At our meeting this evenin, Martin Babinec spoke about the immigrants who came from Slovaka to settle in this part of the Mohawk Valley. It all came about by accident. A lady, a native of Myjava, Slovakia, was travelling from the mid-west to Little Falls (NJ). She spoke no English and as the letter 'J' in Slovac looks like a 'Y', the railway clerk issuing her the ticket, assumed she meant Little Falls NY.

She arrived by train and expected to be met by friends - but there was no one there so she assumed that this was where she was supposed to be and settled here.

Over the ensueing years, more families came from Eastern Europe and a large Slovac community developed, mostly living over on the South side of the City.

Pictured with Martin Babinec is Glen Mucica and his wife Wendy and right
Kevin Mihaly (guest of Alan Vincent).