Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on October 3rd, 2022 in Main 
For the second year in a row, Susan and I were asked to serve as float judges at our town’s annual Czech Day Festival, which takes place the first October of every year. Once again our friend and former classmate Jaime Olvera organized the annual parade, and both Susan and I were thrilled to take our spots again on stage sitting at the judges’ table. All of the Czech royalty attending the parade wear the fanciest of outfits, and Susan and I felt a little out of place last year in our normal street wear. For this year’s parade, Susan… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on October 6th, 2014 in MainI’m starting to get deja vu every year at Yukon’s Czech Festival. Except for the years I was out of town for work, I’ve attended pretty much every Czech Day Parade since the early 80s and I have to tell you, they doesn’t change much. After I got home from this year’s parade I decided to compare some of my pictures with ones I’ve taken at previous parades. Here’s a picture I took this past Saturday of the cannon they fire off each year to mark the beginning of the parade: …and here’s a picture I took in 2007: Here’s… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on October 6th, 2008 in MainDidn’t make it to the Bigfoot festival … got suckered into the Czech Festival instead. The Bigfoot festival looked really neat and from what I could glean looked pretty boring for kids, so we went to the parade instead. Maybe next year. Parade was much better than last year’s, although Yukon’s standing policy of no throwing candy from floats again disappointed the children. This year we brought our own candy instead. 60+ photos from this year’s parade here.
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on October 7th, 2007 in MainYesterday marked the 42nd annual Czech Festival in Yukon, Oklahoma. I’ve attended over half of them (essentially every one since 1978) and participated in a few as a kid, but it’s possible 2007’s festival may have been my last. After taking a look at my review of last year’s Czech Festival, I’d say all the things I complained about last year held true once again this year. Same crowds, same crazy parking, same rude people walking up and standing directly in front of us five minutes before the parade starts. In that same entry from last year, I mentioned the… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on October 8th, 2006 in MainSaturday, October 7th marked the umteenth-annual Czech Festival here in Yukon, Oklahoma. Yukon was apparently founded by Czechs and has an official “sister town” in Czechoslovakia, so the first Saturday of every October is officially “Czech Day”. Here is my non-cynical summary of Czech Day: The Czech Day Festival begins with a parade down Main Street, where all the Czech prince, princess, king and queen nominees join Shriners and lots of local schools and other organizations. The parade lasts from 10am until noon, at which point the festival officially kicks off. North of Main Street are tons of arts and… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on October 3rd, 2011 in MainEvery year we attend Yukon’s annual Czech Day Parade, and every year I write about it. If you need the back story on what the Czech Festival is or why my town has one, check out that link. As a kid, I remember three distinct phases in regards to the Czech Festival: attending it, participating in it, and eventually hanging out in it. Back then, you either went to gather candy watch the parade, march in the parade, or hang out at the makeshift fair afterwards with your friends. My kids have made the transition from watching the parade to… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on October 5th, 2021 in Main 
I’ve been to a lot of Czech Festivals over the past 40+ years, but 2021’s may have been the most memorable yet. In 2020, Yukon’s Czech Festival and Parade was cancelled due to COVID. This was the first year Yukon did not have a Czech Day since the tradition began in 1966. For this year’s parade, the role of planning and coordinating the festival fell on my friend, Jaime Olvera. I’ve known Jaime since he was on my soccer team in grade school, and the two of us graduated together in 1991. Jaime has organized portions of the parade before,… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on October 5th, 2015 in MainI have less and less to say about Czech Day each year. This year Susan and Morgan were part of the Girl Scout Float and Mason ran off to shoot pictures for the yearbook, so I sat by myself and shot pictures. I ended up sitting next to Danny (a friend of my dad’s) and a row in front of my niece and her boyfriend, so I wasn’t completely alone. I took pictures of a lot of the same things I took pictures of each year. I always enjoy hearing the marching bands, seeing the new floats, and watching the… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on October 3rd, 2009 in MainTwo years ago, Yukon made the decision to ban the throwing of candy at the annual Czech Day Parade. At last year’s parade, not only was no candy thrown, but the Shriners didn’t show up either. The Shriners are the ones who bring the three-wheelers, the racing go carts, and all the fun stuff; without them, the parade is a long string of convertible Mazda Miatas with potential Czech kings, queens, princes and princesses waving from them, tractors, and a horse or two. This year, the parade was back in full force. Candy was occasionally thrown but mostly handed directly… (read more)
Posted by RobOHara ( @Commodork) on December 31st, 2023 in Main 
2023 was a year of change, a year of success, and a year of fun. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights! In 2023 our family unit saw a couple of big changes. In January, after many months of no updates, Susan’s medical retirement from the FAA was abruptly approved. After more than 25 years of federal service, she was given 24 hours to remove her belongings and wrap up the dozens of projects she was overseeing. Once the shock wore off, Susan began pouring her newfound free time into lipedema awareness and her new shoe company, LegsLikeMine.… (read more)
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