We, parents and friends, gathered together in Eugene, at Alton Baker Park on a sunny summer day in 2018. Our big and united desire to share our traditions with young generation led us to discuss different ideas and prepositions about a theatrical play as a joyful, exciting and happy event for all children in our beautiful Eugene community and all outskirts.
The main goal was to blend our own multicultural heritage of Eastern European, Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin, and the Balkans families into American society. As a result of our consistent meetings through the fall season, we decided to invite the whole Eugene community to participate, learn and share the celebration of New Year’s Eve with the Father Frost and all other slovenic fairy-tales characters in a theatrical play “Father Frost”.
With the logo “We Can Do it TOGETHER”, we began working on our team, group duties, responsibilities, resources of the play plot and art workshops, budget, and advertisement. Our goal was to make “Father Frost” play as truly real as it was back in our childhood. Through the fall we were having garage sales; got first start-up budget to prepare costumes and decorations for the play. We also contacted many other Eugene community organisations to spread the word about “Father Frost” play, get more help and support from other families.
Why would Eugene community need this? We firmly believe the diversity of cultures would make our whole community special, happy, united — interconnected and engaged through the process of sharing and learning different traditions and cultures. The ‘“Father Frost” play brought so much joy, happiness, exciting moments of achieving many different goals during the preparation time. This event was very successful and joyful event to all kids and adults of Eugene community.
Nowadays, our team “ Artlinks” as a non-profit organization, has tremendous planned events for our wonderful Eugene community: cultural performances, guest artists’ presentations, after-school programs, workshops, educational programs, festivals, events for kids and adults. Through all these ways, we teach the young generation about positivity of cultural diversity that leads to development and flourish(thrift) of the whole community, state and country.