Let Not The Light Of Freedom Be Extinguished! Amerk Ameriška domovina SLOVENIAN MORNING NEWSPAPER 9 'n Ohio and Nationwide, over 200,000 American-Slovenians Vol. 99 No. 40 (USPS 024100) AMERIŠKA DOMOVINA, OCTOBER 9, 1997 ISSN Number 0164-68X 60C 0 :i i, r !* Il r f b a j. ) l I a 1 i! (Photo by TONY GRDINA) 900 attend Fantje Na Vasi concert Ov^900Stimated Cr° Slov U Persons were St, rTanNational H( landL a'r Avenue in 0ctOhOn Saturday e> of °ber 4 to hear m, «>„4 F“n'j= Na V d]J,!IC . audience w; )oCs0mted “ C " ^r*" led his "len ,k 'M '"s Sl»ventr0U8h a With a f ngS lnt€ asv ,ew *n Engli ^B'essAmer Na Vasi v C^0 years s r?: si,r ua. To a|'2e that *u an en nat event, j( e"c«e svere the 7, we>-e n •SS‘$£*! airfield n B Were . ’ Connec ^nt;!180 Engine t-antie ; "'"g1 J concert. WaS asth uteirf. h to si HM „ amili« dur 8-st H'"bers- As Vd TT " ^ show Cokani ; f»o.baVrha bef0rf> au team ■-& Of \n'T Passed dated everyone on the latest marriage this year and the 41st birth. It was easy to see the improvement in the quality of their concert in 20 years as their singing was precise and crisp, with everyone starting and singing together harmoniously. At other times there seemed to be two, three, or four units taking different parts of a song for variety and you had to pay attention while at the same time enjoying the beauty of the melody. Different members also stepped forward as solo voices drifted magnificently throughout the hall. The Fantje Na Vasi proved they are dedicated by showing the audience the precision of their superb voices. And John Srsen must be credited with bringing their sensational talent to the forefront. It was a distinctive concert which could easily have pleased a discriminating audience in Milan, Italy. The audience responded enthusiastically, demanding an encore. Members of the disbanded Alpine Sextet returned to accompany the singers in a few numbers. The orchestra Veseli Godci featuring singer Mimi Kozina played for dancing. People came in buses, vans or private auto from as far away as Chicago and New York. The background featured new sound boards which enabled the singers to perform without the need of a microphone. The chorus could be heard throughout the hall, even to the furthest corners of the balcony. The boards were purchased with a $10,000 grant from The Frances and Jane S. Lausche Foundation given in memory of Senator Frank J. Lausche. Tom Srsen announced the sound boards will be available to other singing groups at the Slovenian Home. The concert ended with members of the Fantje Na Vasi passing out pieces of cake to everyone. They said they knew we were coming so they baked a cake. To members of Fantje Na Vasi and other Slovenian singing groups; Thanks for showing the world the superb melodious talents inherited, and now perfected as one of the precious gifts to the American people from our beautiful cultural Slovenian ancestry. —James V. Debevec Slovenian balloonists seek Cleveland hosts As was reported last week, we are expecting a delegation of six balloonists from Slovenia to arrive in the Cleveland area on Oct. Ibth. The group is in the United States to participate in the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta from Oct. 4 - 12. There are 856 balloons participating in this international event representing 29 nations. This makes it the largest balloon festival in the world. On Oct. 7 Slovenia was introduced for the first time to the festival. Members of the Slovenian delegation include: chief pilot and official representative from Slovenia, Avi Sorn and his daughter Masa; additional pilot, Borut Je-zovnik and his wife Asunta; in charge of promoting Slovenian tourism, Jelena Greben; as well as two reporters from Slovenia, Vladimir Ajdic of Slovenske Novice and from Delo Mar- jan Petrovič, who is the head of the delegation. The Slovenian balloonists will leave Albuquerque and travel to Cleveland arriving on Oct. 16th. They will be in Cleveland from Oct. 16 - 18. During their stay they plan to fly over Lake Erie, the city of Cleveland, and possibly over Niagara Falls to promote Slovenia. While in Cleveland the group would like to stay in the homes of American Slovenians in the area. If you are interested in hosting any members of the group, please contact the Slovenian Consulate at (21