Video Discription |
http://bechynczechfest.org/
https://www.mollieb.com/
Bechyn’s Virtual Czech Heritage Festival
Featuring Mollie B and Ted Lange LIVE from their home studio
Links:
Czech Heritage Festival Website: http://bechynczechfest.org/
T-shirt Orders (enter CHF for your store code): https://rambow.com/
Czech Heritage Festival’s Facebook Page: https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geK.Qa2SZf4tYAPStXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEycmsxNmluBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQzAxNTRfMQRzZWMDc3I-/RV=2/RE=1596410267/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.facebook.com%2fBechynMinnesotaWorld/RK=2/RS=F9vvxU6b7LL1luCiXZzjHDCyJR0-
Mollie B & Ted Lange: https://www.mollieb.com/
Jim Busta Band: https://www.jimbustaband.com/
Donate - all donations are tax-deductible
via Venmo: Bechyn Czech Festival
via PayPal: Info@BechynCzechFest.org
by Mail: “St. Mary’s Preservation Association of Bechyn,”
PO Box 101
Olivia, MN 56277
St. Mary's Preservation Association of Bechyn is a non-profit 501c3 organization created for the purpose of the preservation of The Church of St. Mary of Bechyn and to promote the heritage of our ancestors from the Czech regions of Bohemia and Moravia who founded St. Mary's parish in 1879.
When St. Mary's parish was suppressed in 1992, a group of parishioners worked together and explored the possibility of preserving St. Mary's. These parishioners knew that the very existence of the historic church depended upon them. They had the approval of the Diocese. To maintain and preserve the old church building and grounds, the parishioners decided to honor their heritage and carry on their love of bohemian traditions with an annual celebration! Our first Czech Heritage Festival was held on August 23, 1992, just a few months after the closing of St. Mary's parish.
HISTORY:
The first settlers were Bohemian immigrants arriving in 1867. They traveled 4600 miles to turn the prairie into fields and start a new life. It’s located 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Minneapolis. They named the settlement “Bechyn” after the town of Bechyně, in the present-day Czech Republic.
They built their church in 1880. The growing community quickly outgrew the first church and built a new, larger one in 1915.
Although never officially incorporated, Bechyn was a thriving rural community for many years. There was a blacksmith shop, post office and two general stores. Continuing through the decades of the 1920's to 1960's the Church of St. Mary's flourished along with the village of Bechyn. Dances were held at the town hall on a regular basis, the Church of St. Mary hosted annual church festivals and Bechyn was a destination point for young and old.
In the last 50 years, small family farms disappeared, and more people moved to larger cities. The declining population and shortage of parish priests forced the closure of St. Mary’s church in 1992.
With the church facing demolition, a group of parishioners bought the church and grounds and formed St. Mary’s Preservation Association, of Bechyn. Ever since there has been a Czech Heritage Festival on the second Sunday in August. Those first settlers didn’t leave everything in Bohemia. They brought their favorite foods, music, clothing, art, faith, and work ethics with them. That’s our history and that’s what we celebrate. Proceeds from the festival are used to preserve the historic church and to carry on the traditions of our Czech Heritage.
Each year since 1992, The Bechyn Czech Heritage Festival has taken place and all who attend can enjoy music, a Mass, food, games, the Czech store, and more.
The MUSICIANS:
Mollie B is the host of the "Mollie B Polka Party" on RFD-TV (airing 2 hours every week) and a member of the International Polka Association Hall Of Fame. Ted Lange is a two-time GRAMMY-Nominee and is also a member of the IPA Hall of Fame. Together, they host the Mollie B Polka Party Radio Show on both on Rural Radio, Channel 147, (Sundays, 11:00am to 1:00pm EST) and kneiradio.com (Sundays, 8:00-10:00pm EST).
Jim Busta is Mollie B’s dad who hired Mollie as a full-time band member at an early age. Jim still leads the Jim Busta Band today as they celebrate 41 years in the music-making business.
Mollie B & Ted lead the award-winning band SqueezeBox. The band has become one of the most popular and well-known bands specializing in live folk dance music and entertaining stage shows. Currently based in NW Ohio, their performances span multiple genres with a repertoire of over 800 songs, and solid vocals in English, Polish, German and Czech. Squeezebox is known for their ability to play "something for everyone", and easily adapts to any venue, ranging from town festivals, polka festivals, ethnic festivals including Polish, Czech, and German festivals and Oktoberfests, to weddings, anniversary parties, church festivals, state and county fairs and music festivals. Recently, they appeared in the Warner Brothers film "The Mule," starring Clint Eastwood. |