Sat 2/18
The 11th annual Kurentovanje festival in the St. Clair/Superior neighborhood was blessed with perfect weather for a winter festival: sunny and just a bit chilly. It didn’t matter to the kurents, of course: they’re covering furry costumes as they clang away on their bells, ostensibly to chase away the winter. They’re the highlight of the parade, which was greeted by a dense crowd on both sides of the street. As usual, it featured a mix of ethnic dance ensembles, polka musicians, local organizations such as Slow Roll Cleveland, City Dogs and the Cleveland Dragon Boat Association, and area businesses such as Rebuilders Xchange. It even included the first ever Queen of Kurentovanje, 101-year-old Eva Ozbolt Kinsley.
The family-friendly afternoon festival also offered music and dance performances, food, drink, vendors, bocce, dancing to polka bands and kids’ activities, both inside the National Slovenian Hall and outside on its patio and back parking lot where food trucks and a music tent were set up.
View the PHOTOSTREAM here.
