Three generations of Czech Fest dancers call Canadian County home
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Francel family members, standing beside the Oklahoma Czechs, Inc. building at Cedar and 5th Streets Oct. 2, are from left to right in back, Cruz Holguin and his wife Elise Francel Holguin, Lisa and Paul Francel and Laci and Leif Francel. In front, from left to right, are Gaia Francel and Athena Francel. They are standing in front of a mural depicting the Charles Bridge over the Charles River in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Photo / Carol Mowdy Bond
Francel family members, standing beside the Oklahoma Czechs, Inc. building at Cedar and 5th Streets Oct. 2, are from left to right in back, Cruz Holguin and his wife Elise Francel Holguin, Lisa and Paul Francel and Laci and Leif Francel. In front, from left to right, are Gaia Francel and Athena Francel. They are standing in front of a mural depicting the Charles Bridge over the Charles River in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Photo / Carol Mowdy Bond -
Paul Francel carries the U.S. flag on Main Street, leading the Czech Parade Oct. 2, kicking off the Oklahoma Czech Festival in Yukon. Photo / Carol Mowdy Bond
Paul Francel carries the U.S. flag on Main Street, leading the Czech Parade Oct. 2, kicking off the Oklahoma Czech Festival in Yukon. Photo / Carol Mowdy Bond
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series about a Yukon family’s three generations of dancers at the Czech Festival.
The highly-anticipated Czech Parade kicked off the 55th annual Oklahoma Czech Festival Oct. 2.
Moving east on Main Street, a group of standard bearers led the parade, and included Paul Francel, who carried the U.S. flag.
Canadian County residents, Paul Francel (pronounced “France L”), and his wife Lisa, and several of their adult children danced as part of the festivities beside the Oklahoma Czechs, Inc. building.
A third generation, Athena Francel, the young daughter of Karl Francel, also danced. Although she is too young to dance, 2-year-old Gaia Francel participated in as many activities as possible, along with her parents Laci and Leif Francel.
The Francels wore Czech Moravian kroje, except Lisa and Paul Francel’s son, Karl Francel, who wore Czech Slovak kroj. “Kroj” is the singular word for Czech folk clothing a person wears. “Kroje” is the plural form of the word.
“I wear my dad’s authentic kroj,” Paul Francel said. “He was smaller and shorter than me, so it’s a bit tight and not really big enough. But I wear it to honor him. My kroj came from the town where my mother was from.
“My Czech family members in Europe were Czech dancers. All our family kroje were built in the very early 1900s in Czechoslovakia, maybe about 1910, by my grandmother, and my great-grandmother and her sister. They are incredibly elaborate heirlooms. All pieces were hand embroidered.”
Paul Francel is retired from a medical career. His wife, Lisa Gigstad Francel, teaches music at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Okarche.
Their son Leif Francel teaches science and religion at the school. Karl Francel is owner and CEO of Olympia Prep Executive ChartHop Corp. Daughter Elise Francel Holguin is
Daughter Elise Francel Holguin is a developmental disabilities services case manager. Daughter Thea Francel holds a master’s in education and developmental psychology and is a doctoral candidate. It’s not unusual for generations of
It’s not unusual for generations of Czech families to participate in various cultural activities, passing the Czech heritage from generation to generation.
Many of the families know their ancestors’ stories going back for centuries.
Unfortunately, many of these stories include sorrow and tragedy, perilous journeys and escaping persecution in their European homelands.
The Francel story has numerous significant twists that hit you like a Matt Damon movie-in-the-making for Hollywood.
It’s part of the reason Czech kroje and dancing are so important to the Francels.
“My parents lived in Moravia, in what was the middle part of today’s Czechoslovakia. My dad was Josef Francl. My mom was Vlasta Matochova Francl. They were engaged when they escaped communist Czechoslovakia. When they came to the U.S., and became nationalized Americans, they added the ‘e,’ between the ‘c’ and the ‘l in their surname, making it Francel,” Paul Francel said.
Paul Francel’s father, Josef Francl, was a Czech nationalist, who actively worked against the Nazis during World War II.
At the same time, Paul Francel’s maternal grandparents hid Jews in their home, while Hitler was ravaging Europe.
So, Paul Francel’s mother, Vlasta Matochova Francl, grew up in a home where Jews were hiding. She also became an active Czech nationalist.