After a break of several years due to COVID, the 30th Festivities of St. Blaise was once again held on February 8 at the Croatian-American Club in San Pedro.
In front of approximately 300 guests, the ceremony began with a procession of the flag and the hymn of St. Blaise. This was followed by a greeting from this year’s festanjuli, Mr. Mike Antonovich (a former longtime supervisor of Los Angeles County) and Ivo Ivaniš, who welcomed the attendees and expressed their gratitude for the honor, the preservation of tradition, and humanitarian work.
The program continued with a folklore performance by the St. Anthony group from Los Angeles. Additionally, a ceremony was held in which 19 people were granted Croatian citizenship, taking the oath before the Croatian Consul Petra Kapetanović.
Tim McOsker, Los Angeles City Councilman for San Pedro and the surrounding area, greeted the guests and praised the Croatian community for its significant contributions to the region’s economy and culture.
Gabriela Brajević read her poem dedicated to St. Blaise.
The well-known Zorić family, who professionally cater for actors and film crews during movie productions, took care of the delicious dinner.
The evening continued with performances by renowned Croatian guitarist Ante Gelo, young musician Roko Blažević, and the popular Petra Tulić.
The event was sponsored by the charitable organization Libertas Foundation, and all proceeds were designated for humanitarian purposes. The plan is to purchase equipment for the children’s department of Dubrovnik Hospital (from the auction proceeds) and to continue awarding scholarships to students in high-demand professions in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
An auction was held, featuring signed jerseys from Marko Livaja, Ivan Rakitić, Ivica Zubac, and Bojan Bogdanović; paintings by V. Radoičić (Galerija Kaptol), Romana Fabris Milutin, and Ana Kutija; items from Mackage (Tanya Golešić); donations from Shade Hotel/Restaurant (Bacic family); Legende Rakija; RMS Beauty; Sand Spa; and several contributions from local restaurants (Trani’s, Compagnon Bistro, Whale & Ale) and businesses.
