News:
Come join us for our annual Summer Picnic. Read more... Burrows Park on the Map.
MVSC hosted picnic for 
BALSSI students and staff.
June 16, 2009 MVSC was pleased and honored to host a picnic reception for the students, faculty and staff of BALSSI (Baltic Studies Summer Institute) at the home of
director Milda Aksamitauskas. Members of the MVSC board prepared typical Lithuanian dishes as an extra-curricular bit of knowledge for students who come from all over the country to study Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian language and culture. The course runs from June 15 to Aug. 7th. For more info: http://www.creeca.wisc.edu/balssi/
Visit BALSSI 2009 Cultural Events!
MVSC is Ambassador for Vilnius – European Capital of Culture 2009:
http://www.culturelive.lt/lt/ambasadoriai/ambasadoriainew/?salis=215
Vilnius - European Capital of Culture 2009. Vilnius – Europos kultûros sostinë 2009,
Year long Vilnius will celebrate status of the Cultural Capital of Europe with multiple events: concerts, conferences, shows, etc.
MVSC celebrates 20th anniversary (1989-2009)
The 20th anniversary celebration of the Madison Vilnius Sisters Cities (MVSC) organization drew over 50 people for an evening of fellowship, dinner, drinks and commemoration. MVSC was organized in 1989 to pursue a cultural, charitable and social exchange between the cities of Madison, Wisconsin and Vilnius, Lithuania. Guests came from as far as Chicago, Baraboo, and the Milwaukee area to participate in celebrating the anniversary at the University of Wisconsin Memorial Union in Madison. Guests were able to enjoy beautiful weather and cocktails on the veranda over-looking Lake Mendota, while connecting with old acquaintances and establishing new friendships. Jim Sykes, the first MVSC president, along with Ernie Coonie, a past president of MVSC, provided a historical perspective of the organization, describing it's purpose, goals and past accomplishments. Daine Zemliauskas-Juozevicius, the current MVSC president, welcomed attendees and provided an update regarding the organizations' activities over the past year, as well as upcoming events that everyone is invited to participate in.
Click to enjoy pictures from the Banquet:
Speakers were our current president Daina Žemliauskas-Juoževičius and former board presidents - Ernie Cooney and Jim Sykes.
Greetings, Members and Friends of Madison Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc.!
Watch interview of MVSC President Daina Juozevičius Žemliauskas on "Madison City Channel”:
http://www.cityofmadison.com/mcc12/sistercities.html#archive
Lithuania celebrates 1,000 years anniversary.
March 9th, 1009 first
mention of the word "Litua" in the Annals of Quedlinburg appeared.
This is the reason for the great festivities and celebration going on all year
in
http://www.lituanistika.lt/Naujienos/Tukstantmetis.htm (in Lithuanian)
For English description go to:
„Gatvės muzikos diena“ apims visą pasaulį
Gatvės Muzikos Diena, įvykusi 2007-ais ir 2008-ais metais padovanojo
daug džiaugsmo visiems joje dalyvavusiems ir apsilankiusiems. Šiemet
ji ir vėl įvyks pirmajį gegužės šeštadienį - gegužės 2 dieną.
Šiemet, kai Vilnius jau tapo Europos kultūros sostine, o Lietuva
švenčia savo vardo paminėjimo tūkstantmetį, Gatvės Muzikos Diena apims
ne tik Lietuvą, bet ir visas pasaulio vietas, kuriose gyvena
lietuviai. Jau galima registruotis svetainėje: http://www.gatvesmuzika.lt/lt/registration.
Baltic Studies Summer Institute 2009 at UW-Madison
The Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia (CREECA) and the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will host the Baltic Studies Summer Institute (BALSSI)
in the summer of 2009 (June 15-August 7, 2009). Elementary Estonian,
Latvian, and Lithuanian language courses will be offered, as well as
lectures (in English) on Baltic history and culture and a rich program
of cultural events related to the Baltic countries. Information and
application materials are available on the BALSSI Web site: www.creeca.wisc.edu/balssi. (Deadline to apply is April 13, 2009.)
Graduate students are eligible to apply for a summer 2009 Foreign
Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship through CREECA (FLAS
deadline Feb. 16, 2009):
http://www.creeca.wisc.edu/students/funding/flas.html
BALSSI is sponsored by a consortium of twelve US universities and
receives additional support from the Association for the Advancement of
Baltic Studies. For further information about BALSSI 2009, please
contact Nancy Heingartner, BALSSI program coordinator,
balssi@creeca.wisc.edu, 1-608-262-3379.
M. K. Čiurlionis Exhibit at the Madison Public Library Feb. 2 - 28, 2009
MVSC organized a poster exhibit of perhaps the most famous Lithuanian artist of all time:
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis.
M.K. Čiurlionis (09.22.1875 - 04.10.1911) was a painter and composer whose art continues to capture the imagination, transcending time and place.
More information about Ciurlionis and his art can be found at:
http://ciurlionis.licejus.lt/index_en.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikalojus_Konstantinas_%C4%8Ciurlionis
Žaibas 02.21.2009 performed at the International Festival.
Žaibas Lithuanian Dancers of Madison performed at the International Festival - Promenade Hall, Overture Center.
Beautiful pictures taken by Tim Mulholland at Žaibas performance you can find there.
Lithuanian community celebrated Lithuanian's Independence Day 02.23.09.
Prof. Alfred Senn, author of "Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis: Music of the Spheres" and MVSC Board Member, gave captivating talk about the life and work of Čiurlionis at Madison's Public Library.
