EVENTS CALENDAR

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Event Calendar

This is our event calendar! From here, you can find out exactly when the clubhouse will be open and when all our upcoming events will take place. Interested in using the club for your party? Call (305) 891-9130 to reserve your date at the club.

News

ACSCC Photos – Before 1970

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Update 3-2-2015 : A third page has been added to “Way Back When.” Recently another postcard of the kind shown on page 2 of this article was discovered. Like the others it, too, is one of those that was printed by the club a very a long time ago, however with this one there is a difference. This card was used and mailed, and there is a postmark. The postmark shows that this new card was mailed on November 6, 1954, which means that these cards are much older than originally estimated. 1954 is just five years after the formation of the club. So, even though this card is not part of the Berounsky collection, as are the others, it has been added to this article as another bit of club history. You can see both sides of this postcard on page 3 of this article.

Way Back When at the “American Czechoslovak Social Club”

These four photos were donated by ACSCC members, Richard and Dayle Jacob. Richard’s grandparents, Edward and Marie Berounsky, were charter members of the club, which was called the American Czechoslovak Social Club before 1999. The pictures appear to have been taken before 1970. All of these photos are from the Berounsky family collection. If anyone can add more information about these pictures please contact us at acscc.northmiami@gmail.com.

Members of the newly formed American Czechoslovak Social Club pose for a group photo at an unknown location in 1949. This was before the club had purchased the property on Arch Creek.

Charter members of the American Czechoslovak Social Club, Marie and Edward Berounsky dressed in Kroj in the late 1950’s.


The ACSCC Clubhouse without the current covered entryway to the dining room, and no stairway to the second floor apartment. Note the puzzling reference to “East Dixie Highway” in the address, instead of Arch Creek Roa. Before 1970 est.


A very neat ACSCC dining room, with tables set in the main hall and the porch. Note that the 2nd floor library has not yet been enclosed. Before 1970 est.


This “American Czechoslovak Social Club” postcard was discovered in February 2015. It shows the main dining room set up for a large group. The people shown are likely club members preparing to help serve dinner.


The reverse side of the card shown above clearly shows the postmark as Nov. 6, 1954. This means that this card and the two above were printed on or before this date. The text is written in Czech and is about the writer’s visit to Miami.

Czech-Slovak Club serves Sunday supper with suds

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An article by Linda Bladholm, of the Miami Herald. Published, Janurary 5 , 2006.
Chef Miroslav Dusek holds his breaded pork schnitzel. Linda Bladholm/For The Miami Herald

The American Czech-Slovak Cultural Club is hidden in a three-acre compound along the Arch Creek River in North Miami. Every Sunday the members-only club is open to the public for supper serving up sumptuous Old World feasts with many types of Czech beer, shipped in giant kegs.

Now that the weather is cooler, this is the perfect time to go for Chef Miroslav Dusek’s roasted duck, schnitzel the size of a plate, and roast pork encrusted in horseradish, served up with sides of sweet-sour red cabbage, sauerkraut and dill-flecked potato salad.
The clubhouse resembles an enlarged two-story cabin, with a quaintness that comes from a structure that was built in the 1920s and added on to over the years. It was originally known as the Sorenson farm, owned by a Norwegian. In 1949 the area had many Czech immigrants, and several started meeting in a restaurant with the idea of forming an entertainment and social club.

Within three months, 77 members had joined. They pooled their bonds to buy the property, and the club soon became the hub of the growing community. Today there are about 160 members from all over the United States and Europe. The core members reside in South Florida and keep the traditions alive, even if it’s just a quick parky-pause (sausage and beer break) in the bar.

Czech people quaff more beer than anyone in the world — possibly because they make Pilsner, considered by beer connoisseurs to be the best lager in the world. The light-bodied, blond brew has a unique bitter bite to the finish with a slight buttery flavor and strong hops aroma. It was first made in Plzen in what is now the western half of the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia). Back in 1295, when the country was known as the Kingdom of Bohemia, King Wenceslas II granted the citizens of Plzen the right to brew and sell beer, and the boom began.

