IN THE NEWS: Slovak heritage will be the center of attention at an upcoming party.

(TRIBUNE DEMOCRAT- JOHNSTOWN, PA) - A Slovak Mardi Gras, or Fasiangy, will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 19 at Venue of Merging Arts, 305 Chestnut St. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.

The Sustainable Environmental Economic Partnership, a Slovak-American partnership from Kosice, Slovakia, is sponsoring the celebration, said Karen Mesaros, who provides marketing and public relations for the organization.

Authentic Slovak potato haluski cooking demonstrations using bryndza sheep’s cheese will be given by Dennis Ragan of Indiana, Pa.
“He’s a friend and has done demonstrations in Pittsburgh,” Mesaros said. “When we think of haluski, we think noodles and cabbage, but in Slovakia, it’s potatoes and sheep cheese. It’s the national dish in Slovakia.”.....

READ THE COMPLETE STORY HERE: http://tribune-democrat.com/events/x584481250/Venue-of-Merging-Arts-to-host-Slovak-Mardi-Gras

NEWS STORY: Slovak Mardi Gras to feature cooking, traveling demos (Daily American - Somerset, PA)

Tracing her family's Slovakian roots was something Kay Ann Cober had always wanted to do.

Four years ago, the Berlin resident and former Meyersdale teacher made her dream a reality by traveling to Kamjunka, Slovakia, with her family to visit relatives of her grandparents.

Cober's grandparents came to America in the early 1900s in search of freedom and a better life. Her grandfather, a coal miner, arrived in 1904. Her grandmother arrived four years later. They settled in the Johnstown area.

"They came here in the search of the American dream and they found it," she said. "They passed on a work ethic. They worked hard and they believed in hard work."

Cober, who has been studying her family's genealogy for years, was thrilled with the outcome of her visit to Europe.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE: http://www.dailyamerican.com/da-ot-slovak-mardi-gras-to-feature-cooking-traveling-demos-20120205,0,497594.story