BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

ULESKUTSE KOIGILE KOORI LAULUHUVILISTELE !

Baltimore/Washingtoni Eesti Segakoor ja Baltimore Eesti Laulumehed kutsuvad koiki Eesti laulust huvitatuid lauljaid uhinema nendega selle uuel aastal.  Tanu meie vabatahtlikute koorijuhtidele Mati Tammaru ja Silvi Valge hoolsa ja innuka too eest on molemad koorid agaralt tegutsenud juba mitmed aastad.

Praegult on aga segakooris tekkinud puudus just eriti sopran ja alt haalte ruhmades.  Vajamae hadasti uute lauljate abi.

Need kes kooriga uhinevad -votke teatavaks, et te ei ole kohustatud liituma kooriga pika aja peale.  Meie koori liikmed on koik vabatahtlikud kes teevad seda oma vabast ajast.  Samuti, saame aru, et igal uhel ei ole voimalik osavotta iagst lauluharjutusest.  Oleme tanulikud kui lauljad saaksid koori aidata isegi luhema aja jooksul.

Molemil kooril on ettenahtud esinemised eelolevatel Eesti Vabariigi 90. Aastapaeva aktustel - puhap. 17. veebr. s.a. Washingtonis - Lati Majas ja laup. 23. veebr. Baltimore Eesti Majas.

Koorid on ka juba alanud ette valmistama 2009.a. Eesti Laulupeo laulude kavaga.

Lauluharjutused on iga esmaspaev alates kell 7:30 Calvary kirikus, Silver Spring, Md.

Jargmised lauluharjutused:
esmaspaeval 28. jaanuaril, 2008.
esmaspaeval 4. veebruaril, 2008.
esmaspaeval 11. veebtruaril, 2008.

Siin umbruskonnas on kindlasti mitmeid teist kes on lauluhuvilised ja mitmed on varem ka laulnud laulukoorides Eestis.  Kui teil leidub huvi ja aega - mis on ainult paar tundi nadalas - puhendada Eesti koori laulu traditsiooni edasi kandmiseks - siis palun ASTUGE MEIE SELTSI !

Palun votke kohe uhendust kas koori juhi Mati Tammaru'ga - mctammaru@comcast.net voi koori vanema Reet Kaseoru'ga rkaseoru@hotmail.com

UHENDUSES ON JOUD !

Reet Kaseoru

The taste of Estonia into your home

By Nathaniel Zimmer

"It's Estonian !" is not exactly the likeliest advertising slogan.

But then Oak Lawn resident Bob Mauge is not your typical liquor salesman.

Mauge, 45, had no experience in the booze business when a colleague of his wife returned from a visit to her native Estonia bearing a gift : a liqueur called Vana Tallinn. The couple liked what they tasted, and eventually, once the bottle was empty, Mauge went looking for more. When he couldn't find any, he contacted the producer, a company by the name of Liviko, and asked for the name of the distributor.

"They said, 'We have no distributor,'" and no importer either, recalled Mauge, who is the father of 10-year-old twin boys.

That's when a light bulb went on.

Ever since the Internet bubble burst, Mauge's home-based info-tech recruiting business had been struggling. It occurred to him that the empty bottle he had sitting at home might prove to have been a far greater gift than he had thought - might be, in fact, that fabled "once in a lifetime opportunity," he said.

Two years later, Mauge is the sole U.S. importer of Vana Tallinn. Priced at about $27, it's available in close to a dozen stores in the Chicago area, including industry giant Sam's Wines & Spirits.

Valli’s play speaks volumes for Lions

By Jonathan Gipson

It’s been three years since Hanna Valli came to the United States to earn a college education and play volleyball.

While some international students struggle to adapt to the American culture, the Tallinn, Estonia, native has adjusted well, particularly when it comes to learning the English language.

She scored 620 on the TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) exam, well above UAFS’ qualifying score of 500. And, she’s done a good job of learning the southern dialect.