Until the 1800s, most beer was dark and murky. That changed when a monk smuggled some bottom-fermenting lager yeast out of Bavaria and it ended up in the hands of a Bohemian brewer. The combined yeast, soft water, native Saaz hops and home-malted barley gave birth to Pilsner Urquell (meaning “original source”), also called the golden brew. You can try this on tap in the club as well as Radegast, named after a Moravian king, and Staropramen, an old Prague lager.

All go well washed down with the huge servings the kitchen dishes out. The menu is limited, scrawled on a board by the entrance. The prices are very fair considering you can bring half home to make another meal. The food reflects the diversity of the Czech-Slovak region with influences from Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungry and Ukraine. Half chickens and ducks are roasted until bronzed, then served with boats of gravy and beds of huskove — large, cloud-light dumplings, made from yeasted dough, boiled and cut with a string into bread-like slices. Rizek, as schnitzel is called in Czech, is breaded pounded pork tenderloin fried up greaseless and crisp, served as an entree or in a smaller portion as part of the sampler platter. This also includes the daily special — hope for chicken paprikash in a sour-cream sauce; roast pork; hulusky, a type of spaetzle; plus a helping of communally served tossed salad, soup of the day (possibly cream of carrot or mushroom potato), dessert and coffee. Don’t forget the beer. Dobrou Chut! (Bon Appetit!)

American Czech-Slovak Cultural Club Restaurant, 13325 Arch Creek Rd.
Dinner on Sundays noon-5:00 p.m. 305-376-0603.
Food: Unapologetically fattening, but good.
Atmosphere: Old World, in more ways than one.
Price: $10-20 for dinner: soup and salads, entree and dessert.

2002 Year in Review

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AMERICAN CZECH-SLOVAK CULTURAL CLUB HOSTS CELEBRITIES IN 2000

By Robert Petrik
North Miami, Florida
January 2003

2002: The Year in Review. The year 2002 was full of cultural activities held at the American Czech-Slovak Cultural Club. A review of the important highlights follows.

The Club continued showing Czech and Slovak films during the winter season. Babicka with screenplay by Božena Nemcová was shown in January. The Academy Award winning film Closely Watched Trains was presented in February. In April Murder Czech Style was shown. In November the recently released film Dark Blue World was well received. At the end of the year Pictures from the Old Country as well as In the Shadow of Memory – Legacies of Lidice were shown.

In February Joan McGuire Mohr came from the University of Pittsburgh to speak on The Czechoslovak Legion in Siberia (1917-1920).

The Club and the University of Miami School of Music sponsored the Brno Chamber Orchestra which performed at the University of Miami campus.

Martin Palouš, Czech Ambassador to the United States, attended a luncheon held at the Club in his honor. Everyone in attendance was able to meet and speak with him.

In March, Martin Butora, Slovak Ambassador to the United States and his wife Zora, came to the Club to officially open the Slovak Consulate for the State of Florida.

Dr. Joseph Patrouch from Florida International University spoke on The Habsburg Dynasty and the Kingdom of Bohemia.

Larry Morava, of the famous Czech country and western band KTO, played his guitar and sang songs of Old Prague, folksongs, nationalistic songs, and campfire songs.

A Ples (Dance Ball) was a great success one Saturday night in April.

Club members along with members of the American Czech & Slovak Friends in South Florida held a luncheon to honor and thank Bob Petrík for all his efforts over the past several years.

In May a Májový Ples (May Dance Ball) featured Slovak singer Marcella Molnárová who dazzled the audience as she has done on two other occasions.

In July Petr Kratochvil presented selected poetry works of Jan Neruda, a notable Czech poet and Sergij Jesenin of Russia.

In September a special dinner was held in honor of Yuri Dojc, a Slovak-Canadian photographic artist.

A benefit dance was held to raise money for the flood victims in the Czech Republic.

In October the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre presented a performance of Czech and Slovak Tales with Strings to a large crowd of young and old.

In November a Maškarni Ples (Costume Ball) was attended by many in very creative costumes.

In December the Slovak father and son team of Jozef and Dodo Ivaška came from Austria to sing folk and popular songs in Slovak, Czech, English and Italian.

ACSCC: Goose Fat and Garlic.. Yum!

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An article by Damarys Ocana published in Street Miami, a Miami Herald publication, Feb 1-7, 2002.

