WHEREAS, for five years, the Virginia Czech & Slovak Folklife Festival has promoted the history and heritage of Czech and Slovak families and demonstrated the important contributions of immigrant communities in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Czech & Slovak Folklife Festival was established in 2013 after the Virginia Czech/Slovak Heritage Society received a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities to host an event and document the traditions of local Czech and Slovak families; and

WHEREAS, between the 1880s and 1920s, hundreds of Czech and Slovak families relocated to the Commonwealth; the Virginia Czech/Slovak Heritage Society chose Prince George County as the location of the Virginia Czech & Slovak Folklife Festival due to the area's high concentration of immigrant families dating back to the turn of the century; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Czech & Slovak Folklife Festival is a free, family-friendly outdoor event featuring authentic Eastern European food, crafts, exhibitions, and music and polka dancing; and

WHEREAS, attendees of the Virginia Czech & Slovak Folklife Festival are encouraged to bring family photos, letters, and documents to be scanned and preserved for future generations; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Czech & Slovak Folklife Festival is a celebration of the immigrants and their families who helped shape cultural life in Central Virginia, while also contributing to the community in a wide variety of trades and professions; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That the Virginia Czech & Slovak Folklife Festival hereby be commended on the occasion of its fifth anniversary in 2018; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Czech & Slovak Folklife Festival as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for the important contributions of Czech and Slovak immigrants to Virginia and the United States.