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April: The Kaunas Jazz Festival takes over the town of Kaunas annually, inviting such industry giants as John Abercrombie and John Scofield—and players from more than 20 countries—to open air stages.
April 1: Užupis Independence Day is celebrated by the Independent Republic of Užupis, a small neighborhood in Vilnius. A largely bohemian artist community, the day is celebrated with film showings, art exhibits, and performances.
May 19: Street Music Day brings more than 5,000 musicians to nearly all cities and towns in Lithuania, turning their streets into lively parties of sound.
The Kaziukas Festival celebrates Saint Casimir Jagiellon (“Kaziukas” being a Lithuanian version of the saint’s name), who was son to famed Polish King Casimir IV. An arts and crafts fair, this event—held on the Sunday closest to March 4—turns Vilnius into a major destination for finding handmade clothing, toys, jewelry, and other goods.
Lithuania’s summer, while short, is generally hot and humid. July is the rainiest month of the year, so thunderstorms should be expected. Many Lithuanians and tourists will take to breezy Baltic Sea beaches. They will be crowded, but at dusk, the sky lights up in brilliant orange and purple hues, as if out of a painting.
With longer days and shorter nights, this is a great time to absorb Lithuania’s natural splendor. As in spring, much of the countryside is blooming with flowers, and covered in lush forests. Also, the country comes alive, as summer is packed with holidays and festivals, such as the Feast of Saint John, the GAIDA Music Festival in Vilnius, and more.
June 1: The Klaipeda Castle Jazz Festival brings mainstream and independent jazz musicians to a stage near the ruined Klaipeda Castle. The festival usually ends with an all-night jam session with the performers.
June 7-10: ARTVILNIUS is a contemporary fine arts fair, featuring modern painting, sculpture, mixed-media, and more.
June 16: Culture Night celebrates the works of Vilnius’ artist community. Walk the streets and stroll open galleries viewing the fruits of their work.
June 24: Midsummer Day, also known as the Feast of Saint John, is a Christian holiday infused with traditions from pagan beliefs. Celebrated by singing songs, jumping over bonfires, and floating flower wreaths down the river, this a great day to discover Lithuanian folk traditions.
July 6: Statehood Day is a public holiday celebrating the coronation of King Mindaugas in 1253, who was the only native monarch of Lithuania.
July and August: The Christopher Festival is one of the largest music festivals in the Baltics, featuring over 40 performances in Vilnius and the surrounding area. Performers include artists from virtually any music genre.
Early August: Held near Zarasas Lake in northeastern Lithuania, the Rock Nights Festival attracts musical acts from Europe and beyond to an outdoor venue. For two days the once-tranquil area turns into a continuous concert full of young people enjoying rock and heavy metal music.
Usually held in the beginning of August, the Klaipeda Sea Festival brings thousands of people to the small seaside town of Klaipeda. A carnival, street concerts, and vendors offering local food and crafts—as well as bars and restaurants that stay open late—turn the town into an outdoor party.
As temperatures quickly decline in September, blazing orange, golden brown, and fiery red ignite the countryside in brilliant fall colors. Yet, snow often begins falling in October, so it’s important to get outside as much as you can before the quickly-advancing cold. It’s also a great time to watch white storks as they migrate south for the winter. They fill the sky with chaotic flying patterns, creating a dizzying display of nature’s grandeur.
Fewer tourists mean your travel dollar will be more valuable this time of year. Vilnius especially is beautiful, as the medieval charm of the old town—mixed with fall colors—creates a rustic scene worthy of a stroll or two.
Mid-October to November: The GAIDA Music Festival makes Vilnius host to leading acts in contemporary classical and avant-garde music, and is arguably one of the largest celebrations in Europe for the art form.
November 15: The Mama Jazz Festival in Vilnius is one of the premiere festivals for the genre in Europe. Major performers such as pianist Chick Corea and guitarist John McLaughlin—among many others—make this gathering a world-class event for jazz lovers.
In mid-October, the Festival of Lights turns the Neris River in Vilnius into a pathway of luminescence. Street vendors and performers fill the streets, but the true spectacle is in the artistic light displays covering the foliage, glowing sculptures, and hidden installations in the surrounding forest.
