Jennifer Stultz

At a sad time when readership is down, this column addresses a time when people would steal for a book!There was a time when wealthy men saw books as a measure of their success.

Hundreds enjoyed celebrating their Czech heritage—or otherwise joined in on the fun— at the end of last month during the After Harvest Czech Festival in Wilson.This year’s celebration included some unique ways to connect with that heritage: visiting the grand opening of the Betty Kepka Art Gallery and Museum; checking out the “Happy Czech Holidays” exhibit at the Wilson Heritage Museum; listening to the Prague, Czechia band, Horňácká Cimbálová Muzika Marka Potěšila; watching the Czech Dancers and the Kansas Czech Queen Pageant; and, attending the annual meeting of the Kansas Czechs.While the Friday/Saturday event is a celebration of Czech culture, the Kansas Czechs always begin their annual meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag, followed by the singing of the Czech National Anthem (an American flag-raising ceremony at the Wilson Winner 4H Club Park also figures prominently in Friday night festivities).The Czech National Anthem was originally part of a comedy performed at the Estates Theater in 1834 in Prague.