“I’ve been around Australians and the British”, Valli said of learning English. “When I came here, I got used to the southern accent ... like ‘y’all.’”

Academics haven’t been a problem, either.

Valli is taking a demanding course load while pursuing a biology degree, and she has plans to pursue a career in the area of genetics research. The sophomore right side hitter likely will be named an Academic All-American at season’s end.

“She is smart,” UAFS coach Jane Sargent said, “and it translates onto the court and on all aspects of her game.”

There is one thing that has been difficult for Valli. She’s still not mastered the art of driving.

“I never learned,” Valli said. “At home, you have to be 18 to get your driver’s license, and I left home before I turned 18, so I never got my driver’s license.”

Estonian–Canadian GULAG Survivor Eduard Kolga Dead at 93

TORONTO - Eduard Kolga, the Estonian-Canadian subject of the award winning 2005 documentary film about the Soviet GULAG forced labour camp system,  GULAG 113, has died at the age of 93.

Kolga died of respiratory complications on Wednesday shortly after being admitted to a Toronto area hospital.

Born in Estonia in 1914, Kolga was illegally mobilized, along with 30,000 fellow countrymen at the end of the first Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1941. Kolga survived internment in a camp near the near arctic Russian city of Kotlas, where he witnessed the grizzly deaths of nearly 1/3 of his comrades.

He eventually escaped through the lines of the Eastern Front and briefly returned to Estonia in 1942. He and his family eventually fled to Canada, where he is now survived by his two sons, Mati and Aare and their families.

Long road to success for Lepmets

It's been, quite literally, a long road to success for Marelle Lepmets.

In 2005, the Garden City Community College setter made a giant leap of faith, moving 5,041 miles west from her hometown of Tallinn, Estonia, to play volleyball for a group of coaches she'd never even met in person.

"You just have to have connections, and they have to find you somehow," Lepmets said of the international recruiting process. "I just wanted to experience America. I'm not really sure how I ended up in Garden City, but I'm really glad I did."

The Lady Busters are no doubt happy to have her.

Lepmets currently ranks seventh in the nation in assists-per-game with 11.81 and 11th in overall assists with 1,420 on the season. On top of all that, the sophomore ranks third on the team in digs with 274, fourth in kills with 165 and has been an integral part of Garden City's 23-10 record this season.

"She's changed her perspective on volleyball," Lady Busters coach Nikola Petrovic said. "If you look at her stats and everything else, they've just upgraded so much. She's moving up so quick. Almost every other match she has a triple double."

Sügisball

This November from 1-20 the American Film Institute Silver Theater in Silver Spring MD is having its second European Union Film Festival.  One of the films is from Estonia.  Autumn Ball (Sügisball) will be screened Nov 10 at 1 PM and Nov 11 at 8:15 PM.

There are also films from Latvia, Lithuania and Finland as well as the other countries of the EU.  Detailed information can be found at : http://www.afi.com/silver/new/

Estonian choir music

Hi everyone,

On Wednesday, October 10th, the Mixed Choir of Estonia Society from Tallinn is performing in Calvary Lutheran Church in Silver Spring 7.30 pm. This is their last concert in the USA tour and the next day they will leave back to Estonia. They will be singing songs from Estonian composers like Tormis, Kreek, Mägi, Pärt. More information about the choir can be found from their website http://www.esskoor.ee/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=62

The concert is free, but donations are encouraged to support the concert organization (Baltimore/Washington's Mixed Choir proposed the donation amount - 15 $ for employed people/7$ for students).
I will attach a file with the flyer-poster, so some of you can print them out and post them where you can.

I ask for everyone's support and help in spreading the word about the concert so the choir would have a good big audience!

On behalf of the Baltimore/Washington Estonian Mixed Choir.
Ingrid Stamm

Max Blob's Park in Jessup, Maryland, is closing soon

Max Blob's Park in Jessup, Maryland is closing soon. Rumor has it that the property has been sold and is being replaced with a housing development that will start construction sometime next year. We are planning one last night at Blob's on Saturday, September 29, to bid farewell to and celebrate our old friend, home of many great Estonian and Baltic get-togethers over the years.

