ACOM's annual Gaghant(/Valentines)

party was held at Cedrholm Community room in Roseville on February 10, 2024.

Attendence this year was over 75 people. We again had our meal catered by Mim's Restaurant with a plentiful amount and selection of Middle-Eastern food. Steve Usitalo, Past President presented the New ACOM board which will serve for the next two years. We also welcomed an honored guest, Hayr Simeon from New York, who gave the blessing for the event and for the meal.

Voski Ashoun - October 15, 2023

A beautiful fall day for Voski Ashoun this year. Held, again, in Terry and Naïry's backyard, we gathered to celebarte fall and each other. Leroy provided some interesting wines and spirits for tasting. Snacks were available and a fire was available for making S'Mores. Everyone (20 of us) who attended had a great time.

ACOM Picnic - 2023

The annual ACOM Picnic was held June 11th on a beautiful summer Sunday. Naïry and Terry hosted the party in their backyard. 30 people attended and ages ranged from ~1 year to 90+ years, a real multigenerational gathering. The food was great as is always the case with our Armenian Potluck picnics. Everyone enjoyed the company and attendees were able to catch up on everyone's life events. 

ACOM held its annual Genocide Remembrance on April 23rd 2023

This year ACOM was joined by the Minnesota Historical Society as a co-sponsor of the event.

The event was held in the 3M Auditorium at the Minnesota History Center main building in the Capitol area of St. Paul.

This years program was focused on the resiliance of Armenian Culture after the Genocide of 1915. Speakers covered various topics:  housing, history, poetry, music, dance, language and alphabet and church architecture. The event was emceed by Steven Usitalo - ACOM President. More than 60 people attended and comments from the attendees after the event were very positive.

For those who were unable to attend, a video of the event is below:

Gaghant/Valentine’s Day Party – 2023

After a great start to ACOM’s 40th year, our midwinter party took a 2 year “Pandemic” break and a year with a cancelled in-person party. This year the party was on again in-person but with a later start date that was closer to Valentine’s day.

GAGHANT - CELEBRATING 43 YEARS

ARMENIAN CULTURAL ORGANIZATION

OF MINNESOTA (ACOM)

SAVE the DATE

    ACOM Hosted an In-Person Voski Ashoun - 2022

This years Voski Ashoun, hosted by ACOM, took place ion a somewhat chilly Fall day this year. This year the date and time for Voski Ashoun was on Sunday, October 16. The day was a bit cloudy but the sun did poke out a couple of times. Temperatures hovered in the low 40s with variable wind. 

The fourth presentation in the series "What is it like being Married to an Armenian" was held Saturday, September 10th 2022 at the Merriam Park Library.

Panelists for this fourth session were Lowell Johnson (Andrea) and Jim Favre (Margaret). Steve Usitalo moderated the session and the attendees were taken on a fascinating journey to local areas and, also to broader ares of the World icluding Armenia itself. Members of the audience contributed supporting stories for the two panelists. ACOM provided some light refreshments after the formal session.

ACOM Genocide Remembrance

ACOM held it's Genocide Remembrance this year on April 24th 2022. We have Zoomed the event over the past two years and were happy to host it in-person this year.

ACOM Gaghant 2022

Virtual, again

Plans were well underway for a return to a traditional in-person Gaghant for 2022. However, the best laid plans got laid low by that insidious virus that is still around and interfering with our everyday lives and with our celebrations. We had found a new event space at a community center in Roseville (MidPointe fell victim to the times and to some destructive violence during early 2020 and had ceased to exist). We had the caterer (Mim's again) ready to go, band (Music Mundial) signed up and early preparations in hand when we found out that we didn't have the numbers of people confirming their attendance to make it economically feasible for ACOM to hold the in-person event.

ACOM Special Presentation !! 

 This was an in-person meeting that took place at the St. Paul Merriam Park Library on January 8th 2022 starting at 3PM.

