Wooden Couple Still Dancing After All These Years
The Czech immigrants who settled Texas represented a great cross section of the working class of Central Europe. Among those hard-working folks were musicians and visual artists. Then, as now, a talented person couldn’t make a living in the rural artistic world, thusly most of them farmed. The musicians, such as the Bacas and the Majeks, were well represented by their performances, but most still farmed during the day. The visual arts were not so well promoted, however it takes ingenuity to operate a successful farm in the early 1900s, where most equipment was homemade, and a few of the farmers were more creative than others.
In the rural Czech culture, as in others, the harvesting of the summer’s crop was a major event that was the culmination of many “see to can’t see” days of work. The success of the harvest was the key to whether or not the accumulated bills were paid and whether new shoes were in the near future for the family. The community’s fortunes were interlocked that if a bountiful harvest was good, it was good for everyone: bankers, store owners, and the individual families. The success called for a time to celebrate. A harvest feast was hosted by the local church to celebrate God’s blessing upon the hardworking farmers who produced the bounty.
In 1939, La Grange, the county seat, was scheduling its yearly Armistice Day celebration which included a parade through La Grange. The Great War had been over for eleven years and the memories of the conflict still generated significant respect for the veterans.
George Kana (the elder) of Hostyn, a Czech community southwest of La Grange, was one of the many Czechs who were immensely proud of their culture. He loved all facets of the Czech life and wanted other non-Czechs to see what a happy and productive people they are, in addition to being proud Americans. There had been at least fifteen WW I veterans of Czech descent from Fayette County who had lost their lives during the conflict. So, the Kana family and others got together to construct an entry into the Armistice Day parade.
George was an extremely talented man and had created many needed or labor saving implements around the farm. The Kana family and neighbors put their skills to work to create a memorable entry for the Armistice Day Parade to be held on November 11, 1939. What they came up with is a one of kind demonstration of Czech ingenuity.
To quote “The Rambler”, a La Grange Journal observer of local events: “Hostyn villagers maintain a memory of the old country and what a harvest feast meant to their ancestors in that country. These Hostyn villagers, supported by their priest, Rev. Paul Kaspar, presented a large float [hay wagon], which displayed the harvest [corn, cotton, sorgum stalks and ear corn] of the year, and carrying as passengers the Reverend Father and members of the Kana family. Attached, by trailer rod, was a dummy couple—dancing on a round platter and garbed in the costume of the Czech of old. As the vehicle was drawn, the couple dances. Following the unique couple from the Hostyn sector, also dressed in costume. Henry Janda’s Band added to the entry. It was noticeable, as the parade passed that favorable comment was not lacking. These people of Hostyn have the happy faculty of looking on the bright side of life, enjoying the life that is given, and encourage a flattering endowment of being natural in their pageant entries. As was the verdict in the centennial parade of last year, the Hostyn entry lost none of its appealing charms and was voted extra good.”
The dancers were constructed of hewn lumber frame and formed with muslin, paper maché, and cotton cloth. They probably danced at a few more celebrations but after time, they were stored away in a closet and remained there after the passing of the elder generation of Kanas. The next generation of Kanas remember being taken into their parent’s darkened deserted house at night to explore, and a well-planned opening of the closet door revealed by flashlight a strange looking couple which startled the youngsters and caused them to run out of the house. The dance couple endured a closet sized dance floor for several decades until the Fayette Count Museum and Archives were constructe in 1978.
The Kana Family recognized the uniqueness of George’s creation and decided to donate the dancers to the Museum. They were exhibited in the faux storefront that was the museum display area until the museum’s renovation. The Archives staff recently decided to put them back on display. They discovered that somehow the face of the male dancer had been damaged. A local artist, Pat Johnson, was contacted to restore his countenance. She was successful in recreating him enjoying the dance with his wife. The next hurdle was that the couple were freestanding (kind of); they had originally been attached to the float platform with metal rods secured to the legs and bolted down. The staff contacted another local Czech craftsman, Frankie Srubar, who built a similar platform, and attached the dancers in the original fashion. Mr. Srubar then built a castor system so the couple can be moved easily about the museum. The dancers were positioned at the entrance to the archives and greet visitors emerging from the elevator.
To be greeted by this fine piece of folk art on the upper floor of the Fayette Library visit the webite: http://www.cityoflg.com/library/museum_and_archives for hours and other information about the county.