From February 9 to 11, 2024, Klub Stepinac traveled to Los Angeles to perform at the Croatian Cultural Extravaganza. We were proud to be one of ten groups from across North America invited to take the stage.
The weekend began on Friday evening with a meet-and-greet dance at the St. Anthony Croatian Parish Center, with music by Ponosni Hrvati from Hamilton, Canada. On Saturday afternoon, Klub Stepinac performed in the festival concert at the Aratani Theater in downtown Los Angeles. That evening we celebrated at the banquet with V.I.S. Croate from Kitchener, Canada, and on Sunday we joined the St. Anthony Croatian Catholic Church community for Mass before heading home to Chicago.
This trip was supported by a grant of €6,500 from the Central State Office for Croats Abroad (Središnji državni ured za Hrvate izvan Republike Hrvatske) for our project “Performing at the Croatian Folklore Festival Extravaganza.” We are deeply grateful to the Office for believing in our young people and helping them share Croatian culture with the whole continent.
Thank you to our performers for their hard work, to the instructors who prepared them, to the parents and chaperones who traveled with the group, and to our hosts in Los Angeles for their warm welcome. Hvala!
