30^th ANNIVERSARY OF RUDAR CLUB

UNITED MINERS SOCCER CLUB

By Franko Pavičevac

In a few weeks, or more exactly on March 4, 2007, Istrians and other Croats from the New York area will have another opportunity to enjoy the music and dances of their old homeland. This time around the performers will be Istrian folk dancers and traditional instrument players from United Miners Soccer Club, or Rudar Club, as it is usually called, as well as special guest stars of Istrian and Dalmatian music from New York and Pula. This program will mark the conclusion of Rudar Club's 30th Anniversary celbrations.

http://www.rudarclubny.com

Rudar Club was founded on the "Miners' Day" March 2, 1977, by a group of 21 young men from Labin area, bound and reunited after emigration to the US by their love of soccer and Labin. Like almost all Labinjani, these young men came from coal mining families, so the name for the club they were creating was easy to agree on: Rudar/the coal miner - after their father, brother, friend... they left behind.

In addition to that, several of them played soccer at "Rudar" Labin, which at that time was a well of talented, well trained players, supplying higher level teams in Pula, Rijeka and elsewhere. The new Rudar Club decided to wear the same color uniform, green and black, as its brother-club in Labin. Equipped with soccer skills, team spirit, old friendships and common heritage, the founders and others who quickly joined formed the soccer team and applied for membership in Long Island Soccer League (LISL). As newcomers to the league, team Rudar was placed in the 3rd Division - but quickly advanced to the 2nd and finally first.

The first clubhouse was basically a ground floor apartment on 43rd Street in Astoria, adopted for limited club activities. There was a bar, a few additional tables, and some additional space that served as soccer team locker room. Interestingly enough, the place was previously used by Istria Sport Club and vacated when Istria S.C. moved to newly purchased building shortly before Rudar was founded. As the membership grew  along with successes of the soccer team, so did the ambitions and the need for bigger and better Ťliving quartersť. Not wasting too much time, the leaders and activists went to work on gathering the funds for the purchase of the building on 45th street (still close to many Istrian and Croatian immigrants), which is now known as - Rudar Club. Money was donated or borrowed from members and friends, then the building was adopted to support the existing and new activities. A lot of hard work, volunteer work, as well as expertise, went into this before it became a full fledged Istrian restaurant, with bar and kitchen, and card playing and banquet rooms, and finally with space for young men and women, the new generation of members, for the activities they were interested in.

This opened the way to put to into action one of the most ambitious plan: to form and maintain a folklore group. Like the soccer team, this group assembled talented balon dancers from Labin area, accordionists, and meh (pipes) and roženice players, and before long, their and other members' American born children, some of whom were not of Labin or even in Istrian origins. In a short time these folklore groups performed on Istrian gatherings and cultural or promotional events across Eastern US and Canada, as well at in the old homeland, at Folklore festival in Zagreb, Labinske konti in Dubrova and elsewhere in Istria.

In the meantime, the restaurant, featuring Istrian and Dalmatian cuisine, attracted a clientele far beyond club members. And, its not only the food, but also the whole homely atmosphere, language, friendliness, and the fireplace resembling the old ognjišće, that brings back New Yorkers of Istrian and Croatian origins. Being a self-supporting club, Rudars athletic and cultural activities much depend on the success of the restaurant.

Both, the first solklore group and the one of today will perform at the 30th anniversary celebration on March 4th. With the help from traditional instruments players, they will give the audience a view into the oldest Slavic music that exists in our part of Europe, the one they helped preserve to these days. In addition, the guest stars singers ELEONORA and VESNA NEZIC RUZIC, and the group KRISTALI, will entertain the rest of the night with a repertoire of Istrian and Dalmatian music of all times.  

 The event will take place on March 4, 2007, at Leonards of Great Neck. All are invited - to enjoy and pay tribute to the founders, workers, members and artists, of Rudar Club, and be part of another celebration of our heritage. Here are a few more details:

Date: SUNDAY, MARCH 4, 2007

Place: Leonard's of Great Neck, 555 Northern Boulevard, Great neck, NY

Cocktail hour begins at 6:00 PM

Dinner immediately follows

OPEN BAR

Entertainment by

FOLKLORE GROUPS"RUDAR"

