Ukrainians Celebrate 100th Anniversary of Settlement in Kingston, Ontario

This year marks the centennial of Ukrainian settlement in Kingston, Ontario. That 100th anniversary was marked with great cheer at the “Lviv, Ukraine” pavilion, at Folklore, held June 11-13, 2010. Thousands of Kingstonians and out-of-town guests attended this weekend-long festival to enjoy traditional Ukrainian cuisine and hospitality, with entertainment provided by the Ukrainian Maky Dance Ensemble and guest performers from the Odesa Ukrainian Dance Troupe of Oshawa, Ont.

As part of their centennial project, the Ukrainian Canadian Club of Kingston and the Kingston Branch of the League of Ukrainian Canadians are restoring a 101 year-old iron lion statue, donated originally to the City of Kingston by the family of the late Captain John Gaskin, a former alderman and mayor. A trilingual plaque will be unveiled on July 9 on the waterfront at Sir John A MacDonald Park. It describes the “Gaskin Lion” and marks the Ukrainian Canadian community’s centennial, the first of a series of planned “Kingston Remembers” plaques. This project is being supported by the local community with the assistance of the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko and the support of MST Bronze Limited of Toronto, a Ukrainian Canadian owned foundry.

Nadia Luciuk, who teaches members of Kingston’s Maky and Dorest Ukrainian dance groups, said: “Kingston’s ‘Lviv, Ukraine’ pavilion has been offering family entertainment to the public for over four decades while, at the same time, reminding our fellow citizens of who Ukrainians are and of the history of the homeland. This year, of course, is special for us as we recall how Ukrainians have been a part of Kingston’s history for 100 years, just as many of us will be marking the 120th anniversary of Ukrainians in Canada next year. One of Canada’s longest-running Ukrainian festivals, our efforts and those of other Ukrainian communities across North America, and indeed throughout the Ukrainian diaspora, continue to underscore how important it is for Ukraine to secure its place as an independent state in Europe. The more we help others know about who Ukrainians are, the more likely that outcome and that, in turn, will help ensure peace and stability in our world.”

The ‘Lviv, Ukraine’ pavilion is organized every year on the second weekend of June and held in the Regiopolis-Notre Dame Roman Catholic High School Auditorium. In 2011, the festival will take place on June 10, 11 and 12.

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Ukrainian Maky Dance Ensemble – “Lviv, Ukraine” Pavilion at Folklore in Kingston