Appreciation Regarding Pavel Visit

To the editor:

To our family and friends in Fayette County and beyond… Wow, what a day it was! We asked you to come out to the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center and welcome Czech President Petr Pavel and First Lady Eva Pavlova, and you delivered in a huge way. The President and First Lady were genuinely moved by the warm wishes and love you showed. Some of you traveled from great distances, with several traveling over 13 hours from Czech communities in other states to be a part of this historic event. You should know that our community was selected by the President as his final stop before returning home from the NATO summit in Washington, DC last week. This acknowledgement from the President and First Lady is an indication of the importance they place on Czechia’s relationship with Texas and an opportunity for greater cooperation in the future.

To our incredible volunteers and the La Grange Noon Lions Club, thank you for the countless hours helping prepare the Center and the motorcycle route.

To Governor Perry, Judge Mueller, Mayor Dockery and Judge Janecka, we offer our thanks for representing our community in such a distinguished manner.

We also thank Chief Gilbreath, Texas DPS and the Secret Service for helping us weave our way through the tremendous security requirements.

To Ewald Kubota, HEB and Weikel’s we offer our sincerest gratitude in helping move and feed the crowd. You have repeatedly been a partner for our events, and we are honored to have your support. To Pavla Van Bibber for the awesome array of authentic Czech pastries she prepared for all to enjoy. Finally, we certainly cannot forget Monument Hill State Historic Site for showing the First Couple one of our county’s greatest treasures, and The Ranch Harley Davidson in College Station, who provided the motorcycles used for the President’s historic ride from Dubina to La Grange.

We are blessed to have such an incredible community. Thanks again for being part of history.

Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center Board of Directors