Artyom Tonoyan introduced his edited book of Russian news articles about Nagorno-Karabagh. Artyom talked about the development of the book and presented some intersting insights into the background of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabagh. He indicated that he had read, either in the original or in rigorously translated Russian, accounts of the conflict over the last 30 years. His expert take on the region's Geo-Political climate was extremely interesting for the attendees. 

The ACOM Annual Picnic returned ths year after a year off due to COVID-19

Sunday June 27th startied at 3:30PM

Aftewr a year of virtual events, ACOM began to return to normal by hosting the summer picnic. It was held in the backyard of Terry and Naïry on a very pleasant June Sunday afternoon. ACOM supplied beverages but all who attended were asked to bring their own food. No grilling this year. Twenty seven people attended and enjoyed each others company after more thn a year apart. See the photo gallery for pictures of the event.

A pool party is scheduled for August 8th this year and will be hosted by Laurel Gregorian. Details to follow later. The picnic showed us that we can, again, have in-person events and our calendar will reflect this. Stay tuned.

Second installment of ACOM's Oral History Project. An interview with Daved Najarian. Conducted via ZOOM on May 16, 2021. By Alarica Hassett.

To view Video click on this LINK

A transcript of the interview is available HERE

ACOM Genocide Commemoration

April 24, 2021

Virtual by ZOOM

On Saturday evening April 24th 2021, ACOM hosted a Genocide Commemoration event. This meeting was, again, a virtual one due to CORONA-19 virus considerations. The event was hosted by Naïry Digris and Terry McGibbon. The featured speaker this year was Artyom Tonoyan and the Q&A period was moderated by Steven Usitalo. Following the presentation, there was a series of four musical performances by members of the ACOM community. Click on Picture to see Video

ACOM presents: A conversation with Prof. Joachim Savelsberg regarding his new book: Knowing about Genocide: Armenian Suffering and Epistemic Struggles. (The book can be accessed and downloaded through the above link.) Moderator, Peter Hajinian. The event was virtual and was recorded. For thos who mwere not able to attend the event a video recording of the presentation can be found HERE.

Doug Tiffany and Steve Usitalo

This was our first Virtual meeting for this series. So no socializing with beverages and appetizers but we still had a great session. Nairey Digris was the session moderator. Doug and Steve were joined by their spouses for this session since it was a virtual meeting. This created a new dynamic in the discussion where there was a couple interaction. Previous sessions did not have this interesting interaction. The presentation was followed by a question and answer session. 25 people participated in this enjoyable session.

The annual ACOM Gaghant was held this year on Sunday, January 3, 2021 via Zoom. Hosted and emceed by John Parker-Der Boghossian (ACOM President), the celebration began with some introductory remarks by John. The current board of ACOM was then introduced, followed by the presentation of the elected new vice-president, Steven Usitalo, and a new board member-at-large, Alarica Hassett. 

Voski Ashoun (Golden Autumn) 2020 Edition

ACOM held the 2020 Voski Ashoun celebration in Virtual space this year due to the COVID-19 Virus. We used the Zoom platform as we did for the 2020 Genocide Commemoration.
Since these Zoom events are recordable, we are providing a link to the recording of the event for those who were unable to attend via Zoom.

There was time before the start time of the event for participants to socialize. John Parker-Der Boghossian, ACOM President, lead the event which featured Armenian artists. Peter Hajinian represented creative story writing artistry, Andrea Johnson presented poetry reading from her own poems and also from other Armenian Poets, and a Video showcasing Henry Gregorian performing Armenian pieces on the violin. Those who attended had a great time and we hope that those who view the recording are equally pleased. Many thanks to the people who put this event together:
John Parker-Der Boghossian, Peter Hajinian, Andrea Johnson, and Terry and Nairy along with Henry for the Music Video.

Click HERE for a link to the Event Video

Ararat Beckons

Ararat Beckons (1995, 49 mins, Dir. J. Michael Hagopian, Narrator Mike Connors; in Armenian & English) Documentary of the 1st Armenian Expedition to Mt. Ararat.

