A BEAUTIFUL EVENT – A PERFECT EVENING

The evening was the most pleasant of the year – in more ways than one! The weather was perfect and people came in large numbers from all over Northern California for a very special and unique event – the dedication and blessing of the Sveti Nikola Fountain at our Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church and Cultural Center.

People who came early first attended a beautiful Vesper Service in which most of our Serbian Orthodox Clergy from Northern California participated. And then, with the large gathering encircling the structure in the twilight of a very balmy evening, Sveti Nikola Fountain was blessed by attending Clergy and dedicated by its donors, Zika Zivanovic and Mico Stefanovic and their families, to the memory of their fathers.

We are grateful to the clergy who came to join with Fr. Cvijanovic and Deacon Steve Tumbas to participate in this beautiful event - - V.Rev. S. Jovic, V.Rev. M. Garic, V.Rev. D. Bunjevic, Rev. M. Matic, and our special guest, V. Rev. Irinej Dobrijevic, Director of the SOC Office of External Affairs in Washington, DC. We appreciate, too, the effort of those members of the St. Michael’s Church choir in Saratoga and their director, Vladimir Licina, who joined with Holy Trinity members to sing responses

Then, at the conclusion of the ceremony, the fountain lights were turned on and the water trickled down from the crown to the delight of the crowd who joined with the choir to sing “Boze Pravde”. It was truly a beautiful sight and a very moving ending to the ceremony.

The large crowd then made its way into the Cultural Center hall for refreshments and a delicious dinner prepared by Chef Mike Milovanovic and his crew, and then listened to the pleasant background music of the “Oplenac” Orchestra from Los Angeles.
Following very heartfelt remarks by Zika and Mico who thanked the many individuals who devoted their time and effort to make the fountain a reality, we were pleased to have our special guest, V. Rev. Irinej, address the crowd. He spoke of the beauty of the fountain and its symbolic meaning and he also encouraged those in attendance to continue their work in support of our Serbian Orthodox Church and to perpetuate our Serbian heritage.

Next, the wonderful youth of the Holy Assumption Folklore Group of Fair Oaks delighted the crowd with their intricate kolos and dances, including a very humorous number featuring a “stara Baba”, her tall and handsome grandson(?), and the lovely young ladies who were pursuing him. To them and there director, Dennis Boxell, we extend our very sincere thanks for coming to help make our event the success that it was…and our congratulations for a fantastic performance! We look forward to seeing you again very soon!
At this point in the evening, “Oplenac”, with Soloist Milan Vidovic, took center stage as the crowd joined in kolo dancing and singing into the early hours of the morning.

The success of this very special event exceeded our expectations! We extend our sincere appreciation to the many people who came from our sister parishes in Saratoga, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Oakland to help make this a most memorable evening for all of us through their participation and their generosity. Hvala!