On Sunday, September 15, 2024, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of our association, we once again organized the Hike byTrubar's Birthparish and the Dried Fruit Festival, at which the mayor of the municipality of Velike Lašče, Matjaž Hočevar, ceremoniously opened a new space in the superstructure next to the drying house, which was built with municipal funds.
Almost the whole week before we were worried about the cold and the rain, we only dreamed about the mushroom exhibition... Despite everything, we decided not to postpone the event and luck did not leave us. Setting up the event space was a struggle in the mud and rain, but on Sunday the weather settled down.
In the morning, after the greeting of president of our association Lojze Senčar, 46 of us set off from Turjak towards Rašica, we had an incredibly coordinated pace - with comments that such weather is the most suitable for hiking. At Trubar's homestead, the guide Zala Mlakar described the sawmill in detail, and in the Škocjan church, pastor Janez Selan told something about the history of the parish and the church, as well as the counts of Turjak.
The attendance at the main event was smaller than usual, but large enough that we had to set up tables outside the tent as well. On the Gradež stage, Lojze Senčar first greeted everyone present, especially all the former presidents of the association: Stane Zabukovec, Boris Zore, Matjaž Starič and Marko Šavli, thanked all the participants for holding the event and introduced the stallholders. Mayor Matjaž Hočevar congratulated the members on the association's 20th anniversary, thanked them for their many years of effort and wished them continued successful work. Boris Zore, as a former long-time president, shared some important information from the association's history.
The cultural program featured: the singing group Krheljčki and the choir of pupils from Turjak , both accompanied by Marko Šavli on guitar, and the folklore group Račna, then we were entertained until the evening by the group Pojav. Immediately after the cultural program, the mayor ceremoniously cut the ribbon in front of the door of the new space, the Krheljčki sang an adapted song about the fruit drying house, and visitors could watch a video presentation of our association in the new space.
The fruit drying house was always full and Jožica Zabukovec patiently explained to the guests about its operation. The archers from Turjak organized a workshop, which attracted a lot of interest. The offer at the stands also attracted many visitors. Under the haymaker with old tools, in addition to the traditional presentation of rural tasks, a new industry was added - bobbing, which we could admire from the hands of a few new woman members.
The range of dishes (Gradež goulash, two types of porridge, young pork, many desserts...) was quite varied, but some people missed trout and "štruklje" with dried pear filling. For the traditional lucky draw, the members of the association collected more than 800 winnings, of which quite a few were left over for next year.
Although there were practically no mushrooms, we managed to collect about 60 different species in the rain in Loški Potok and even during the snowfall on Pokljuka.
Among the visitors there were many regulars who like to return every year. We were visited for the first time, along with others: a group of medical workers from the hospital in Celje, a family from America and former top mountaineer Bojan Pollak Bojč. Everyone we talked to praised the march and the central event, and not only the members, but also the fellow villagers, relatives and friends who came to help on Sunday are responsible for the successful implementation.
You can read more in October's Trobla.
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