My mom is 100% Swedish {she’s undoubtedly the tannest Swede in existence}. My dad is pretty much German {with a name like Eickman, there’s no hiding it}. But I was, for the most part, raised Czech. And I loved it.
As I’ve blogged about before, I grew up in a small town {yes… you can see I have a wee obsession with my small town upbringing}. Wilber, to be exact. Located in the southeast corner of the Cornhusker state, Wilber is home to around 1700 residents. It has one high school. It has a Legion park with ball fields and tennis courts and a City park with playground equipment. During the hot summer months, the city pool is packed and during the fall, the football field is home to many a fan on a Friday night. I heart the fact that I got to grow up there. Growing up there, for me, was a slice of the good life.
And for all you who think small towns are filled with small minds, let me tell you, Wilber is a big deal. Every small town has their schtick. And for Wilber, that schtick is the Czech heritage that flows through it’s veins. Wilber is home to a Czech Museum, Czech Bakery, two fantastic meat markets boasting Czech delicacies and plenty of people with last names ending in -cek. In fact, Wilber is so Czech that it is the official Czech Capital of the United States {now you know I’m not joking around about it being a big deal}. And of course, what has to happen in the Czech Capital? Each year during the first weekend in August, Wilber plays host to people {something like tens of thousands} who invade the town for Czech Days. If anything is ever deserving of being called awesomesauce, it’s Czech Days.
To me, it’s like no other small town festival you’ve ever seen. For one, because it’s the 50th anniversary of the festivities this year, the Budweiser Clydesdales have come to town. But outside of the horsing around… there are Czech dancers to see {I used to be one of them}, Czech music to listen and dance to {and really, who doesn’t love to polka}, delicious food to enjoy {kolaces, duck, dumpling and sauerkraut … why am I not eating dairy again???} and of course, beer gardens to frequent.
So, I said above that I was raised Czech … because in a way, I was. You can’t live in Wilber without becoming Czech. The entire town works together to put on Czech Days each year. It is truly the pride of the people who live there. As a child and teen, I took part in Beseda {traditional Czech dancing}, I had a Czech outfit {though not as fancy as several of my friends’}, I “acted” in the Czech Historical Pageant, marched in the band and alumni band in the parades, assisted with the Duck and Dumpling Run and of course, enjoyed the music and festivities. Because that’s what it’s all about. Being involved and embracing the heritage. And it’s what Wilberites have been doing for 50 years over.
So… head down to Wilber, grab a kolace and Czech out the festivities. It officially kicks off tomorrow night and runs through Sunday … and you know I’ll be there. It’s even cooler looking at it all now as a parent and hoping Barrett and Jonah enjoy it as much as I do and hoping they grow up a little Czech, too. And I have a good feeling if you do czech out the happenings, you’ll soon find yourself wishing you’d grown up Czech, too.
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