For centuries, Vilnius has been a truly diverse city, with Catholics, Jews, Protestants, Greek Orthodox, Lutherans, Calvinists, and Muslims all sharing the city before World War I. To stroll its cobblestone lanes is to witness both the pride and pain of its many cultures. Pride fills the traditional artists’ workshops and the family-owned restaurants that line the streets. Painful reminders of the past are found in historic KGB torture cells and the ghettos where Nazis forced the Jews to assemble. Happily, visitors today find a thriving city small enough to boast a village feel, and the chance to walk the lanes of Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or ascend the TV Tower, with its rotating observation deck. One of the city’s crown jewels is Vilnius University, founded in 1579. Home of the nation’s first printing press and its oldest library (housing millions of books), the university draws students from around the globe to join a student body now numbering 21,000.
In Northern Lithuania, a powerful testament to the endurance of Catholicism has covered a country hillside for nearly 200 years. Locals began erecting crosses here after the 1831 uprising that deposed the Russian tsar. The upright crosses were soon joined by small crucifixes and rosaries, often strung like garlands on the larger models. Some are plain, some lettered with the names of lost loved ones, and others decorated in folk-art style. In the 20th century, the Soviets put up barbed wire to keep locals out. That failed, so they added soldiers—which failed too. Even periodically bulldozing the crosses didn’t help, as locals would immediately replace the icons. Today, an estimated 200,000 crosses cover the hillside, in a tangle that seems to grow out of the earth like shrubbery, and when the wind blows, it makes an eerie tinkling wood-and-metal music.
The crown jewel of Lake Galvė is an island topped with a red-turreted Gothic Castle straight out of a fairy tale. Trakai Island Castle was started in the 14th century and finished in the 15th, originally to guard against incursions by German knights, but it eventually settled into a more regal role as the residence of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. It was known for its early version of forced-air heating, its secret passages, and an interior that was lush with murals, stained glass, and wood carvings. Over the course of its history, it kept changing personality, at one point used as a (very elegant) prison and then even abandoned for a time. Fortunately, the local population of Karaims, descendants of Turks who came here from Crimea in the 14th century to guard Trakai, have kept its history alive, and its splendor has been restored. Lithuanian concerts and festivals are held on the grounds and visitors comes from all over to see one of the nations’ most beloved buildings.
The Genocide Museum is a sobering entryway into the darker side of Lithuania history. In rooms that served in turn as quarters for Tsars, Polish occupiers, the Gestapo, and the KBG, memorials detail the imprisonment, suffering, and death of Lithuanians swept up in the Soviet genocide and the Holocaust. The basement contains cells and an execution chamber where more than a thousand civilians were killed by the Soviets. Across several floors, the personal effects, stories, and photographs of victims bring the story close to home. There is also a collection of documents highlighting the efforts of the resistance movement known as the Forest Brothers. The museum’s holdings continue to grow as locals come forward with their own donations of relevant personal objects they want to preserve, a reminder that their story is still being told.
A wooden church built here in the 15th-century burned down in the 16th and was rebuilt at the dawn of the 17th—only to burn down once more 20 years later. The third building was begun in 1668 and took eight years of constant labor to finish. Its funder, a military leader named Mykolas Kazimieras Pacas, thought of it as a monument to (and future mausoleum for) himself, more than as a grand religious edifice. But grand it is: With 2,000 stucco figures, 13 Baroque chapels, a crystal chandelier resembling a ship, and countless frescoes and paintings, its holdings could compete with many a museum. Now considered a national treasure, it also serves Pacas’ wishes: he was buried under the threshold, and his family coat of arms greets you as you enter the church.
Welcome to the Pleier Family page at Surname Finder, a service of Genealogy Today. Our editors have compiled this checklist of genealogical resources, combining links to commercial databases along with user-contributed information and web sites for the Pleier surname. As additional sources for vital records, original documents, vintage photographs and surname-based DNA projects are discovered, this page is updated to offer the best list for researching Pleier ancestry. Share this page on Twitter!
It is quite possible that someone else has already performed work on a Pleier family tree, so be sure to examine some of the sources listed below carefully. Have you struck a Pleier brick wall? Read "Genealogy's Most Popular Disbeliefs" for some helpful advice.