Thank you - how came to celebrate with us The Independence Day, view M. K. Čiurlionis exhibit, met MVSC members and friends - and had a taste of Lithuanian food.
Pictures form the event you can see there.
Madison Lithuanian community celebrated Christmas Eve - Kūčios Dec. 7th 2008 at
Evening was organized by
MVSC and Žaibas thanks everybody who organized and attended the Eve. We also highly appreciate your donations.
Lithuanians always celebrate Christmas Eve (Kūčios) with age-old traditions, among them: a meal of 12 delicious meatless dishes, sharing of Christmas wafers (plotkelė), straw on the table to remind us of the birth in the manger, kids reciting for Old Man Christmas (Kalėdu Senelis). Lots of fun for young and old.
Pictures from Christmas Eve - Kūčios.
Lietuvai Bevizis Rëžimas į JAV. U.S. Visa Waiver Program for Lithuania.
2008.10.17 JAV prez. G. Bush'as paskelbe, kad JAV įtraukë Lietuvą, Latviją, Estiją, Vengriją, Slovakiją, Čekiją ir Pietų Korëją į šalių, kurioms taikomas bevizis režimas, sarašą. Bevizis rëžimas turëtu įsigalioti lapkričio mënesį.
Be vizų į JAV galës vykti turizmo, verslo ar kitais asmeniniais tikslais vykstantys ir biometrinius pasus (išduotus po 2006 metų rugpjūčio 28 dienos) turintys Lietuvos piliečiai. JAV jie galës bûti ne ilgiau nei 90 dienų.
Į JAV vykstantys Lietuvos piliečiai, privalės naudotis Elektronine kelionių leidimo sistema (ESTA - Electronic System for Travel Authorization).
Folk Dance Festival, Šokiu Švente, was held in Los Angeles, CA July 6, 2008.
Every four years the Lithuanians in America hold a Folk Dance Festival, Šokiu Švente, in which thousands of Lithuanian dancers from the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Argentina, West Germany, Poland and Lithuania have participated.
Žaibas was originally founded to dance at the 1992 Šokiu Švente and has danced at every one since then.
This wonderful event was held this year, on July 6 in Los Angeles. Žaibas again was participating.
Information about the event is available in both Lithuanian and English at www.sokiusvente.com
Pictures from Šokiu Švente 2008 Los Angeles, CA Album1 and Album2
“Posters of Soviet Occupied Lithuania 1940-1990” exhibit at Madison Central library ended. MVSC organized exhibition was a great success. Exhibit was well attended by madisonians and city guests.
MVSC 2008 Annual banquet
Our annual meeting and banquet was held in the Main Lounge of the University of Wisconsin Memorial Union. You can see pictures from the Banquet and pictures from the day after.
We were honored to have Draugas editor-in-chief Dr. Dalia Cidzikaitė as this year's speaker. She spoke about the image of minorities in Lithuanian culture.
More information about Dalia is available here.
We appreciate our guests for participation and support of the Madison-Vilnius Sister Cities. Pictures along with detailed description will be uploaded shortly.
Dr. Dalios Cidzikaitės straipsnis apie MVSC 2008 banketa galite paskaityti "Dauge"
Dr. Dalios Cidzikaitės straipsnio kopija apie MVSC 2008 banketa "Dauge" "Word" formate.
Žaibas performed at Mini-Šokiu Šventė in
In anticipation of the Lithuanian Dance Festival (Šokiu Šventė) in
MVSC celebrated "Vasario 16ta" (February 16th) -
Lithuanian Independence Day
by dancing with Žaibas at the annual Madison International Festival, held this year on Feb. 16, 2008.
Telling the audience that this was Lithuania's "Fourth of July", Žaibas presented a program of 5 dances, and then invited the audience onto the floor to learn 2 of them. Their offer was accepted by a large and enthusiastic crowd of adults and children. Later in the day, Žaibas dancers Debbie Kmetz and Dan Garvin sang a Lithuanian song as part of their performance with the singing trio Tri Bratovchedki. They also told their audience that they were celebrating Lithuanian Independence Day. This news was met with a rousing ovation. Greg Lasky of Vesper, WI also represented Lithuania in the marketplace, offering a wide variety of Lithuanian art and craft items. See a video of "Žaibas" dancing "Vakaruškos".
"English Books for
In 2008 books were donated to Vilnius Antakalnio library.
We received Thank you
letter from Antakalnio
Library director
Raima Burbiene
(in the picture).
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In 2007 books were donated to Karoliniškių library.
In 2006 books were donated to Kalvarijų library.
We thank all MVSC friends who donated books.
If you have books you would like to donate please contact any of the MVSC board members.
Four delegates from Lithuania attended World Dairy Expo in Madison October 1-6, 2007.
More about this event you can read in there and see in the pictures.
Also a couple articles in Lithuanian newspapers published in Chicago appeared recently. Article in “Draugas” called "Lietuvos atstovai apsilanke pasaulineje parodoje” by Stase E. Semeniene and article in “Amerikos Lietuvis” by Gediminas Vidugiris called “Madison Vilnius Sister Cities kvietimu Lietuvos Zemes ukio specialistai dalyvavo Word Dairy Expo 2007 Madison'e”.
MVSC was featured in a couple of Lithuanian newspapers here in the United States: "Amerikos Lietuvis" and "Draugas". "Draugas" published article (in Lithuanian) you can read in there. "Draugo" spausdintą straipsnį apie MVSC banketą ir mūsų svečio Prof. Giedriaus Subačiaus kalbą galite perskaityti čia.
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