Make a turn at the railroad tracks off 135th Street and Arch Creek Road in North Miami, and you’re in a different world — the Old World, to be precise.

A shady forest surrounds what looks-like a European country cottage out of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, with painted window boxes brimming with flowers.
By the time you leave, you feel nurtured and loved, and you immediately want to take a nap.

It’s actually the American Czech-Slovak Cultural Club, a lonely repository of Slavic culture for many miles, which has made heroic efforts to stay open through the years (“All the members were dying off,” notes one member), and where every Sunday people of all ages, members or not, come from as far away as Palm Beach to eat a typically Czech dinner and drink lots of beer. It may not be family owned, but once they arrive, diners are welcomed like long-lost prodigal sons and daughters.

Maybe what draws them is the lore of the place. The weathered wooden cottage — which for 60 years has .been outfitted with flags, folk paintings, dolls wearing typical Costumes and pictures of famous Czechs — is said to once have been a speakeasy owned by Al Capone during Prohibition.

According to legend, the booze would float in on little boats on Arch Creek, which flows past the back of the building, and patrons would party till dawn. People still whisper the juicy rumor that a house of ill-repute may have once occupied the second story space where the library is today.

Things are a lot tamer now, with the mostly octogenarian club members sticking to water and dancing to polka and waltz and folk songs played on accordion, piano and drums.

Or maybe what draws people every Sunday is the promise of homey comfort food.

Czech cooking doesn’t exactly aim for refinement — the national dish is roast pork and dumplings, washed down with beer. “Pork is a very big deal,” says member Marie Kosan, who eats at the club every Sunday and is, ironically, a Weight Watchers instructor.
Bob Petrik and Tony Korvas serenade diners at the American Czech-Slovak Cultural Club.
Photo by Patrick Farrel

Neither is it for the faint of heart: A Czech breakfast treat is topinky, thick slices of toast liberally topped with a spread of white Christmas goose fat and garlic, which is said to be manna from heaven.

So if French food is too prissy for you; and if you’re more of a meat-and-potatoes gourmet, ACSCC is your carb-and-protein mecca. There’s roast, lamb and dumplings, roast chicken and dumplings, breaded fried pork cutlets and dumplings, potato salad, beet salad and sauerkraut. And beer. By the time you leave, you feel nurtured and loved, and you immediately want to take a nap.

Barney Vorisek, club treasurer, says the club always tries to hire chefs from “the old country,” and did so last August, when Martina Berkova, who was trained at a culinary school in Prague, was hired.

In a cuisine that revels in predictability, Berkova has nevertheless tweaked the traditional dishes.

She recently made Pork Oriental. On the last Sunday in January, she made baked ham and lentils, instead of the traditional boiled ham and lentils. They may not seem like a culinary revolution, but when you’re talking Czech food, served to people that have been doing things a certain way for a long time it reaches Bolshevik proportions.

Another introduction was a dessert of mini sweet rolls covered in a rum-laced cream sauce, which didn’t go over too well with some club members. One member, who wished to declare her dissent anonymously, declared it to be un-Czech.

However, she said, Martina’s bublanina, a light chiffon tart regaled a generous portion of blueberries, was to die for. “Now there’s a Czech dessert,” she added.

American Czech-Slovak Cultural Club Restaurant, 13325 Arch Creek Rd.
Dinner on Sundays noon-8:30 p.m. 305-891-9130.
Food: Unapologetically fattening, but good.
Atmosphere: Old World, in more ways than one.
Price: $10-12 for dinner: soup and salads, entree and dessert.

2001 Year in Review

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AMERICAN CZECH-SLOVAK CULTURAL CLUB HOSTS CELEBRITIES IN 2001

Robert Petrik
North Miami, Florida
December 2001

The American Czech-Slovak Cultural Club had another very successful year full of fascinating events, personalities, and entertainers. A brief summary follows.

In January, the vivacious singer Sisa Sklovska, displayed her marvelous talent, charm, and her ability to thoroughly captivate an audience. Coming from Prague, our club was the first stop on an American tour of several states.

Professor Barbara Weitz of Florida International University, lectured on Bohemian Crystal Through the Ages. She exhibited some exquisite pieces from her personal collection.