Many things can go wrong when a record collection is indexed. If you're having diffculty finding Pleier ancestors in a particular database at one site, try finding it on another and compare the results. If you want to know What information is given in U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules about Pleier citizens from the past?, then read this frequently asked question.
Historical newspapers give us the ability to discover ancestral history through eyewitness accounts. There are currently matching Pleier records at Ancestry.com! Start exploring this online Pleier family history resource today.
There are no clear, concise answers to why or how one of your Pleier ancestors took on the surname. It may have been based on their occupation or a distinguising physical trait. Keep in mind that it was not unusual for a last name to be altered as an ancestor entered a new country.
While DNA testing cannot conclusively tell you if two Pleier ancestors were related, it can easily prove if they weren't. Be sure you understand what types of research issues each different DNA test can address before you spend any money. If you're not sure how DNA testing could aid your Pleier research, read "DNA Research and Your Family's History".
There is more to exploring your Pleier ancestry than just gathering a bunch of names and dates. Understanding where your ancestors lived, how they were employed, and what they did for fun, may give you a better appreciation of your heritage. Whether you are a beginner or expert genealogists, knowing Where can I find a biography of my Pleier ancestor? is always useful.
When digging deeper into your ancestor's occupation, a great way to connect with others of a similar interest -- many who might have detailed information, is by posting a message board query giving clear information as to your ancestor's name and the specific occupation or organization, in time and place. The article "The Art of Posting Queries" provides some valuable tips for posting successful Pleier queries.
You may also want to consider posting a query to the Community Message Boards at Genealogy Today to get assistance from other researchers on your most elusive Pleier ancestors.
Web: 1920 Distribution of the Pleier surname in U.S.
If you are having difficulty locating records for the last name of Pleier, contact the folks at ProGenealogists for a free research estimate. You may also find it helpful to read, "When, Why and How to Hire a Professional Genealogist."
Whenever possible, consider holding the family reunion in place where you have a strong Pleier family history, which provides opportunities to share stories and visit cemeteries or old home sites; you may even want to consider as a one-day activity, having each family take on the task of gathering information from the local courthouse, school district, public library, etc. -- this, of course, requires advance planning and assignment, but could generate considerable interest and results. The article "A Great Way to Unite a Newly-Found Family" may provide you with tips for hosting a successful Pleier reunion.
Surname Finder, The Pleier Genealogy and Family Tree Page [on-line resource], New Providence, NJ, USA: Genealogy Today LLC, 2019.
Suggested use: Print a copy of this free research checklist, and keep track of the Pleier genealogy resources that you visit. If your web browser does not print the date on the bottom, remember to record it manually. Today is 21/Apr/2019.
If you host the Pleier blog or web page, please link to this surname-focused resource. Here's the HTML code for a basic link. Simply cut/paste this code on to your page.
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A recent Japanese magazine featuring Al Capone.
Capone magazine from England .
If you have any magazine scan from a different country featuring Al Capone please send it in and i will be glad to post it with your name.
Some of the magazines that make this hobby fun.Beware of reprints being passed off as authentic, ones such as X-marks the spot .The real one has the cover with the wrinkled feel and look on the cover.expect to pay about $70 U.S for one in good condition. X-marks the spot was written by reporter Hal Andrews and was forcibly removed by Capone henchmen at newstands. Hal had chosen to remain anonymous which was a wise choice.
Other interesting mags feature Capone on a Time magazine in 1930 (Sort of beats Gotti by 60 years).A gangster on Time in those days was unheard of.This Mag in good condition can fetch up to $200.Chicago Gangland is by James O'Donnell Bennett a crime reporter who printed info when these tough guys were around.He was a tough reporter who said it like it was with features in newspapers for all to see.Life of Al Capone in Pictures was another take on Hal Andrews x-marks the spot rehashed, with a few new pics.This item in good condition can fetch $175.The trial of Al Capone, Robert Ross's book on Al's trial. This book can fetch $70 in good condition. Al Capone on the Spot by Richard T. Enright.This book is now reprinted as Capone's Chicago.The original is about $60 to $70.
The Wickersham report Helmer style!
Two entries in 1977 book of world records dealing with Al Capone and Chicago Gang wars.
Seigfried Schauzu of West Germany won the 750 cc Side-Car event in the Isle on Man Trophy Motor Cycle Race Series on Monday (June 8).
