. Wenceslas churches, and the like. But it's in America's "heartland" --especially in rural communities in states like Nebraska and Texas-- where Czech traditions are perhaps best preserved and most widely celebrated.

Wilber, photo: www.telc-etc.cz

Tens of thousands of ethnic Czechs left their homes in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia in the late 1800s in search of a better life in the United States. Most of these newly arrived immigrants joined tight-knit communities in rapidly industrialising American cities like New York, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cleveland — at least briefly— before heading on to the wide opens plains of the Midwest to work their own patch of land, or down the Mississippi River and on to the big open skies of oil-rich Texas.

[radio announcer] "Good afternoon. It's polka time again, and this is Frank Prochazka. Dobre odpoledne. Budeme zase hrat Ceskou hudbu... "

Wilber Czech Queen Amanda, photo: www.nebraskaczechs.org

Traces of these earliest Czech-American urban centres are still evident today, in street names recalling Czech patriots and historic towns, Sokol community centres, church, and the like. But it's in America's "heartland" -- especially in rural communities in states like Nebraska and Texas — where Czech traditions are perhaps best preserved and most widely celebrated.

The home to the mother of all Czech-American celebrations, the epicentre of it all, at least for one day every August for the last forty-odd years, is the town of Wilber, Nebraska; population: 1,789 at last count, with 40 percent of its residents boasting Czech heritage.

"Vitame vas! My name is Amanda....I'm the Wilber Czech Queen. And welcome to Wilber.

"Hi, I'm Jana .... I'm the South Central Czech Queen, from Aurora, Nebraska."

Wilber, photo: www.worldisround.com

Evidence of the Czech migration from the old Austro-Hungarian Empire over the centuries lives on in the names of these rural towns: Nebraska is home not only to the town of "Prague", but also to "Praha", "Plzen", and "Tabor". And, since the early 1960s, the little town of Wilber has been the official "Czech capital" not only of Nebraska, but of the entire United States.

As such, it is home each year to the Miss Czech-Slovak USA Pageant.

"Dobry den, everyone. I'm Susan Bures. I'm the Miss Ohio Czech-Slovak Queen."

"My name is Amanda Gotasek. I'm from West Texas."

The first Wilber Czech Festival was held in 1962; it's been going strong ever since. It now draws from 30,000 to 50,000 visitors each year.

"Vitame vas to Wilber, Nebraska. Ja jsem Karlicek, Charile. I'm president of the Nebraska Czech Festival."

Nebraska Czech-Slovak Queen Pageant, photo: www.nebraskaczechs.org

"This is John Fiala, I'm the chairman of the Miss Czech-Slovak USA pageant, which we hold here in Wilber, the Czech capital of Nebraska and of the USA." And our first pageant was held in 1987, at which time we only had four contestants. But since that time, we've had as many as 23 contestants. All the way from Pennsylvania to California, from Minnesota and Wisconsin down to Florida and Alamaba."

"Elise Andersen. I'm representing the state of Minnesota. We have a 'kolace days' festival, which is the third weekend in July, every year."

"Monika Sulc. I'm from the great state of California."

"Hi, I'm Teresa Caspar, the Miss Kansas Czech Queen."

"Hi, I'm Jamie Kessler; I'm the Oklahoma Czech Queen."

"My name is Sasha Svoboda and I am representing Florida; I am Miss Florida."

My name is Hana and I'm from Richmond, Virginia. Thank you."

"I'm Rebecca Fedor, from Fair Hope, Alabama."

"I'm Teresa Mahoney, and I've come all the way from Portland, Oregon to be part of the Miss Czech-Slovak USA pageant."

Photo: www.esu3.org

They come the first weekend in August to hear traditional polka bands, watch the "beseda" folk dancers, and eat homemade "jaternice" sausages and those ubiquitous Czech pastries, the "kolache".

"Ja jsem byla narozena v Bison, Kansas. uz pecu rohliky nejakech 80 let. [I was born in Kansas and have been baking [Czech] bread rolls for some 80 years]"

Honza Honner, pro Czech-American TV: Do you know 'bramborove placky' [potato panckakes]?

Czech festival in Wilber, photo: www.galenfrysinger.com

"No, I don't do them. But I want to tell you about kolache. The poppy seed is the one that the Czechs always look for, you know; and English people think its opium in it and so they pass 'em up. But the Czechs always gotta have that poppy seed."

And, of course, like at similar events throughout the country, perhaps drink a bit of Czech beer:

"It's a great show: the beer is very cold and the kolaches are awesome."

"We're both going to be at the Czech festival for the whole day, just about. There's a Czech Queen pageant this afternoon at 4:00 pm - and the winner goes to Wilber, Nebraska!"

But the main event is without question the coronation of a new "Miss Czech-Slovak Queen USA".

"Actually, when I was five, I started Czech dancing in Wilber — we have the 'Little Beseda Dancers' — and when I was five became a Beseda dancer. I don't honestly remember why: it just looked like fun".

Natasha Florian, photo: www.nebraskaczechs.org

Natasha Florian is a Wilber native, the reigning Nebraska state Czech-Slovak queen, and a hopeful for the 2005 national title. In speaking with her, it seems almost as if she's been training for that top spot all her life.

"When I was eight, I wanted to be the Wilber Czech Princess. Well, I tried out for Wilber Czech Princess, but I didn't get it. But I was able to be a 'little sister' which is — state queens who come to compete for the national title in Wilber each are partnered with a little girl who will help them, hold their hand and be there for them as they compete — and so I was a little sister to the Michigan Queen when I was eight. And that was basically when I became interested in becoming Czech queen and getting involved with my Czech heritage."

Nebraska Czech-Slovak Queen Natasha Florian (on the left), photo: yorknewstimes.com

Natasha achieved her goal of becoming a Wilber Czech Princess at the age of eleven; last year, at the age of sixteen, she became Wilber Czech Queen, and in short order, when on to become a York Czech Queen, as well, competing from her grandparents' district. She then got up the courage to compete in the state pageant, despite the fact that most past winners have been 18 or older.

"And I won the title; so now I am the Nebraska Czech Queen, the current queen; and in August, I'll be competing for the national title, with all the other states."

The first permanent Czech settler on record in Nebraska is Charles Culek, who arrived in 1856. In all, some 50,000 Czechs, settled in the Midwestern farming state over the following century; most hailed from Bohemia, as did Natasha's great-great grandparents, who came from Plzen.

Contestants in the national contest are expected to design and sew their own "kroj" - traditional Czech folk costumes — authentic to the region of the girls' ancestry. They also have to perform a "talent". Natahsa is well-prepared: she has been a Beseda dancer for twelve years, and has five years of clogging lessons... and... three weeks of formal accordion lessons.

Czech festival in Wilber, photo: www.galenfrysinger.com

Do you have you accordion near by? Any chance you could play a little bit for us?

"I can try, yeah!"

"My mom has taught all of us kids to bake kolaches and so I know how to bake kolaches and a few little traditions like that which we try to keep in the family, so I wanted to add another one with playing the accordion."

What are you going to play now?

"Well, I can play 'Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie' - that would probably be the easiest."

If you would like to learn more about Czechs in Nebraska, or about upcoming Czech-Slovak festivals throughout the United States, please have a look at www.nebraskaczechs.org/nsq.htm or the Czech-American TV website, www.catvherald.com