Posted by Duane Clark on Oct 07, 2024
 
Sponsored by Anacortes Sister Cities, our Klapa Vela Luka friends combined two groups of performers and performed in numerous venues during their nine-day stay.  Their official group names are:  1. Klapa F. D. Kumpanija, directed by Janes Vlasic, and 2. Kvartet Portun, directed by Mario Prizmic.  They thoroughly enjoyed the time they spent with our Rotary club. 
 
They performed at Brodniak Hall, for Anacortes High School students, and later for the general public.  They performed at the Slovanian Hall in Tacoma, CroatiaFest at the Seattle Center, at the Anacortes Senior Center, at City Hall, on the streets of downtown Anacortes, aboard the Island Explorer 5, and other spots as well.  In addition, they enjoyed watching an AHS football game, rowing with OARS, touring the popular spots on Fidalgo Island, and visiting the W. T. Preston and the Maritime Museum, where most saw familiar family faces in historical Anacortes photos.
 
The timing of their visit is important, as Anacortes and Vela Luka celebrate the 20th anniversary of their sister cities relationship – September, 2004 to September, 2024.  Rotarian Duane Clark, who is also a charter member of Anacortes Sister Cities, described how this visit was 19 years in the making, and what a fantastic experience it was to at last host his longtime friends in beautiful A-Town.