Background: Seigfried Schauzu of West Germany won the 750 cc Side-Car event in the Isle on Man Trophy Motor Cycle Race Series on Monday (June 8). It is the second successive year Schauzu has won this event.
Schauzu, on a B.M.W. machine, covered the three laps of the 113-mile (181 kilometres) mountain circuit in a record time of one hour fifteen minutes and eighteen seconds. His average speed was 90.20 MPH (145.12 KPH). His sidecar passenger was H. Schneider.
As in the 1969 event, second place went to English rider Peter Brown. He finished more than three and a half minutes behind Schauzu at an average speed of 85.97 MPH (138.35 KPH).
Klaus Enders, of West Germany (No.6), set a fierce pace at the start breaking the lap record set up last year by Schauzu. But on the second lap he dropped out with Battery trouble.
I got an email recently from a woman who was struggling to make a big decision. She had been dating a guy for several months and he was ready to to take the next step of commitment with her. But she wasn’t sure. She felt torn, she said, and that made her a bit anxious.
But she couldn’t put her finger on why she felt that way.
Maybe you can relate to the position she was in—having a big, life-altering type decision to make, but not sure which way to go.
The guy was great, she told me.
Her friends loved him and he treated her well. On top of all of that, usually her mother didn’t like her boyfriends, but in this case she would make comments about how this was the “best guy she had ever dated” and how disappointed she would be if it didn’t work out.
And so as her boyfriend waited for her to make up her mind and her friends doted over her with compliments about him and her mother made jokes like, “don’t screw this up!” she felt beside herself with anxiety.
Am I supposed to feel like this? She wondered.
Why “Finding Yourself” Matters So Much.
You hear people talk about “finding yourself” all the time and yet most of us don’t really know what it means or why it matters. In fact, I think the term gets sort of watered down. We think of “finding yourself” as this cursory thing we do, on the side, if we have time, after we get the more important work of life done.
We forget what an incredible danger it is to live life without knowing who you are.
We forget there is very little progress we will be able to make in this life if we don’t have a firm grip on who we are and why we matter.
The language psychologists use for a person who hasn’t “found themselves” is: lacking of a sense of self or a lack of personal identity and psychologists recognize that when a person lacks a sense of personal identity, their problems extend into every aspect of their life: relationships, career, even mental and emotional health.
Not to mention, it can be really difficult to make a decision—even a small one. When we don’t know who we are, we end up spending more time wondering about what other people want from us than about what we want and need for ourselves. Which, of course, can be incredibly anxiety-producing.
How can you possibly measure your success or progress or integrity in life if you’re measuring by other people’s standards? The measuring stick is constantly shifting, depending on your circumstances, your situation, your surroundings, or who is doing the asking. You feel pulled between your boss, your mom, your friends, your spouse, and maybe, just maybe, some very quiet, inner-voice.
And at some point, you will let one or more of them down. You cannot possibly meet so many expectations.
It’s exhausting. It’s awful. I’ve been there. And in many ways we are all there at some point in our lives—including the young woman who sent me that email—because finding yourself is not a one-time event. It’s a journey we’re on together (tweet that).
Lack of Personal Identity and Depression.
There is a psychologist and author named Albert Bandura who has done a considerable amount of research around something he calls self-efficacy, which could be translated: a strong sense of self. He makes a specific connection between a weak sense of personal significance and depression.
I know depression is a complicated issue with lots of complicated answers. Not to mention, I have gone around and around with depression in my life. I’ve spent years on medication and in therapy and it hasn’t been until the past five or ten years that I’ve discovered some freedom from it.
Just the thought depression is something that sort of haunts me to this day.
But it hasn’t been until I’ve begun to develop a stronger sense of self that I’ve been able to find a bit of freedom from my depression. That is not a prescription, but it is a suggestion to consider that if depression is as much a part of your life as it has been of mine, it’s worth considering it might help to work on finding yourself.
Bandura says, “A weak sense of personal-efficacy operates on the cognitive source of depression in several ways.” He lists three ways specifically, and since his prose gets a little thick from there, I figured I would translate them so they’re easier to understand. You can see his full text here.