A film of striking beauty and mystery on the first Armenian Expedition to reach the summit of Mount Ararat. Where many have failed and some even lost their lives, Masis and Gregory Parseghian and Hamlet Nersesian succeeded. Overcoming the hardships of incarceration, altitudes, they accompanied their goal through sheer will and perseverance. The film became a reality after four shipments of film were smuggled out of Turkey over a 2-year period. Ararat Beckons is more than a film of adventure.
It is a poetic statement of the historic bond between a mountain and a people, a father and son.

The Armenian Cultural Organization of Minnesota commemorates the 105th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

To view a video of the Gathering click HERE

The Armenian Cultural Organization of Minnesota commemorates the 105th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in a virtual meeting.

Click HERE to go to the Article

What was it like growing up Armenian in ...  13th in the series

ACOM's popular series "Growing up Armenian in.." returned for a 13th session on Sunday March 8, 2020. Panelists were Alarica Hassett and Martin Azarian. The discussion was moderated by John Parker-Der Boghossian.

Kicking off our 40th year, the annual ACOM Gaghant party was held on January 10th, 2020 at MidPointe Event Center in St. Paul.

As usual, our guests were welcomed to the event and for this special year, everyone attending was presented with a red 40th Year Anniversary tote bag displaying ACOM’s new logo. Also, during check-in, "Hye Bingo" cards were given out. The aim of the bingo player was to find people who had the characteristics detailed in the bingo boxes and get those people to sign off on the box. This was a great ice-breaker that encouraged guests to mingle and socialize.

The second in a series of panel talks featuring spouses of Armenians was held Sunday November 3 at Keljik's Oriental Rug store in South Minneapolis. A great venue for an interesting afternoon. 24 people were in attenjdence to hear Donna Azarian and Leroy Erickson talk about their experiences with their Armenian Spouses. A more detailed written narrative is yet to come. In the meantime use the two links below for a replay of the event.

For an audio recording of the session click HERE.

Link to a video of the event - HERE

For pictures from the event click Read More

ACOM Voski Ashoun (Golden Autumn) October 5th 2019

This years Voski Ashoun was again held at the Keljik Rug Store on Bryant avenue in Minneapolis. 

30 people attended this years event. We had a Wine and Brandy Tasting hosted by Sommelier Leroy Erickson. Leroy provided 3 wines and 3 brandies for our tasting pleasure. Information about the wines and brandies selected this year can be found here. Leroy also provided a guide to Knowing your French Brandies.

The annual ACOM Pool Party

was held this year at Henry and Laurel Gregorian's Home.

Yolun Başinda/Beginnings
(Dir. Somnur Vardar, 2013, 86 mins, in Armenian/English/Turkish)

Beginnings follows a group of youths from Armenia and Turkey who meet in two cities on either side of the divide to reconcile the past, present and future of their perpetual conflict stemming from the Armenian genocide. First in Mush, then in Gyumri, their explorations of conflicting memories open up an intense dialogue about the nature of preserving history as a means of evaluating modernity and educating people to learn from historical error. While close relationships develop, these youth must question notions of friendship and trust within a quest to face issues of memory, history, genocide, denial and the demand for the truth.

Session 12 - "What was it like growing up Armenian in ..."

The 12th in the series - What was it like growing up Armenian in ... was held on Sunday  July 21, 2019 at the Merriam Park Library. Presenters for this session were Mark Wiersbeck and his Mother Sarah Wiersbeck. Nairy moderated the session which was attended by 15 people. After an informative and interesting formal presentation, there was a short Q&A session followed by refreshments.

The ACOM Annual Picnic

was held Sunday June 23, 2019. The picnic was again held at Como Park in the West pavilion. a needed shelter from the rain that happened soon after the start time for the festivities. This rain did not dampen the spirits of the more than 30 people who attended. We even were resourceful (aren't all Armenians?) and were able to grill in the rain. Good food and fellowship reigned for the day!!!

