CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – In partnership with Cedar Rapids Mayor Brad Hart and the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance (CRMEA), the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) is hosting the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic to the United States, Ivan Korčok, and the Slovak Honorary Consuls to the United States on Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27.

Media are invited to join the events on Friday and Saturday.

The group of 11 Slovak Honorary Consuls from around the United States, including NCSML President and CEO Cecilia Rokusek, will join the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance for an economic forum and bus tour of Cedar Rapids on Friday.

On Saturday, the Honorary Consuls will hold their annual meeting at NCSML. The Ambassador, who formerly served as ambassador to Germany from Slovakia, will then meet with local high school students involved in the Metro STEAM and IowaBIG programs, and deliver the keynote address at NCSML’s Revolution Starts in the Streets public opening ceremony at 1:30 p.m.

Also at Saturday’s public opening, Mayor Hart will present the Ambassador a “key to the city.”

“Hosting this group allows us to open the doors for possible trade and business between Cedar Rapids and the corridor area with Slovakia,” says Rokusek. “We are sharing our beloved city and the cultural treasure of our NCSML with people deeply invested in our mission of connecting communities in the U.S. to those in the Slovakia. It also provides a special opportunity for the bright students who have been working with NCSML over the past year on the Revolution Starts in the Streets project to connect with international diplomats.”

Rokusek also noted that partnerships such as this help elevate Cedar Rapids and the NCSML into a must-visit destination of international significance, and lay the foundation for a sister-city relationship with a city in Slovakia.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a Smithsonian Affiliate museum that celebrates life:  Czech life, Slovak life and American life. The Museum seeks to inspire people from every background to connect to Czech and Slovak history and culture. Through extraordinary exhibitions and experiences, the Museum tells stories of freedom and identity, family and community, human rights and dignity connecting yesterday with today and tomorrow. The Museum honors those who immigrated to America and worked hard, contributing their skills and vision to the formation of our nation.

Media contact: Katie Shatzer, Director of Marketing & Communications | 319.362.8500