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This coming Saturday, January 30, the Basque Club of Utah will celebrate its 33rd annual dinner dance, at St. Ambrose Hall. As Cirbie Sangroniz, instructor of the Euskal Etxea's Triskalariak dance group told EuskalKultura.com, “it is the first and the biggest event of the year, both for the dancers and for the Club.” A very special celebration that attracts a lot of media attention in the region, during a very special year: Udaleku 2016 will be hosted by this same Club.

Salt Lake City, UT. The annual dinner and dance organized by the Basque Club of Utah is a very special one since, unlike most of the other Euskal Etxeas' celebrations, 70% of the attendants in Salt Lake City are “non-Basque,” according to Sangroniz. “It is very rewarding for us to have such big exposure outside the Basque circle. And people love it, they love the food and the dances.” This widespread interest is also reflected in the media which, in the words of the instructor, “is giving us a good amount of TV time.”

Besides being the dance instructor, Sangroniz, along with Marcel Gaztambide, this year, will also be chairing this besta. They're in charge of organizing the volunteers' groups and, ultimately, of the whole enchilada. As of now, 220 people have already gotten their tickets, but they think there will gather over 300 friends, as usual.

The fact that this event is the biggest one of the year also means that it is the most important fundraiser. And, after the bar, the annual raffle is what brings the most money to the Club. Bob Ithuralde is organizing this “fun” activity. “People always have dinner at the same tables, every year, so there is always this competition of which table is donating more money. It's a very nice thing and it helps us make more funds,” explained Sangroniz. All the items for the raffle have also been donated by Club members, entities, companies, artists, and families in the area: food baskets, wine boxes, a ham, paintings, a txapela...

The evening will be filled with Basque culture, for the pleasure of the attendants. Among other activities, the Triskalariak will perform for about an hour. It usually is the biggest performance of the year for these dantzariak. However, this summer, Salt Lake City will welcome the Udaleku kids so, the dancers, like the rest of the Club members, will make an extra effort to make the youngsters enjoy their stay. “We are very excited,” stated Sangroniz. “The last time Udaleku was celebrated here was in 1984, I believe. It's going to be great, we're so looking forward to it.”

San Francisco and Bakersfield

Along with the Utahns, the Basque Cultural Center of San Francisco, California will also be celebrating its annual members' free lunch and mus tournament this weekend. It will be on Sunday and, unlike other years, the popular card tournament will be completed in just one day, instead of two. The winners will represent the Basque Cultural Center at the NABO finals, in Rocklin, California.

For their part, mus lovers in the Kern County area celebrated their tournament last Saturday. It was a long card-game day, lunch included, with Michel Plaa and Xavier Aphessetche winning the competition. They will represent the Kern County Basque Club in Rocklin, along with Victor Albistur and Martin Irigoyen, who took second place.