[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16818]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          IN RECOGNITION OF THE CLEVELAND JUNIOR TAMBURITZANS

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                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 4, 2011

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Cleveland 
Junior Tamburitzans, a group which has been promoting Croatian arts and 
culture for more than fifty years.
  Established in 1959, The Cleveland Junior Tamburitzans are a parent 
sponsored non-profit group whose members range in age from 5 to 21 
years old. The group performs songs and dances to traditional Croatian 
music in order to celebrate and honor their heritage. The group is 
currently comprised of more than 100 children who are under the 
direction of Katarina Lukacevic and Tom Salopek. The Tamburitzans have 
held concerts in Canada, Croatia, and throughout the United States. The 
group's purpose is to preserve and celebrate the culture of Croatia.
  Cleveland's Croatian community is among the most robust in North 
America. Croatians have played a pivotal role in developing the 
businesses and industries which helped make Cleveland great. Their 
presence provided additional diversity to our growing city and members 
of the Croatian community have made valuable contributions to the 
area's athletics, arts, and music. In 1949, Cleveland was the first 
city to bring traditional Croatian song and dance together with the 
founding of the American-Croatian Singing Association.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognition of the 
Cleveland Junior Tamburitzans, just one of the many bright spots of 
Cleveland's Croatian community.

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