TIME TO HOOP

The SNF Lodge #171 "Djurdjevdanski Uranak" of St. George Church in Schererville, In. is eagerly awaiting the arrival of our guests for the 65th Annual SNF Basketball Tournament. This is the 2nd year we have had the honor of hosting the most popular event on the SNF calendar.

We will provide a family atmosphere for everyone to renew old acquaintances and establish new ones. The planning committee has instituted many new ideas to enhance the tournament experience. This year, we are proud to announce a corporate sponsor for the tournament. Western Union has agreed to be the main sponsor. They will have a large presence with a Western Union pavilion where there will be face painting, clowns and many activities for our children to enjoy. The Western Union booth will have informational material on their services and daily drawings for promotional and cash prizes. We welcome and look forward to their participation. We also have Vlade Divacıs Group 7 and Peja Stojakovic foundation helping to provide autographed memorabilia for our varied levels of sponsorship packages. This is a great way to help the church and receive a signed souvenir from our own NBA stars.
Please, contact Christian Flores to become a sponsor of tournament and advertise your service or product to the 3-4,000 people expected to attend. Contact Christian at 1-317-714-1247 or cflo13@juno.com

The Lake County Visitorıs Bureau will also be an active partner for the tournament. They have provided a list of hotels available and will monitor the behavior at the hotels. Please, make your reservations A.S.A.P. The bureau will have a booth at the hall that will provide coupons and information on the many activities in Lake County, Indiana.
Our Ad Book chairperson, Nina Tica is planning an expanded issue this year. It will feature historical data and articles on the people who have made tournament what it is today. We are accepting articles of interest and ads. Please, contact Nina at 1-219-865-1787 or Ntica@aol.com

Having tournament in the month of April, while school is in session, has had the gym committee scrambling to secure facilities. We have obtained the use of Purdue Calumet for the championship games.
Additionally, The Jean Shepard Center and the Hammond YMCA will place all the venues within 15 minutes of each other and allow for a weekend full of basketball action.

The theme for the tournament "Time to Hoop," will remind everyone that they are coming to the state known for "Hoosier Hysteria." The weekend starts with the welcoming dance on Thursday evening. The Halls of St. George will be open to greet our guests with tambura, food and refreshments.
There has been a change in the check-in procedure, due to the problems at the hotels last year. The coach/ chaperone must pickup the passes in person. When checking-in he/she must sign a form stating that they are responsible for the behavior of the team at all venues. We know that this will be an inconvenience, but we need to establish responsible behavior that is well representative of this great event.
The Fox Photo group will have team envelopes for personalized pictures of teams and individuals. Be sure to stop by their booth to see the selection of photographic memorabilia. These will make a great keepsake for many years to come.

The basketball action will start Friday morning. Please have the teams at the gyms 1 hour before tip-off. Good luck to the teams and remind the players that they representing their respective church, lodge and colony. The old hall will have lamb coming off the "raznja" at noon. This is a great opportunity to taste the best BBQ lamb in the Midwest. The evening entertainment will be "Mladost" in the hall and the tambura in the bar/tent. Busses will provide transportation between the hall and Merrillville and Hammond Hotels from 6pm and 1am. The main hall will be a smoke free area and alcohol will only be served in the designated areas. Drinking age in Indiana is 21 and older. Please obey the law.

The next day is being dubbed " Super Saturday." The hot lamb will be served at noon in the old hall. Then the action gets hotter yet, with the start of the Wee-wee games. Their games have always been some of the more entertaining of the weekend. There will be food and refreshments available and Western Union will have clowns and activities for the youngsters. The Championship games for the Jr. Boys and Jr. Girls will be held in the evening and the trophy presentations will be at the evening dance. The Halls of St. George will have "Sumadija" rockın the house and an alternative band "Closed World" will fill in the breaks to provide non-stop music for the evening. The ever-popular "Medich Bros." will entertain in the bar/tent.

On Sunday, our Very Reverend Father Dragoljub Popovich invites everyone to attend Divine Liturgy at 10am. Come join our choir and guests in celebrating the resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ. "Hristos Voskrese." The championship games at 1pm will cap-off a whirlwind weekend. The trophy presentations will start between 6-7pm. We hope everyone will enjoy his or her stay with us in Schererville, Indiana.

There are many trophy divisions open for sponsorship. If you would like to honor a player/coach/person please contact: Ralph Flores 1-312-961-6755 or Rflores123@aol.com, or Jovo Blesich 1-219-365-2499

Donıt forget to visit our web site daily. Our site will feature the latest information on the tournament. For all of our friends that will not be able to attend, keep an eye on the web site for scores and updates thru the weekend. If there are suggestions or comments please contact me at: 1-219-924-4428 or Milanmomcil@ aol.com

 

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