The Minija Valley will surround the birthday celebration of the city of Gargždiški

Photo by Vilijas BUTKUVIENĖS: a moment from last year’s jubilee birthday celebration of the city of Gargždai in the Minija Valley.

1,200 dancers, musicians, singers – such a group of self-employed people will delight the audience in the Minija Valley. The 771st birthday of the city of Gargždai is a great occasion for a small song and dance festival in Gargždai. Like a dress rehearsal before the 100th Song Festival in the capital. In the land of four waters, the city festival will be held for four days – from May 30 to June 2. It provides not only a lot of culture, but also sports events. The Gargžda Cultural Center, the Jonas Lankutis Public Library, the Gargžda Regional Museum, the Sports Center and others join together to make the townspeople happy with interesting events.
1,200 participants
Director of the Gargžda Cultural Center Vaida Skuodienė emphasized that this year, although the city’s birthday is not an anniversary, creative forces are concentrated in order to return the former and much-loved Song Festivals in the Minija Valley to the city. “Frequent residents of Gargždi remember them with nostalgia. So, while waiting for the extraordinary Song Festival in Vilnius, the idea arose to organize a small song and dance festival “4 Water Region – River”, which will bring together a group of self-made people from various corners of Lithuania in our city. Believe me, managing about 1,200 participants is a really responsible task,” V. Skuodienė told Bangai.

Indrė Žiedienė, the alderman of Gargždai city, noticed that the alderman also has a considerable concern: the valley will have to be prepared in such a way that the participants of the festival can perform safely, this is especially important for the dancers.
The small dance and song festival “4 Lands of Water – River” will take place on June 1, Saturday. It will start at 14:30 in Minija Valley. and will continue until 5:00 p.m. “In the evening from 8 p.m. we will also invite artists from the Baltic countries to a concert in Minija Valley: the group “Puuluups” from Estonia, the group “Tautumeitas” from Latvia and our favorite and well-known group “Zhalvarinis” will perform. Thus, our city’s celebration seems to merge into international waters, and the goal is to remind us all that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have been in the European Union together for 20 years,” pointed out V. Skuodienė.
Klaipėda District Municipality Jonas Lankutis Public Library on May 30. the exhibition “Dainų festa in Gargždaii” will be opened and will be open for the whole month. By the way, the library will invite you to an educational session the next day, where you will be able to make a canvas bag with the Gargždas inscription.
June 1 In Gargždai, on Kvietinii street, the festive fair will be bustling from morning until evening.
The accent is the symbolism of the river
V. Skuodienė, the director of the Gargždai Cultural Center, is convinced that the residents of the district no longer need to be reminded that Klaipėda district’s motivation for introducing itself is 4 Water Region. This city’s birthday celebration emphasizes the symbolism of the river. “After all, it cannot be otherwise. The crowd is important to all of us, close, sweet and the valley where the celebration will take place”, V. Skuodienė revealed the symbolism of the program.
I. Žiedienė, the elder of Gargždai city, was happy that this week the highlights of the birthday celebration can already be seen in the city. Festive flags with city birthday paraphernalia fluttered on the main street lights. Whether the initiative of last year’s precinct to give the flags of the city of Gargžda to the sponsors and assistants of the festival will be continued – will still be thought about. “Last year’s idea worked very well. The people of Gargždi became more interested in the history of the city and raised the city flag on various occasions near institutions or their homes. There is a greater need for the flag of our city,” noted I. Žiedienė, adding that the city will be even greener and decorated with new flowers on the eve of Gargžda’s birthday celebration. “We have chosen a yellowish shade for this summer, maybe it will be a kind of news,” thought the elder.

Both exhibitions and sports
An interesting day for celebrating Gargžda’s birthday is scheduled for May 31. The community of Gargždai continues the tradition by inviting “Vaivorykštės” high school graduates to write an essay “Letter to Gargždiškiam”, so at 2 p.m. Competition participants will be awarded on the Municipality Square, and students of the Gargžda Music School will create a festive mood. On the same day at 3 p.m. the townspeople will be invited to the event “Jē esam, ta ēr būkem” for the cultivation of the Žemaitian language. We will play Žemaitsian games, sing, and learn customs with the Gargždai Culture Center’s folklore collective “Cyrulelis”. In another hour, the Gargždai Regional Museum will invite you to the exhibition “Unseen Gargždai. Narratives of history”, the collections of Raimundus Juciaus and Algirdas Aužbikavicius will be displayed.
Young artists at 5:30 p.m. in an unusual space – the new city bus station – will present the exhibition of the children’s art studio of the Gargžda Cultural Center “City Pigeons”.
Klaipėda District Municipal Sports Center has prepared two intensive days for the city’s birthday: June 1-2. competitions in various sports will be held. Just have the desire to choose and participate: basketball, volleyball, tennis, paddle, chess, table tennis, disc golf, pickleball, bicycles, and also autocross and even sailing in the Clear Quarry.

Vilija BUTKUVIENĖ
Photo by A. VALAIČIOS.