171st Year of

Thousands of Texans of Czech descent, and thousands more who just love a good party, descended on southern Fayette County Saturday as St. Mary’s Church in Praha celebrated its 171st Parish Picnic with lots of food, music and cold beverages. The event continues a tradition that began on Aug. 15, 1855 when the first Feast of the Assumption celebration was held in this small community that was renamed Praha by Czech immigrants in honor of Prague, the capital of their homeland. The event is always held on Aug. 15, but this year’s event was bigger because it fell on a Saturday.