"[M]any complaints have been received from patrons of the concerts who are annoyed by knitting during performances[.]"

Put down the needles.

I have knitted through games at Wrigley Field (that sparked an argument with my companion), and I've also knitted during an evening performance of a play (yawn) at an outdoor theater.

Bossa Nova Anthem

The Ball and Chain records a Bossa Nova version of the Lithuanian National Anthem:

Interpretive Reunion

New Glarus, Wisconsin, May 6, 2016. That's not what we had in mind.

Hammered Dulcimer

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1989. I once tried to learn to play the dulcimer. It did not go well.

The Life Box (Part 29)

Sparks, Nevada, October 1979. A friend worked at a Reno, Nevada, casino as a stage lighting technician after he graduated from college. I was scheduled to visit him, and I bought tickets for the Liberace show. Circumstances later prohibited me from making the trip, but I saved this ad.

In-Flight Entertainment

"And, there are simply too many notes."

Evidence emerges that Mozart and Salieri collaborated.

" 'How VIP do we gotta get?' "

Said Sir Paul McCartney after being denied admission to a post-Grammy party.

An Independence Day "Minejimas"

Today, February 16, is Lithuanian Independence Day. The holiday celebrates Lithuania's independence, in 1918, from the Russian Empire. Now, of course, there is a second Independence Day—a restoration day—marking the day Lithuania broke from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Lithuanians recognize both days. Traditionally, groups host a "Minejimas," or commemoration, filled with speeches, poetry recitations, music, and dancing. 

Here in Madison, Madison-Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc. organized a similar reception. We gathered at the Central Madison Public Library. We ate some goodies (I baked a Trupininis Pyragas), and then Nijole shared a presentation about the history of the Žaibas Dance Group. Žaibas this year celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary.

Madison, Wisconsin, February 14, 2016. The library offered a beautiful room for the gathering.
 

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Nijole created a display featuring items from Žaibas's history (yes, the group danced at a festival in Japan. And in Argentina).
 

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Ah, "[w]e were so much younger then."
 

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We chatted before the program.

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We stood for the Lithuanian National Anthem. No one had an excuse for not knowing the lyrics.

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Nijole began her presentation.
 

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Current and former Žaibas dancers rose to applause.
 

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Nijole spoke about the history of folk dancing, especially among the Displaced Persons living in postwar camps. You may have seen this photo earlier.
 

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And this one, too.

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We have a great group! 

"Sonata on Independence"

Today is the 25th anniversary of the day Lithuanians voted to secede from the Soviet Union.

Presidential Box

Kaunas, Lithuania, September 2010. My friend Nancy sits in the presidential box at the Kaunas Opera House. Nancy's Grandfather, the American Consul to Lithuania in the 1920s, had season tickets to the opera.

My Mom also attended performances in this theater.

Applause

Madison's International Festival takes place tomorrow at the Overture Center. The Wisconsin folk dance group, Žaibas, will perform at 12:45.

Žaibas is the group with which Mr. Irene and I performed in the early 1990s. We danced at the festivals back when they occurred at the old Oscar Mayer Theater.

Madison, Wisconsin, 1991 to 1995. Here are Žaibas's curtain calls at the early festivals.

Thanks to my friend Nijole for making these clips available to us.

Boom Box

Heraculaneum, Italy, May 1984. Name the tune.

At the Opera

Kaunas, Lithuania, March 22, 1927. The American Consul to Lithuania attends the opera. The Consul wrote:

This evening we heard Carmen at the opera with Kovno's best singer, Petrauskas. At one time, he sang with the St. Petersburg opera, but somehow drifted to Kovno after the war [see here and here]. He is an excellent singer and actor. ... The orchestra did well considering its small size. ... The scenery was good, it having been painted by a Kovno artist who went to Spain to find appropriate scenes. We were in the diplomatic box with Mr. and Mrs. Balodis (the Latvian minister), Mr. Oiderman (the Estonian representative, and Mr. Balutis, who is about to be appointed Under Secretary in the Foreign Office which will give him almost the rank of a cabinet minister. ... President and Mrs. Smetona were in the box next to us. ... The theater was completely filled and the audience was most enthusiastic, calling Petrauskas and others before the curtain many times after each act.

Thanks to the Consul's Granddaughter for making this photo available to us.

The Madison Kūčios Celebration

Madison-Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc. and the Madison-area folk dance group, Žaibas, hosted its annual Kūčios gathering yesterday. It's a lovely event, and folks arrive from around the state to celebrate the occasion.

Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Each table featured a plate of plotkelės.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. It's a potluck affair. I made Christmas Fish. (See menu items and recipes here and here and here.)

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. We had several delicious herring dishes.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. That's my (first) plate. My favorite dish was the "Herring Under a Fur Coat."

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Santa arrives!

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Santa engages the children in the "Jurgelis Meistrelis" dance. Santa had push-ups on the mind.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. This Santa was so good that even his children didn't recognize him.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Santa had a tree decorated with straw ornaments.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Finally, it's time for the gifts!

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Aww, bless.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. There's no free gift for the older children: each must recite a poem or perform a song before Santa passes along the prize.

Hallelujah Chorus

This video is not new, but it still makes me smile.

Related by Marriage: Wall Art

Evanston, Illinois, about 1977. Mr. Irene and his dorm hallmates celebrate their paint job.

Camp Memento

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Schweinfurt, Germany, 1945 to 1949. This is a "holy card" Dad carried throughout the postwar years. The text printed on the back is not a prayer; it's the lyrics to the Lithuanian Anthem.

Related by Marriage: Practice

 

Evanston, Illinois, about 1978. Mr. Irene maintains the discipline.

Related by Marriage: College Boys

Evanston, Illinois, about 1978. Mr. Irene plays the guitar.