Blob's Park is a Bavarian style beer and dance hall located between Baltimore and Washington in Jessup, Maryland. German foods and over 70 brands of beer are featured, along with live polka, waltz, and oom pah pah music and dancing on a 2,000 square foot wooden dance floor. Admission at the door is $5. We will have several tables reserved in the names "the Estonians", "the Latvians", and "the Lithuanians" located toward the back right near our respective flags.

To get there, from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway take the Route 175 exit toward Odenton, turn right at the first set of lights, pass under the Max Blob's Park sign and follow the road around to the parking lot. Further information can be found at www.blobspark.com.

See you soon at Blob's !

New York Estonian House is back in business !

Summer is over, and it's time to visit the NY Estonian House again ! Renovations have progressed, and the House is ready to welcome back everybody for a busy fall season.

Information is available on our website and from our manager Merike Pärtel @ 212-684-0336

Sincerely,
The NY Estonian House team

It's Time to Clean House ! We welcome everyone - there's enough work for all ! Free food and wine after the work is done !
Sept. 9 at 11 am

West Coast Estonian Days

Lääneranniku Eesti Päevadeni on jäänud vaid 5 päeva ! There are only 5 days left until the West Coast Estonian Days ! Lääneranniku Eesti Päevadeni on jäänud vaid 5 päeva. Lennupiletid ostetud ? Hotellituba kinni pandud ? Kotid pakitud ?  Üritustele piletid ostetud ? Kohtumiseni Lääneranniku Eesti Päevadel ! There are only 5 days left until the West Coast Estonian Days. Airline tickets purchased ?  Hotel reservations made ?  Bags packed ?  Event tickets purchased ? See you there !

Kiirteated Quick notices Kõigile neile, kes on plaaninud osaleda Lääneranniku Eesti Päevade tutvusõhtul, ballil ja rahvapeol, palume oma piletid ette osta ASAP. Kuna on tegemist üritustega kus pakume toitlustust, on eelnev info korraldajatele vajalik. Tee oma valik nüüd! Kliki siia ! Kõigile teatrihuvilistele ! Kihlusega seotud kuulujutud on pannud rahva elevile. Lausa nii elevile, et teatrisaal hakkab täituma. Palume kõigil, kes kindlasti soovivad teatrit näha, osta piletid veel lähipaevadel. Pileti hind sisaldab bussisõitu hotellist teatrisse. Parkimine teatris on raskendatud ja kallis, kasutage bussitransporti hotellist! Osta oma pilet nüüd ! Interneti kaudu on võimalik pileteid tellida kuni 7 augustini. Peale seda saab pileteid osta LEP Registratuurist kohapeal. Maksta saab kas sularahas või tshekiga. To all who plan on attending the following events at the West Coast Estonian Days :  Getting Acquainted Evening, Ball and Folk Festival. Please purchase your tickets ASAP. Because attendance at these events includes food service, the folks making the arrangements for these events need to have the aforementioned information. Please, make your arrangements today ! Click here ! To all intending to see the play "Kihlus" : News has spread by word of mouth and suddenly everyone is excited, as a matter of fact, so excited that the seating for the play is reaching sold-out status.  We request all who wish to see the play to purchase your tickets ASAP.  The price of the ticket includes bus fare from the hotel to the theater - oh, yes - and back. Theater parking is expensive and confusing.  When leaving from the hotel (recommended) please use the free bus service included in the price of your theater ticket. Buy your ticket now ! You can order tickets online until August 7th.  After that tickets will be available at the West Coast Estonian Days Registration Desk.  Pay by cash or check.

Aadressid, kaardid ja juhised Addresses, maps and directions Kõik aadressid, kaardid, juhised leiad siit ! Infot transpordi ja parkimise kohta leiad siit ! All addresses, maps, directions you will find here ! Info about transportation and parking you will find here !