ACOM's Genocide Commemoration was held on April 24th 2019 at the Merriam Park Library in St. Paul. The event included a moderated panel of Armenians that were descendents of Genocide survivors. Tom Keljik moderated the discussion. The event started off with the attendees being asked to locate on a map where their ancestors were from in Historic Armenia.

Armenians were present at this years Festival of Nations with the Armenian Cultural Organization of Minnesota (ACOM) presenting Dance on the World Stage (see Dance Ensemble) and in the demonstration area of the Bazaar. Janet Rith-Najarian brought the arts and crafts of Armenia to life with her engaging demonstration of felting and Hat making this year. Her [resentations have grown over the years from beginning as Silk Work artistry, then to incorporate wool fabric making and natural dyeing techniques, and now to felting and hatmaking. She has put together an impressive and colorful exhibit explaining the rich heritage that Armenians bring to the world. Browse through the picture gallery for examples of this years booth and the people involved. 

Enjoy the first of, hopefully, many Oral Histories from members of the local Armenian community. This interview of Dr. John Najarian was conducted by Francis Bulbulian on July 21st, 2018. Also present were Mignette Najarian and Dr. Paul Quie. Held at Boutwells Landing Senior Center, Oak Park, MN

Click on the Link to go to the video.

On March 24th, ACOM presented the 11th session in the series "What was it like growing up  Armenian in ....". The panelists for this session were; Darla Kashian (Milwaukee,WI), Marty Meketarian (Cleveland, OH) and Margarita Aroutiunian (Yerevan, Armenia)

ACOM's annual Gaghant Party was again held at Midpointe Event Center - on Friday January 11, 2019. Over 100 people were registered and provided with dinner catered by Mim's Restaurant, a Silent Auction, a Kids Game room, and dancing to Music Mundial. 

INAUGURAL SESSION - WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING MARRIED TO AN ARMENIAN

ACOM presented the first in a new series of interesting and informative panel sessions, at the Merriam Park Library on September 30th 2018. The new series is entitled "What is it like being married to an Armenian" and was moderated by John Parker der-Boghossian. Topics covered by the panelists during the session dealt with - how long married, the panelists own ethnicity and experience in it, prior knowlege of Armenia and Armenians, involvement in the Armenian community since becoming married, what new things have they learned about Armenians, what are their likes (and dislikes,If any) of "Armenian ways". The following article by Bradley Erickson gives a capsule take on the session:

Voski Ashoun - 2018

was held at Keljik's Oriental Rug Store this year. The featured presenter was Dr. Charles Hajinian who gave a presentation on Urartian and Pre-Urartian Antiquities.

ACOM Cinema Saturday in August featured parts 3 and 4 of the Russian produced TV comedy - My Big Armenian Wedding.

Tigran, a popular plastic surgeon in Moscow with roots in Armenia, and Lena, a well-educated and beautiful Russian woman, are in love. Families on both sides are mostly against the prospect of a "mixed marriage" and therefore devise various schemes to derail the impending engagement. Absurd and delightful situations develop. Comments on the series were, in general, positive. Although it was a bit over-the-top in some aspects, the filming taking place in Armenia was particularily interesting. Many familiar sights were presented. The major characters portrayed for the Armenian family were said to be quite accurate especially the Grandmother. The series got off to a slow start but as the plot developed it became more interesting and funny. Since the production was Russian, the dialog was mostly in Russian with some Armenian thrown in. The series was subtitled in English for those of us who are not conversant with either Armenian or Russian.

Thanks to Natasha Vaubel for her knowledge and diligence in rounding up these Armenian films.

The annual ACOM Summer Picnic was held this year at Como Park in St. Paul. We had reserved the West Picnic Shelter for this event. This is a new location for us but provided lots of opportunities for the attendees. The Shelter was near the Como Mini-Golf course, just across the street from Como Town (rides for kids). A short walk took people to the Cafesjian Carousel, Marjorie McNeely Conservatory and the Como Zoo. There was a kids' play area near the shelter also.

