The ARS Artemis Chapter will be hosting a Dinner-Dance on Saturday September 25th for it’s 100th anniversary celebration. The guest speaker will be Tatoul Sonentz-Papazian from Boston. There will also be live music and entertainment with Jaq Hagopian from New Jersey.

Stay Tuned for more information.

The Philadelphia “Sebouh” chapter is gearing up to host the 77th Annual AYF Senior Olympics in the heart of downtown Philadelphia this Labor Day weekend, September 2 – 6.

HOTEL:

The Philadelphia Marriott Downtown will serve as the home for this year’s event. The hotel is offering a special rate of $159/night, just be sure to mention AYF when you book! If you have not made your reservation yet, do so before it’s too late! To make your reservation you can either call 800.266.9432 (make sure you mention “AYF”) or click here. https://resweb.passkey.com/go/AYF2010

HYE PASS:

The Hye Pass consists of a FULL ENTERTAINMENT PACKAGE for the entire weekend that will get you admission to the entertainment lined up plus all sporting events including:

• Friday’s Alumni dance ($25)
• Friday’s AYF dance ($30)
• Saturday’s dance ($25)
• Sunday’s Grand Ball ($30)
• All Hookup Dances ($10 if not going to the night’s dance)
• Swimming and the Track & Field events

All of this for an UNBELIEVABLE VALUE at $75. Click Here to purchase your Hye Pass!

ENTERTAINMENT:

Also, the 2010 Philadelphia Olympics will be filled with a FULL ENTERTAINMENT LINEUP for the entire weekend including:

Friday Night AYF Dance – Sako from California ($30)

Friday Night Alumni Dance – John Berberian Ensemble ($25)

Saturday Night Dance – Aravod featuring Khatchig Jingirian ($25)

Sunday Night Ball – The Fabulous Vosbikian Band ($30)

Sunday Night Hook-Up and Thursday Night AYF Party – Artsakh Band ($10)

Zahle Night

Come to the Seroonian Armenian Community Center for night of mezze and the delights of outdoor dining.

Zahle, an area of Northern Lebanon close to the Syrian border, known as the bride of the Bekka Valley, is famous for its clean air, resorts and food.  We will recreate this atmosphere at the agoump with mezze, drinks of arak and creating Zahle on the backyard.

Interested people should reserve tables.  Contact any of the Seroonian Community Center committee members for reservations.

St. Gregory’s Church invites you to the Grapes Blessing Picnic and for traditional herisa on Sunday, August 15, 2010 at the occasion of the Feast of Assumption of St. Mary the God Bearer.  

Preparation for the Madagh will begin at the Seroonian Armenian Community Center on Saturday afternoon, August 14, 2010 with the blessing of the salt and meat with traditional music, Davul Zurna, and shoorch bars. Afterward, a vigil service will start at 8 p.m. at St. Gregory’s Church. Church will be open all night for prayers and candle lighting.

Overnight arrangements are also available for those who want to stay the night at the Church Hall.

Until then, enjoy your summer!

Come to the Seroonian Armenian Community Center for our last agoump night before the summer break. The Shish Kebab dinner is sponsored by the Philadelphia Homenetmen. Dinner will be served at 7:30pm.

See you at the agoump on Friday night!

On May 22, 2010 native Philadelphia Armenian Community’s own, Antranig Kzirian, is bringing his band Viza to Philadelphia for a very special show. The show will be at the Northstar Bar in Philadelphia (27th and Poplar near the Art Museum) on Saturday, May 22, 2010. Doors open at 9:00.

You can get tickets here: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=1646055 Tickets are $10

Viza is a blend of rock, metal and middle eastern influences and is managed by System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian’s label Serjical Strike Viza also features the duduk of Jivan Gasparyan, Jr., grandson of the legendary Armenian duduk master of the same name.

You can learn more about the band by visiting www.theoudplayer.com or www.experienceviza.com

Come to the Seroonian Armenian Community Center for dinner and to support the Philadelphia Homenetmen.  Proceeds from the dinner will serve as a fundraiser for athletes participating at July 4th games.  The dinner served will include various Armenian dishes including chicken kebab, sarma, tabouli, cheese macaron and dessert.

We will also be celebrating Hampartsoum, when Jesus appeared to his disciples one last time 40 days after his resurrection.

Old Armenian traditions would celebrate Hampartsoum in a more joyful way, where girls would collect flowers, which would be put in a bucket full of water, along with a small personal item from each girl. The girls would then sit around the bucket and sing the “Yar Gulé”. With each stanza of the song one object would be taken from the bucket and the owner of that item would know her fortune, happy or sad. The opera “Anoush” is based on this theme.

It is believed that this celebration of the beauty of spring, and the joyful freedom of the female, stems from Armenia’s pagan past and is adopted into our Christian tradition.