During the year a number of Czech and Slovak films were shown at the club. They included the following: The Good Soldier Švejk, its sequel Sir, Beg to Report; My Sweet Little Village, The Shop on Main Street, Kolya, Firemen’s Ball, Loves of a Blond, and Afrodita.

In February, Helene Bain Cincebeaux from Rochester, New York, lectured on A Year in the Life of Our Czech and Slovak Ancestors. In addition, she exhibited part of her extensive collection of folk dress and folk art.

In March, Bryce Belcher, an American who lives in Ceský Krumlov, spoke on Ceský Krumlov: A Town Reborn. He described the transformation of the old buildings into the beautiful town that now welcomes thousands of tourists each year.

A highly successful Veprove Hody (pork feast) attracted a large crowd of hungry eaters.

In April, Dan Baldwin, President and CEO of the National Czech & Slovak Museum and Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa spoke about NCSML, A Growing National Resource.

The members of the South Florida Button Box Club entertained members on their button box accordions playing some lively Slovenian polkas and waltzes.

In June, Sisa Sklovska returned once again to wow an appreciative crowd of members and guests. Some fans came from as far away as the Orlando area of Florida.

The first annual Dožinky (A Czechoslovakian Harvest Festival) was held in October. This was an outstanding success with plenty of good Czechoslovak food and beer, dancing to live music, a raffle, face painting and a piñata for children, and a bake sale.

In December, the Slovak film director, Lubo Kocka, spoke about his award-winning film “Afrodita” which was shown and enthusiastically received by the audience.

2000 Year in Review

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AMERICAN CZECH-SLOVAK CULTURAL CLUB HOSTS CELEBRITIES IN 2000

Robert Petrik
North Miami, Florida
September 2000

The American Czech-Slovak Cultural Club in North Miami has witnessed an unprecedented number of entertainers and notable personalities during the year 2000.

In February, Waldemar Matuška and his wife Olga performed to an avid sellout crowd. The legendary Czech singer sang all of the many long-time Matuška favorites and then some. He truly brought down the house.

During the same weekend that Matuška performed, Dr. Ivan Dubovický, Cultural Counselor for the Embassy of the Czech Republic was in attendance. In fact, he introduced this living legend. The next day Dubovický presented an excellent lecture on the Emigration of Czech and Slovaks to the United States.

In April, Martin Bútora, Slovak Ambassador to the United States, along with his wife Zora Bútorová, attended a dinner-dance held to celebrate the inclusion of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

In addition to Czechs and Slovaks, members of the local Hungarian and Polish communities attended the gala event.

In May, Colonel Ivan Bella, the first Slovak to have been in space, spoke about his experiences aboard the Russian MIR Space Station, his training program near Moscow and the mission itself. A few days prior to his presentation, Club President Bob Petrík and Secretary Amelia Canali accompanied Bella on a VIP tour of the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral.

In June, the Slovak singing and recording star, Marcela Molnárová, sang as part of a disco evening. She performed songs from popular American musicals in addition to selections from the latest of her four CDs entitled Láska

Later in June, Milan Markovic, the famous actor, comedian and TV personality from Bratislava tickled everyone’s funny bone. Called the Jay Leno of Slovakia, his sharp satirical wit was in top form for the evening.

In July, the Club was treated to a hilarious performance by the Czech comedian and actor, Miroslav Donutil. Donutil is the most popular comedian performing in the Czech Republic today and has quite a large following as evidenced by the many people who waited their turn to have their photograph taken with him and/or to obtain his autograph.

In August, Sisa Sklovská, star of the operatic, musical comedy, and concert stages in the Czech and Slovak Republics, sang a wide range of music from musicals to opera, pop and even gospel. The audience was dazzled by the great sound of her voice as well as her showmanship, beautiful costumes and her wonderful personality.

In November, Dr. Jan Cimický, the noted Czech psychiatrist and author provided an entertaining evening.

Also in November, Czech Ambassador Alexandr Vondra was a featured after-dinner speaker.

Again in November, Donald S. Martin, President of the Albin Polasek Foundation, spoke on the Life and Works of Albin Polasek.

In December, Professor Barbara Weitz of Florida International University lectured on Prague Café Society.