by Elena Bradūnas-Aglinskas In 1972 I embarked on a documentary expedition to the anthracite region of eastern Pennsylvania to see if the Lithuanian immigrants who came to America at the turn of the 19th–20th century remembered any songs from the “old country.” I focused primarily on the town of Shenandoah, …
Read More »Finding Roots in Forgotten Cemeteries: Lithuanian Youths Discover Hidden Heritage in Pennsylvania
Lukrecijus Tubys This summer, heritage conservationist and cultural explorer Vilius Žalpys led another group of young Lithuanians on the fourth annual “Roots” (Šaknys) expedition, aimed at restoring abandoned graves of Lithuanian immigrants and uncovering the stories of their ancestors. The group traveled to Pennsylvania’s Anthracite region, known for its historic …
Read More »Romualdas Požerskis on exhibit
by Tom Gregg (Grigonis) Eons ago in his prime he depicted the country’s elite, including Arvydas Sabonis senior, Valdas Adamkus, Jonas Mekas and Vytautas Landsbergis. He chronicled demonstrations in Kaunas following Romas Kalanta’s self-immolation in 1972. For this he was arrested, sentenced to 15 days in jail, and expelled (temporarily) …
Read More »Aleksandras Stulginskis: Putting Lithuania Back On the Map
by Darius Norvilas In 1885, Lithuania had been under Russian occupation for 90 years. That year Aleksandras Stulginskis was born near the small hamlet of Kaltinėnai in the Šilalės district of Žemaitija. From humble origins, Stulginskis would go on to have one of the most important résumés in modern Lithuania …
Read More »Kaunas Swings in the Jazz Age
Birutė Vaičjurgis Šležas Couples stepping smartly on the dance floor to the sounds of a foxtrot, the bandleader directing black and white musicians in jazzy renditions of the latest hits, the haughty diva strutting through a glittering crowd to the posh table reserved for celebrities. Is this London, New York, …
Read More »The Lasting Legacy of the Baltic Way
Liepa Boberienė. Few moments in history capture the essence of human determination and solidarity as vividly as the Baltic Way. On August 23, 1989, this momentous event not only hastened the demise of our Soviet occupiers but also sparked a worldwide movement for freedom. It serves to this day as …
Read More »In Tribute to Darius and Girėnas
Julius (Jay) Sakas. In the early hours of July 15, 1933, a heavily laden airplane, the Bellanca 300 christened the Lituanica, lifted off from Floyd Bennett Field in New York City. Two Lithuanian aviators had just taken to the air in pursuit of their dream. Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas …
Read More »From Between Blue Waters
Laima Vincė. The global quarantine of 2020–21 was like the game Musical Chairs. Wherever you were on planet Earth when the music stopped and the quarantine went into effect, that’s where you stayed. I found myself on a sandy strip of shifting dunes held tentatively in place by ancient forests …
Read More »How fragile our existence. Destination America revisits Waterbury, Connecticut
The most ambitious internet project documenting Lithuanian American heritage sites is nearing completion. The dynamic duo of Augustinas and Aistė Žemaitis, known as the “Destination Lithuanian America” team, have created an interactive online map and encyclopedia showcasing Lithuanian heritage sites in North America. They have been exploring the U.S. and …
Read More »An Oasis for Lithuanians. A walking tour of St. Anthony’s Franciscan Monastery in Kennebunkport, Maine
Laima Vincė. When I was growing up in the 1970’s and 1980’s, our family made a yearly summer pilgrimage to the St. Anthony’s Guest House on the Franciscan monastery grounds. My mother recalls spending her summers here in the 1950s and 1960s. Back then, we would hear Lithuanian spoken on …
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