ELEONORA & KRISTALI

Special guest from Istria

Vesna Nezic Ruzic

Donation: Adults $100 children under 15 $50

R.S.V.P. Feb. 25

For reservation call

RUDAR CLUB (718) 786 5833                           

GUIDO BASTIJANIC (718) 278 0280

IVICA GASPARIC (718) 728 5537

MILAN VERBANAC (718) 470 1347

DANKO VESELICA (718) 545 9526

JOHN MATOSIC (516) 747 0853

OBILJEŽAVANJE 30-te OBLJETNICE

OSNIVANJA RUDAR KLUBA

Napisao Franko Pavičevac 

Za koji tjedan, točnije, 4. ožujka, Istrani i drugi Hrvati New York-a imati će priliku još jednom uživati u glazbi i plesovima zavičaja, ovog puta u izvedbi folklornih grupa i svirača na narodnim instrumentima iz kluba Rudar kao i njihovih gostiju, pjevača istarskih i dalmatinskih pjesama iz New Yorka i Pule. Ovo i drugi zanimljivi sadržaji dio su proslave 30-te obljetnice kluba Rudar iz Astorije, NY.

Klub Rudar, više poznat među našim iseljenicima kao Rudar Club, osnovan je na Dan rudara, 2. ožujka 1977. godine. Osnovala ga je grupa od 20-tak mladih Labinjana, koje su nakon dolaska u Ameriku ponovo okupili  nogomet i nostalgija. Kao i gotovo svi Labinjani, i ovi mladići su došli iz rudarskih obitelji, te je ideja za ime novoosnovanog kluba došla prirodno i spontano. Uz to je njih nekoliko prije dolaska u Ameriku igralo u labinskom NK Rudar, koji je u to vrijeme bio rasadnik dobrih nogometaša i Ťsnabdjevaoť nogometnim talentom ligaše u Puli, Rijeci i drugdje. Bogati nogometnim znanjem i ojačani međusobnim prijateljstvom i zajedničkim narječjem, ŤRudariť su se prijavili za natjecanje u Long Island ligi (LISL), gdje su kao novodošli tim morali startati u trećoj ligi, ali su za kratko vrijeme stigli do prve.

Skromne prostorije, iznamljene u stambenoj zgradi na 43-oj ulici u Astoriji, nisu pružale mogućnost za mnogo više od nogometa, kartanja i druženja, dok su ambicije, a uskoro i potrebe, bile su mnogo veće. Tako je već početkom 1980-tih godina zajedničkim sredstvima i uz pomoć članova i prijatelja, kupljena i preuređena jedna čitava zgrada udaljena samo 3 bloka dalje - što je značilo još uvijek u kvartu gdje živi velik broj naših sunarodnjaka. Otvorenjem novih prostorija otvorene su mogućnosti razvijanja drugih aktivnosti pored nogometa. Kuhinja i restoran, koji su zapošljavali prave majstore kulinarstva i ugostiteljstva, brzo su postali popularni daleko izvan kruga klupskog članstva. Prijatna atmosfera i ugođaj dalekog ali ne zaboravljenog domaćeg ognjišta stvorili su stalnu klijentelu i time osigurali opstanak kluba u uvjetima gdje je neophodno privređivati da bi se preživjelo.

U novim prostorijama se onda počeo ostvarivati i drugi san osnivača kluba: folklorna grupa Rudar. Vrsni plesači i svirači s Labinšćine našli su tu mjesto gdje mogu nastaviti s glazbenim tradicijama koje su naslijedili od očeva, majki, susjeda... i gdje su ih mogli prenijeti na svoju djecu i djecu ostalih članova, prijatelja i zainteresiranih zemljaka. Folkloraši Rudara postali su redovna atrakcija na druženjima američkih Istrijana, svečanostima zabavne i poslovne prirode, te na festivalima u staroj domovini, uključujići tu i Smotre foklora u Zagrebu, Labinske konti na Dubrovi, i nastupe tokom turneje ŤUnited Istriansť, 2000-te godine.

Tokom velike proslave 30-te obljetnice kluba nastupit će članovi prve folklorne grupe is 1983. kao i današnja folklorna grupa, a pratit ce ih svirači na narodnim instrumentima, koji će predstaviti publici uvid u najstariju slavensku glazbu s naših prostora, koju su upravo oni i njihovi kolege u Istri pomogli sačuvati do naših dana. Uz njih će zabavljati i zvijezde današnje istarske glazbe   ELEONORA   i  VESNA NEZIC RUZIC, te lokalni sastav KRISTALI sa svojim popularnim repertoarom istarske i dalmatinske glazbe svih vremena i generacija. 

Ova proslava, uz koncert i plesnu zabavu održava se 4. ožujka 2007. u svečanoj dvorani Leonards of Great Neck. Rudar Club poziva sve sunarodnjake i prijatelje da se pridruže i time doprinesu daljnjoj promociji naših običaja i vrednota.