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The Serb Fest Hall of Fame was introduced in 2003 at a time when today's generation believed that the days of sharing Memorial Day Weekend with the elder generation of Serb Fest attendees were likely behind them. And while their attendance resumed just one year later, there was a sense that the Serb Fest torch had been passed to the next generation, and in light of this, they felt it appropriate to honor those who established Serb Fest as the time-honored tradition that it remains today.


 

 


Dan Boskovic :: Honorary Senior Founding Member

Serb Fest Origin :: Boskovic Family
First Confirmed Serb Fest :: 1981

Family :: Deb Boskovic (Wife), Danica Boskovic (Daughter), Ivana Boskovic (Daughter), Bora Boskovic (Father), Cica Boskovic (Mother), Catherine Boskovic (Sister), Caroline Boskovic (Sister)

Affectionately known as "Crazy Dan", Dan is the son of Hall of Famers, Bora & Cica Boskovic, and is perhaps the strongest link to Serb Fest past . He has attended Serb Fest since at least 1981 and today, is most known for his infectious laugh and unadulterated humor. His daughter Danica is set to log her 7th trip to TR in just 7 years of life! Dan is as synonymous with Turkey Run as anyone and is well on his way to his induction into the Turkey Run Hall of Fame!

   

:: FULL PROFILE ::

Jovan Zelenkovich :: Founding Member

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 1986

Family :: Stephanie Bennett (Wife), Predrag Zelenkovich (Father), Mila Zelenkovich (Mother), Nick Taylor (Nephew), Joe Taylor (Nephew)

Notable Recruits :: Scott Berger, OLAF, Jeff Heitzman, Brian Kelley, Rishi Loona, Dave R, Charlie Ruiz, Jeff Bott

Jovan is without doubt a critical link to Serb Fests past. Having a near perfect attendance record dating back to 1986, As he puts it... "It’s all I know. Memorial Day means Turkey Run". His dedication to upholding the tradition of Serb Fest is what has given us the great opportunity to gather each year. In 1994, following suit of fellow attendee and friend, Monica Stevanovic, Jovan invited a friend, Jeff Bott to Turkey Run. Both Monica & Jovan continued inviting various friends through the mid-1990’s and in essence, lit the fire of the torch that would eventually be passed to the Second Generation in 2003. However, it was Jovan’s judgment in extending an invitation to then college roommate, Scott Berger in 1998 that proved to be pivotal; Opening the door for the incredible growth of the Second Generation into a new network of friends and families that, along with Monica’s group of friends, were to drive the strength of Serb Fest well into the 21st Century! For those of us who are directly related to this network, we pay great respects to Jovan and his dedication to Serb Fest. His passion has been infectious and its proven by the continued success of Serb Fest!

   

:: FULL PROFILE ::

Scott Berger :: Senior Founding Member

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 1998
Recruited by :: Jovan Zelenkovich

Family :: Julie Berger (Wife), Grant Berger, (Son), Carter Berger (Son), Jeff Berger (Brother), Erin Berger (Sister-in-law), Eloise Berger (Neice), Hazel Berger (Neice), Graham Berger (Nephew)

Notable Recruits :: Jeff Heitzman, Brian Crissie, Jeff Berger, Arpan Desai, Mike Z

Scott Berger’s first official trip to Serb Fest was in 1998, but it is important to note that his being invited to Turkey Run that year was almost an act of destiny. Fortunately, he was familiar with Turkey Run because of a weekend spent camping at the Cherokee Village Campground, just around the corner from Turkey Run State Park, the previous summer. The Cherokee Village Campground would once again come into play when the group spent a night there for Turkey Run Observed in August 2001. The fact that he had in fact been familiar with TR made him an immediate candidate for beginning a new wave of non-Serbian males at Turkey Run. Beginning a new chapter in his life, Jovan was most certainly growing apart from his High School friend-base that had been accompanying Jovan to TR through the mid-1990’s. Had it not been for Scott’s familiarity with Turkey Run and his enthusiastic acceptance of Jovan’s invitation, it is very well possible that the tradition of Jovan bringing friends to TR would have fallen by the wayside. As his parents and the other First Generation attendees parted ways with TR, it is possible that so too would have Jovan - leading to the eventual would-be demise of Serb Fest. Fortunately, all we can do is speculate on the “would have beens”... Scott attended in 1998 - And since, alongside Jovan, he has played a big role in facilitating the continued growth of the Second Generation. He has yet to miss a trip to Turkey Run including 2001 when instead of waiting for the rescheduled August trip, he forged on carrying the torch and assembling a small rookie team behind him, joining the elders for a historic weekend around the grill. It is after this trip, that Scott earned Founding Member status for his brave venture.