The picnic started at 3:30 pm on Sunday afternoon, July 29, 2018. There was a grill nearby and many people brought their own meat to grill. The weather was extremely accommodating, even though there was a slight chance of rain (which didn't happen!!). More than 50 Armenians and their families and friends joined us for the afternoon with food, music, conversation, fellowship, games and simply a marvelous time for all. Comments we heard about the venue were very positive and people would like to return to the same location next year.

The ACOM Pool party for 2018 was graciously hosted by Leroy and Cynthia Erickson at their home on Sunday June 24th 2018. The day was perfect for the event and the 24+ people who attended had a wonderful tine. Leroy, as usual, cooked up hamburgers and brats amid some clouds of smoke. There was a lot of good food provided by those who attended, with beverages provided by the Ericksons. This event has been  another more intimate summer gathering for ACOM members for a number of years. Stay tuned for our ACOM summer picnic to be held at St. Paul's Como Park on Sunday July 29th (Details)

Taner Akҫam honored by World Without Genocide

at the WWG Gala held at the Minneapolis Women's Club

on May 14th 2018

Dr. Akçam (right) with Executive Director Dr. Ellen Kennedy (center) and Sarah Erickson, J.D. (left),

recipient of the Alice Musabende Outstanding Citizen Award.

Chair of the Board of Directors Jack Rendler (left) presenting the award to Dr. Akçam (right).

For the complete text of Dr. Akҫam's remarks Click Here

The 2018 Festival of Nations held in St. Paul at the beginning of May is now history. The Festival has been running since 1932 and the Armenians were one of the twenty nationalities represented from the beginning.  the Festival of Nations has inspired people throughout the region to discover more about our world and embrace the rich cultural diversity brought to us by immigrants from around the globe. 

ACOM Held a Talk on April 24th 2018 commemorating the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

Tom Keljik was the featured speaker and his topic was:

"Why did it happen? What were the events leading up to the Genocide".

The event was held in the auditorium of the St. Anthony Park Library in St. Paul. The event was well attended (43 at one count). Before the start of the event, Buttons calling for a remembrance of the Genocide were passed out to attendees. Tom also gave selected members of the audience colored cards with various pieces of information about times, places, and actions of historical significance leading up to the time of the Genocide. He used these during his talk, further involving the audience in the presentation. 

 An audio recording is currently available for the presentation. The talk was a bit under 1 hour in length. Click on the link below to hear the audio.

ACOM Genocide Talk - Audio

The link below is to a copy of Speakers Notes and Background Data in the Handout:

Speakers Notes and Background Data

The tenth session in the ongoing series "What Was It Like Growing Up Armenian In ..." Features Tom Keljik who grew up in the Twin Cities, Armineh Khachatoorian who grew up in Iran, and Reena Ghannoum who grew up in Syria. The event was held on March 18th 2018 at the Merriam Park Library in St. Paul and was open and publicized to the general public as well as to the Armenian Community. The three presenters gave their interesting perspectives on growing up in their communities. Tom, who like many children of immigrants was not immersed in the culture until he was older and began to discover the stories about his parents and older relatives. Armineh grew up in an Iran that was still welcoming to Armenians and there was always the Armenian presence available to her. Reena grew up in Syria and also had many Armenian friends and neighbors. During the last few years the troubles in Syria were escalating but she was still at ease in her home area. The session was moderated by ACOM President Nairy Digris. As always, the session prompted a lively discussion session. Of the 27 attendees, there were two attending that were outside of the general Armenian community. But were verry interested in the session and hopefully came away with a greater understanding of Armenians and their lives.

ACOM Cinema Saturday was held in the home of Terry and Nairy. Starting at 6:30 PM with a Social "Half-Hour" the 13 attendees viewed the Movie "You don't know Jack". The movie was about Dr. Jack Kevorkian and starred Al Pacino as Jack, Brenda Vacarro as Jack's sister Margo, and Susan Sarrandon as Janet the Hemlock society's president. Thirteen of us viewed the movie and then Aram led the group in a spirited discussion of the movie. Snacks and beverages were provide pot-luck style. Everyone had a pleasant and stimulating evening.

