The Old Czech Hall in Dresden is taking a look at their roots through a brand new fundraiser for the hall.
Al Kominek, president and manger, told the Sydenham Current the 2018 calendars they are selling, include a lot of local Czech history.
“It’s kind of a tribute to all the people that came over,” Kominek said.
“I think we owe it to them because… some of that history has been lost. Many people are thinking ‘you know, I didn’t know that about that person. I didn’t know that about that other family’. It just kind of connects everybody and brings us all together.”
Kominek said the idea for the calendars stems from a similar project done in Kamsack, Saskatchewan, where his wife Marion’s family immigrated to from Norway.
“Maybe in the early to mid 50’s, all the families outside of Kamsack, they did a bio of all the different families, where they kind came from, who they are, their siblings or offspring,” he said.
A handful of local families were involved back in 1946 to 1947 when the Old Czech Hall officially opened in Dresden, Kominek said.
Many of these families are represented on a plaque at the hall with all the founding members on it.
“We just thought a calendar would be a wonderful tribute to all of these families, my parents included, to maybe do a little history of them,” he said.
“We saw this in that Kamsack book and we thought, that would be such a cool idea.”
Kominek said they contacted many of the local families and asked them to write up an approximate 300 word summary of their family history, which is included in the new calendar.
“Just saying who came over, if you knew where they landed, which port they landed in,” he said.
“If they went out west and then they settled here in the Dresden, Chatham area. I didn’t realize how cool some of the history is out there.”
Kominek said they plan to create more calendars in the future.
The calendars cost $20 and are available by contacting the group through their Facebook Page, by calling 519-683-2097 or emailing oldeczechhall@hotmail.ca.
