Florida Estos

The Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts (KFES) held its last celebration for its 2022-2023 year of activities from 1:00 to 5:00 pm on Sunday, April 23, 2023. This event was generously hosted by our longtime active members Jüri and Jae Toomepuu in their beautiful Hillsborough riverfront home in Temple Terrace, Florida.

An enriching experience was offered to the more than 45 attendees: The outdoors and Toomepuu swimming pool entertained children for hours, the home’s natural setting among Florida palm trees and alligators inspired environmentalists, and the afternoon program easily satisfied adults hungry for immersion in Estonian culture and conversation. We were especially delighted to welcome back the Väikko and Maria Pari family and Väikko’s father Erwin visiting from Eesti and new KFES friends Maie Sikemäe and Diana and Robert Davi.

The highlight for KFES members was the opportunity to welcome back Avo Aljas and his wife Reet and their son, all on a spring visit from Eesti. We first met Avo years ago through his Eesti officer assignment to Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base, and he has remained our friend since then. Avo provided an engaging update on current events in Eesti. Thank you, Avo!

Please enjoy photos of the afternoon posted below. Additional photos may be found on our Facebook page. The Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts has a wonderful Facebook account. You may find the account by searching this name: Kesk Florida Eestlased. To enhance security features for our Facebook account members, Kesk Florida Eestlased is a private account that asks you to click on a link to join. The account is managed by KFES member Birgit Delaidatti, and she will respond to requests from prospective followers. Thank you, Birgit, for this wonderful service to Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts members!

The Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts (KFES) will take a break now for the summer. Like snowbirds ourselves, many KFES members travel north and abroad to escape our summer heat and humid conditions and to enjoy cooler climates and friends and family settled elsewhere. We will plan to see you again in November!

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The Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts will bring its 2022-2023 year of activities to a close on Sunday, April 23, 2023. After that event we will start our annual summer hiatus, which lasts from May, 2023, to October/November 2023.

Date and Time:

Sunday, April 23, 2023

1:00-5:00 pm

Venue:

Jüri Toomepuu, his wife Jae Hee, and their family invite us to join them in their lovely home. Thank you to the Toomepuu family! The address of their home is just off of I-75, making this a convenient location for our members and friends from the north, south and Orlando area.

12219 Brightwater Blvd.

Temple Terrace, FL 33617-1708

Lunch Menu:

Moonika Mägi, our KFES Chef extraordinaire, will be preparing a delicious brisket for our main course. Inne Joonsar, our expert dessert maker, will bring a large platter of apple crumb cake for dessert.

Members and friends are invited to supplement our offerings with cole slaw, baked beans, corn on the cob, sweet potato casserole, barbecued meats, and other dishes and desserts of your choosing.

Please bring you own adult beverages. Water and apple juice will be provided.

Reservations and Cost:

Please let us know who is coming (names and ages) and what you are planning to contribute to our smorgasbord. Please send an email to joonsar@cox.net.

$10 per adult will cover our expenses. Children under the age of 18 are free. Payment may be made through Zelle to kfes1918@yahoo.com and cash will be accepted at the door. Or, you may mail a check made payable to Estonian Society of Central Florida/KFES to:

Heikki Joonsar

KFES Treasurer

14032 89th Ave.

Seminole, FL 33776.

Guest speaker:

We are excited to let you know Avo Aljas will be our guest speaker. Avo and his wife Reet and son are visiting Florida this spring, and we are lucky they will be in the Tampa area when our gathering is scheduled. Many of us remember Avo from the days when he was assigned as the Estonian Officer representative to Central Command at MacDill AFB. We look forward to welcoming back our old friends!

Please note:

This will be our last KFES event until late fall so we hope to see you April 23, 2023!

Information about KFES events and photos may be found on our Facebook page. The Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts has a wonderful Facebook account. You may find the account by searching this name: Kesk Florida Eestlased. To enhance security features for our Facebook account members, Kesk Florida Eestlased is a private account that asks you to click on a link to join. The account is managed by KFES member Birgit Delaidatti, and she will respond to requests from prospective followers. Thank you, Birgit, for this wonderful service to Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts members!

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Members and friends of the Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts gathered for an afternoon spring picnic on Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Walsingham Park, Largo, Florida.

The weather was perfect. The charcoal stayed lit to grill hot dogs and many people brought scrumptious salads and delicious desserts.

Five talented cooks entered our kotlet competition. Thanks to all of them for giving us a wonderful opportunity to sample their Eesti recipes and family traditions. At the end of the meal, everybody had sampled all five kotlet candidates and a secret paper ballot vote was held. Triin Karr’s recipe won with almost half the votes cast. Congratulations, Triin!

Our next event:

Our next event is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, April 23, 2023 (time and venue to be determined). We are excited to let you know Avo Aljas will be our guest speaker. Avo and his wife Reet and son are visiting Florida this spring. Avo and his family will be in the Tampa area when our gathering is scheduled and they have accepted our invitation to join us. Many of us remember Avo from the days when he was assigned as the Estonian Officer representative to Central Command at MacDill AFB. We look forward to welcoming back our old friends! This will be our last KFES event until late fall so we hope to see you April 23, 2023!

Information about KFES events and photos may be found on our Facebook page. The Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts has a wonderful Facebook account. You may find the account by searching this name: Kesk Florida Eestlased. To enhance security features for our Facebook account members, Kesk Florida Eestlased is a private account that asks you to click on a link to join. The account is managed by KFES member Birgit Delaidatti, and she will respond to requests from prospective followers. Thank you, Birgit, for this wonderful service to Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts members!

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