ACOM's annual Gaghant Party was held at a new venue - Midpointe Event Center - on Friday January 12, 2018. Over 100 people were registered and provided with dinner catered by Mim's Restaurant, a Silent Auction, a Kids Game room (new this year), and dancing to Music Mundial. The new event space was spectacluar with lots of room, separate areas for auction and games, wonderful decorations and special lighting effects on the windows with the Armenian Flag Colors.

A brief program was given by Francis Bulbulian, ACOM current President, that introduced the newly elected board, congratulated board members that are leaving, and gave a presentation recap on ACOM's acheivements over the last year (2017). (You can dowload a copy of the 2017 Recap in the attachment)

Dancing then followed with Armenian Music by Music Mundial. We did get a lot of people up to dance, especially the younger generation. All-in-all a magical evening with very special people in a fabulous setting. A wonderful way to end 2017 and start the new year of 2018 - our 38th year. Hooray!!!

ACOM's annual Voski Ashoun Celebration was held this year at the Pine Tree Apple Orchard in White Bear Lake.

The day was a perfect autumn day for an excursion and picnic at an apple orchard. About 30 people attended and shared food, stories, a trivia game and wandering around the orchard and visiting the gift and bake shop. Peter Hajinian formulated an Armenian trivia quiz that most of the attendees perticipated in. There seemed to be no clear winner, even after a number of run-off questions all correctly answered by the 5 finalists. Peter finally announced that the first prize would go to "Poly" for a question that Poly asked of the trivia master that he couldn't answer. Everyone in attendence enjoyed the outing.

FESTIVAL of NATIONS 

ST. PAUL, MN 2017

Armenians were again represented at the International Institute of Minnesota's Festival of Nation celebration. This Festival has been ongoing since 1932 and Minnesota Armenians have participated in the Festival since its start.

During the Festival every year, there is a Flag ceremony held each day. This ceremony celebrates the varied ethnicities of Minnesota (particularly the Twin Cities) and the current bond that brings them all together - The United States Flag.

This year Bradley Erickson and Reena Ghanoum participated, representing Armenia. The ceremony is quite moving and shows us that we are a united people under this flag.

The Armenian Genocide Commemoration for Minnesota Armenians took place on April 24th  2017 at St, Sahag Armenian Church. The event was organized by ACOM and St. Sahag. 

On Sunday, March 12, 2017, the 9th session in the series "What was it like growing up Armenian in ..." was held in fellowship hall at St. Sahag Armenian Church. The three panelists brought some very diverse perspectives on their early years and how those experiences brough them to where they are today. As always, the audience was intrigued by the stories and brought up some interesting questions in the Q&A period following the presentation. Francis B. served as moderator and kept the session moving along. Thanks to the three participants and to all who came to find out more about Armenian heritage and identy.

ACOM's annual Gaghant was held on Saturday January 14th at Como Dockside Event Center.

On November 5, 2016 master chefs Judy Ohannesian, Adriene Hayes, and Michele Angel instructed participants in the making of Gata and Cheureg breads.

A video (in French with English Subtitles) about Cheureg makig can be found Here

On Sunday October 23, 2016 ACOM held the 8th in the series "What was it like growing up Armenian in ...."   The series draws on the personal experiences of those interviewed. For the first time, we had four participants, all born in various places in the U.S. For those of us in the audience; the time spent listening was well worth the investment. Click on the images to read their stories. 

Dr. Charles Hajinian was our Voski Ashoun speaker this September 24, 2016. He gave the attendees a very fascinating talk on Armenian Coins and their history starting with Tigran II, King of Kings, 95 -55 BC thru King Levon’s rule1374-1375 AD.  He brought his extensive collection of coins for show and tell. It was a collection worthy of a museum. In his talk he included much of Armenian history for each period when various coins were minted by hand. During his 30 minutes power point presentation Dr. Hajinian passed around coins from a period before Christ was born for the audience to view and hold. 

