The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Purchase a table of 8 before December 31 and save $200.00 35 Friday , D ecem ber 17, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m RUSSIAN COMMUNITY CELEBRATES: Clockwise, from left, Ded Moroz, the equiv- alent of Santa Claus or Father Frost, arrives at Oakvilles Russian communitys New Year party at St.Volodymyr Cultural Centre Saturday.There was plenty of entertainment, gifts, food and the light- ing of the New Year tree. Celebration organizer Olga Zorina and her husband Sergey Prygav begin the first dance of the evening; the Afro Latino Dance Crew provided entertainment as dancers were clad in sequins and elaborate headdresses and partygoers also got up and danced. Elena Sourovtseva participated in the poem competition, among other festivities. PHOTOS BY DANIEL HO / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER SUBMITTED PHOTO Happy New Year On Saturday, Dec. 11, the Russian- Oakville community gathered at St. Volodomyr Cultural Centre to celebrate the New Year. The party was the fifth annual celebration organized by its founder, Olga Zorina. The gala centres around various Russian traditions and cuisine. Zorina is a real estate agent working in Oakville and the surrounding area who started to organize this event for her friends and clients and it soon became very popular. Even though she is busy with her career, Zorina said it has always been important to her to make time for the Russian-Oakville community and bring all of its members together on the most important evening of the year. There were 190 guests in attendance up significantly from other years. This is the biggest event of the year for the local Russian community and it is a means of bringing the community members together to reminisce and celebrate their eastern European heritage. This is the largest get-together of its kind in Oakville. Also attending were Canadian friends and spouses who enjoyed participating in the festivities. The menu was extensive complete with traditional Russian salads, including the infamous Olivier salad, appetizers and, of course, caviar, that no Russian New Years table could be without. The delicacies continued with a family- style dinner complete with chicken Kiev, pork cutlets, a medley of vegetables and desserts and, of course, mandarin oranges to signal the arrival of the New Year. Adding to the excitement was traditional Russian music and dancing. A fantastic light and laser show helped to set a joyful atmosphere. There were also entertainers interacting with the guests as well as Brazilian dancers in flamboyant costumes. But the most exciting part of the night occurred when Snegurochka appeared. Snegurochka is Ded Moroz (Russian Santa Claus) granddaughter and she got the crowd clapping and cheering for Ded Moroz to come in. Finally, the big moment arrived and Ded Moroz (the equivalent of Santa Claus, but more literally translated to Father Frost) entered the room with his sack full of presents. Guests also competed in various games to win prizes from Ded Moroz and Zorina. Ded Moroz also led the countdown lead- ing up to the lighting of the Christmas (New Year) tree. To participate in next years event, con- tact Zorina at 905-465-1240. Towns Russian community celebrates New Years