Czech Village Assoc. alienating community

Shame on the Czech Village Association for the lack of respect they are displaying to military veterans and the Czech Americans who have been so much an anchor in this community.

The Czech Plus Band for the last 35 years was always proud to salute the American and military veterans in the flag-raising ceremony at the opening of the Czech Village Houby Days celebration with the American, Czech and Slovak national anthems. The Czech Village Association also saw fit, for its 36th annual Houby Days celebration, to cancel the Houby Days parade, an event that in the past has been very well attended by family and friends with young children lining the streets of Czech Village and the surrounding neighborhoods to watch the many participants and entries filling the parade. A festival with no parade is like a Kolache with no filling.

If this is of any concern to you, please contact a representative of the Czech Village Association and ask why the heck this happened. Is this any way to try to bring people to an event? Is this any way to revitalize the Czech Village that was so decimated after the flood of 2008?

Art Drahozal

Cedar Rapids