A 90th birthday gala for Mary Batinich and the cultural center
Turning 90 is an accomplishment most people fail to achieve but doing it with a little pizzazz is even better! My friend, Mary Batinich of Soudan, just celebrated her 90th birthday…but why settle for an ordinary birthday party when you can turn Halloween weekend into a cousins reunion, a 1920s extravaganza, and a way to raise funds to help complete a community asset like the Lake Vermilion Cultural Center (LVCC).
Last Thursday, cousins, friends, and family members from across the miles started descending on the historic Vermilion Park Inn, built in 1891 by the Oliver Mining Company. It served as the area hospital from 1891 until 1962 until its closure in 1967. Over the years, it functioned in other capacities including a group home, a rest home, and a retreat until 2014 when all efforts to keep the building functional seemed to end.
Mary thought it tragic to let the landmark fall into complete disrepair, and she purchased the building in 2016 and turned it into a bed and breakfast where she now resides at with her husband Mike. Regular staff and other colorful characters assist with keeping the historic jewel operational: her son Larry Schuster, inn-resident Steve Larson... a.k.a the Walleye Slinger, housekeepers Margaret Maki and Mary Teppen, maintenance man Dwight Johnson, Goddess of gardening/woman-of-all trades Deb Kirshner, seasonal artist-in-residence-Ann Flannagan of St. Paul, and last-but-not-least me. I, no doubt, fall into the colorful character category and became affiliated with the Inn in 2017 serving as winter manager. I have been a housekeeper, scullery wench, and graphic designer.
The beautifully renovated inn, with its 12-plus bedrooms, two kitchens, dining room, various seating areas that span three-levels with two guest cottages, is the perfect backdrop for a reunion. Over the years, I recall so many guests including opera singers, snowmobilers, cyclists, firefighters, and even a music director who dashed through the front door one day wearing his highland kilt and pointed leather shoes.
The birthday reunion brought together a special group of Mary’s cousins from Slavic families including Smilonich, Orlich, Malkovich, and Batinich whose ancestors had emigrated from the geographical region of Lika in central Croatia to settle in Chisholm, Eveleth, and other Range cities. Be assured, the airlines last week flew especially steady knowing they carried these determined family members from states including Connecticut, Virginia, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Nevada just to name a few.....all eagerly waiting to exchange memories and hear rich stories over nonstop pots of coffee, rolls, and potica. The inn was soon hustling and bustling with activity that began with a white tablecloth stroganoff dinner on Friday night with Mary’s friend and event caterer, Denis Durnev, who is the Culinary Instructor at Hennepin Technical College. He met Mary three years ago when his young son played piano as part of the summer Northern Lights Music Festival, and they were guests at the inn. Needless to say, nobody left the table hungry that evening.
On Saturday morning…after coffee and a few more stories, seven carloads of nostalgic cousins...with Mary in the lead, traveled to Chisholm to visit with Fr. Milos Zivkovic of St. Basil of Ostrog Serbian Orthodox Church and learned about the history of Chisholm, and family ties to that congregation. Although the original ancestors were religious Serbian Orthodox, they are actually from Croatia. After visiting the church, they traveled across town and located the side-by-side houses that belonged to their families on what used to be Poplar St. Photographs were taken by a homeowner from across the street whose curiosity drew her outside after seeing the group. The cousins were amazed at how close the houses were built to each other and learned it largely was to allow more land to be used for mining the iron rich soil, and it also kept homes warmer. Following the visit to Chisholm, several continued to Eveleth to visit cousin Shirley Malkovich’s parent’s graves and drive by her former home on Adams Ave. Shirley, a perky 90-year-old, recalls growing up in the two-story apartment that was shared by a few other families...but of Italian lineage. Each apartment had a staircase and landing where mothers could stand and keep an eye on their children who played in a sandbox below. Her mother spoke English and Slovenian and learned Italian from listening to the exchanges between the other mothers. After nostalgic adventures, everyone returned back to the inn to further steep themselves in the richness of the gathering. There were more stories that unfolded, cribbage games heated up, and knitting needles clicked away the hours until it was time to dress for the ticketed evening event.