Dr. Hajinian in 2015, along with a few other Milwaukee Armenians formed the Armenian Numismatic Quarterly. of the magazine to the event. He brought samples

The evenings informative talk was a wonderful addition to this year ACOM cultural programming. Thank you to Peter Hajinian’s suggestion for this program which came up in our discussion of Armenian History books we were discussing in our ACOM Book Club earlier this year.

If you are interested in learning more about the Armenian Numismatic Society, check the following website:

http://anasociety.org/

On Sunday July 17th, 2016, seven very talented "Hye" musicians performed at St. Sahag Armenian Church in front of an audience of about 35 people. The talent displayed by these young musicians in our community was an eye opener for me and others in the audience. We are very fortunate to have in our Armenian community in Minnesota such group of talented youngsters.

On Sunday, March 13, 2016, ACOM hosted the 7th session in the "What Was It Like Growing Up Armenian In ..." series. The panelists this time were Peter Hajinian, who grew up in the Milwaukee area, Terese Najarian, who grew up in the Twin Cities area, and Artyom Tonoyan, who grew up in Armenia and the Ukraine. Our host was Francis Bulbulian.

The 2016 ACOM Gaghant party has come and gone already! After six good years at the Marriott in Minnetonka, we changed venues to the intimate setting of the Saint Paul Como Dockside Pavilion located on the shores of Lake Como in St. Paul. The room was lit to a level of coziness and comfort for 83 Armenians and friends. A very tasty Louisiana style buffet dinner was provided and the four-piece band "Music Mundial" played wonderful Armenian and Middle Eastern music for our listening and dancing pleasure.

ACOM and St. Sahag Armenian Church sponsored a Memorial Service and program Commemorating the Centennial of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The memorial was well attended with over 250 people present. Dignitaries from various educational, social, and political institutions gave remembrance speeches while the audience listened with thoughtful attentiveness. The Remembrance began with a prayer service led by Der Tadeos Barseghyan, Pastor of St. Sahag. Remarks from the invited speakers followed.

The sixth session of ACOM's popular series of "What it was like growing up Armenian In ..." was held on March 21, 2015. The featured speakers this time were Kristapor Souslian, who grew up in Egypt, Nairy Digris, who also grew up in Egypt, and John Parker Der Boghossian, who grew up in France and the U.S.

January 3rd, 2015 - The annual ACOM Gaghant party was held at the Marriott Hotel in Minnetonka on a brisk Saturday evening. Guests were greeted during a social hour from 6 to 7 followed by a buffet dinner starting at 7. The food was excellent and dinner was followed by a dessert table provided by ACOM. A new feature this year was a silent auction with many donated items. There was live music by Music Mundial playing a delightful mix of Eastern and Western music that got people up dancing. A very successful start to a new year.

This annual event was held the evening of October 11, 2014 at St. Sahag Armenian Church. Activities included a Wine and Brandy Tasting event, Grape Stomping, a variety of appetizers and munchies, and marshmallow roasting over a wood fire. Attendees had a great time and the weather this year was very cooperative even though we had most activities in Ararat Hall in the building.

On Sunday, May 18, 2014, ACOM hosted the 5th session in its series "What It Was Like Grow-ing Up Armenian In ...", with about 70 observers in attendance. This ses-sion's participants, were Father Tadeos Barseghyan, Mariam Kocharian and David Grigoryan. For the first time in these sessions, all three participants spent at least some of their time growing up in ... Armenia.

October 13, 2013 - 4th in a series

The series draws on the personal experiences of those interviewed. For those of us in the audience; the time spent listening was well worth the investment. Arthur Kourajian, Azad Mesrobian, and Raisa Martirosyan assembled in Friendship Hall shortly after 1 pm and were peppered with questions by the main interrogator - Tom Keljik - for over an hour. 

Click on the images to read their stories.