Third, it influences the story we tell ourselves about personal accomplishments and failures. Bandura’s research actually showed that people with a strong sense-efficacy felt slightly better about themselves socially and emotionally than their peers. The story they told themselves about their successes was, “that’s because I’m smart and capable,” and the story they told themselves about their failures was, “well… I couldn’t have been expected to do well because I didn’t get much sleep [or that person was distracting me… or whatever.]” This isn’t to suggest we should have inflated egos (which can cause depressed states of their own) but rather that the story we tell ourselves about our successes and failures influences how we feel about ourselves.
How do you process successes and failures as they happen to you?
What does this tell you about how much control you have moving forward?
What is the story you tell yourself about your personal accomplishments or failures?
When it comes to finding yourself, depression and making big decisions, it shouldn’t surprise us that the mind and body are profoundly and miraculously connected.
How Do I Know If I’ve Found Myself?
A lack of a strong self often flares up during times of change or transition in our lives, since often times we mistake our sense of self for things like: the city we live in, the person we are married to, our job, career, money, family, status, etc.
Our true self does not come from our outer-life.
It comes from our inner-life.
So when we move to a new place, leave a job, have a baby, see our grown kids leave the house, get married, or start in a new position, we often find ourselves thinking, “who am I?” This is normal and also an invitation into a deeper journey of finding yourself.
Finding yourself is the process of discovering who you are and why you matter apart from outside achievements, relationships, and even in the face of great challenges or in life’s shifting environments. A person who is finding herself is learning to trust the the sound of her own voice, listen to her intuition, take action based on her convictions, face conflict and criticism with grace and power, and to visit that place of peace inside herself, despite what is happening around her.
When you have a strong sense of self, you are able to adapt well to changes, to soothe yourself in times of sadness or discomfort, stay true to your convictions (even when there is outside pressure), avoid codependent or manipulative relationships, set boundaries with pushy people in your life, leave behind a constant need for approval, drop the guilt, receive criticism, act authentically, lead gracefully, and take responsibility for your life—no matter how it turns out.
Yes, it is a huge task to “find ourselves” and one that is never fully finished. In fact, once we feel like we’ve “mastered it” life usually hands us more challenging and interesting situations to help us continue our path of growth.
One hard truth about developing a strong sense of self is that so much of this important development takes place in childhood. If you have faced some kind of trauma in your childhood, or if your parents didn’t help you establish a strong sense of self—or if you came from a religious background where developing a strong sense of “self” was considered selfish—you might still have a lot of work to do when it comes to finding yourself.
The good news is that it is never too late to begin your work. In fact, if you are feeling profoundly lost as you read this, you are in a beautiful place.
Below I’m going to include a list of things that have been vital to my own journey of finding myself as I’ve been guided by great therapists, friends, advisors, mentors and my own intuition. Your journey will look different than mine, no doubt, but still, I hope this list helps.
Know and own your story.
Like anyone, there are parts of my story I haven’t wanted to own. Do you ever get that feeling when you think about how certain events have unfolded in your life? you think… truly. Honestly. Please God anything but this story.
And yet, our stories are our stories.
I am in process of writing my own brave new ending to my story. It is not easy. In fact, sometimes it feels downright awful. It means re-routing old beliefs, re-wiring brain patterns, letting go of ways of coping, learning to face the conflict and the joy and the pain of life unguarded, and it means I end up failing and losing my temper and crying in public more often than I would like to admit.
I avoided seeing a therapist for years because I thought to myself, “oh, it’s not that bad. I’ve got this. Look at me. I have so many opportunities. I have a great family. What am I complaining about?” All the while, deep down I knew I needed some help to sift through the more complicated parts of my story.
Do not try to walk this path alone. It’s too treacherous. If you aren’t comfortable finding a therapist, ask a few trusted friends or family members to walk with you.
When you begin to re-write your story, parts of yourself you never knew existed (hint: less-than-pretty parts of yourself) will inevitably come up. When this happens, practice gratitude for the support around you and for the opportunity you have to heal and grow.
Learn about yourself and how you are wired.
I read all the time. I’m always trying to figure out more about myself, how I operate and why it matters. This has been a lifeline for me as I walk this journey of finding myself. Figuring out the driving motivations behind why you act the way you do not only helps you own your story, it also helps you interact and communicate in a positive way with others.
Below, I am including a list of resources I have used that have really helped me to discover how I’m wired. This list is certainly not exhaustive but I hope it helps.

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