The interior of the LVCC was looking elegant following the efforts of Deb Kirshner, who added sheer ivory fabric draping to the auditorium entry that was garnished with faux-autumn leaf vines. Varieties of fresh-cut pine were made into wreaths and sprays, adorning the front stage area where the two wood chairs for Mary and husband Mike Skorich faced the audience.
A formal printed program, created by Mary and yours truly, had been created to list the events that began with well-known keyboard player and singer Irene Hartfield of Ely, who generously offered her gift of preludial music to create just the right ambience as guests arrived.
Flappers, gangsters, sequins, feathers, and a little speakeasy spirit set the stage for an evening of fun with guests oohing and aahing over the details of the various costumes that were largely purchased online from sites including Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, and Boom Chic to name a few. Bergetta Indihar of Lake Vermilion purchased her dress for $1 at the Cook Thrift Store, then reworked it into bespoke petite perfection. The themed event provided a fabulous opportunity for the ladies to pull out their dramatic fur pieces, ranging from coats to wraps. An abundance of accessories was on display, including jeweled headbands, shimmering bracelets, and fancy drop-earrings with plenty of long beads, bangles, and faux cigarette holders of every length.
Mary wore a classic gold and black sequin-embellished flapper-style dress with a relaxed drop waist. Long black fringes encircled the base of the dress that fell in a zigzag pattern below the knees. The elbow length sheer sleeves coupled with a V-neck highlighted her shoulders. Mary further accessorized her outfit with black fishnet stockings over shapely legs, which held the attention of her husband. She topped it all off with a beaded headband, featuring a center jewel backed by a black plumed heightened feather and long black fingerless gloves. Mike Skorich wore a gray jacket and slacks with a white shirt and proudly topped it off with a fedora. The majority of men wore plain or striped suits, hats, suspenders, and let’s not forget the wingtip shoes. I wore my burgundy patent-leather wingtips and my outfit was a combination of 1920s meets steampunk-Victorian with a vintage black conductors jacket I discovered in a Grand Rapids thrift store twenty years ago or more. I topped it off with a highly embellished black felt top hat..
On that particular afternoon and evening, the Herb Lamppa Civic Center kitchen was not available, so the owners of Sulu’s offered chef Denis Durnev theirs. Karel Winkelaar, also of Sulu’s, who is a LVCC Board member, assisted him with food preparations. They had prepared, transferred, and staged hors d’ oeuvres including bacon-wrapped chestnuts, spanakopita, meatballs in marinara sauce, pierogi, deviled eggs, smoked-salmon phyllo cups, and charcuterie boards. Various beverages including wine and beer were served, and plates of potica made by Susan-Drobak Proctor of Virginia were waiting in the wings for dessert...a must-have at any serious Serbo-Croatian function.
LVCC Board members helped serve food and beverages while guests enjoyed the special program, including a welcome by Mike Skorich to cousins, family, friends, patrons, and board members. Following the introduction, The Roadkill Boys, a Duluth-based Bluegrass band under the direction of Dan Skorich, brother to Mike...performed their energetic selections. Friend Tom Burns presented a poem he had written and put to music to honor Mary. Professional musical-theater star, Debbie Prutsman of California, a longtime family friend of the birthday honoree, performed a few selections from her repertoire including the song “Memory,” from the Broadway musical, “Cats”...a favorite of Mary’s that displays Prutsman’s amazing vocal skills and always holds the audience’s attention and awe. LVCC Board member Kathy Siskar spearheaded a costume parade so everyone could model their grand attire. Curt Laine, a videographer from Ely, provided his talents and captured the event and hopes to soon have the event available for viewing on local media. The program ended with a few words from former LVCC Chair Don Erickson, and current Chair, Elaine McGillivray with concluding remarks from Mary.
On Sunday, the group took the opportunity to visit the Soudan Underground Mine with guide Karel Winkelaar, who provided a wonderful tour. They were enchanted by the beauty of the area and got out and about to do some shopping and exploring Tower, Ely, and Virginia. I am told many treasures were purchased, which tested all of their packing skills. A wonderful reunion was had-by-all with hopes for a repeat in the not-too-distant future.