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:: FULL PROFILE ::

OLAF :: Founding Member

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 1998
Recruited by :: Jovan Zelenkovich

Family :: Julie L (Wife), Sarah L (Daughter), Jack L (Son), Jimmy L (Son)

Notable Recruits :: Steve Luke, Sean Sullivan

OLAF has to drive. This is an ongoing rule, though somehow, he was able to avoid driving from TR 2003 to 2006. OLAF has been a fixture at Turkey Run since modern day Fire & Ice began. He's been in attendance every year since 1998 with the exception of 1999 & 2006. TR 99 was missed because of his then location in Los Angeles for a summer internship. Today, we wouldn't accept that as an excuse, but at the time, we went easy on young OLAF. In 2006, OLAF was welcoming his daughter Sarah into the world. TR 2008 marks her debut at TR and the first child of the second generation of TR attendees.

Nobody pounds beers like OLAF.... NOBODY.... but we plan for that and everybody's happy. OLAF's greatest contribution to the list of traditions at Turkey Run is the initiation of Bocce Ball in 2001. He was immediately given the responsibility of bringing the Bocce set each year, but managed to forget it the very next year. Thankfully we were able to hunt down a replacement set at a local Indiana po-dunk department store (see photo below).

OLAF is also responsible for the ridiculous pose during the hike of TR 2003 that has become the official symbol of Turkey Run. We are all still bewildered at what possessed his body to take such an awkward position, but none the less, it has become a beloved moment in TR history!

   

:: FULL PROFILE ::

Jeff Heitzman :: Councilman

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 1999
Recruited by :: Jovan Zelenkovich & Scott Berger

Family :: Amy Heitzman (Wife), Ethan Heitzman (Son)

Nutz has developed a storied past since first attending in 1999. In his first year of attendance, he infamously forgot to bring hiking shoes and instead “hiked” in sandals. This proved to be challenging, but not impossible! He was also directly involved with the near death of another infamous TR 1999 attendee in challenging him to consume 2 Twinkies in less than a minute. If not for the half-finished can of Mountain Dew left behind by Scott Berger in the back of the Zelenkovich van, we may have seen a fatal conclusion to that challenge. 3 years later, he not only earned himself the first ever demerit for forgetting about Turkey Run in 2002, but paved the way for his receipt of the first ever "Most Improved" Award in 2003 - the now pre-established goal for anyone who receives a demerit at TR. Contributing to his “Most Improved” title in 2003, was his proclamation of Serb Fest as “a weekend of Fire & Ice”. This of course would become a theme and subtitle of the Second Generation’s take on Serb Fest and would ultimately become immortalized as the title for the 2004 DVD release documenting TR 2003. Now, having had perfect attendance since his controversial absent-mindedness, he's finally shedding the dark-cloud image that has been hanging over his head for so long. He's been an active participant and a fine representation of the Tenets of Turkey Run for nearly a decade now! He's proving why one day, he will surely gain Founding Member status! Let his story be an inspiration to anyone who finds him or herself on the dark side.

   

:: FULL PROFILE ::

Brian Kelley :: Councilman

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 2000
Recruited by :: Jovan Zelenkovich

Big Shit, once known as the guy who seemingly dreaded going to Turkey Run until actually there, now sings a different tune. Today, he looks forward to nothing more than digging into his first plate of cevapcici at Turkey Run each year! In 2002, BS was witnessed consuming a Heineken with dinner on his own free will, generally the first time most of us had witnessed his consumption of beer. It was a shocking, yet proud moment for many of us. Today, many would find it hard to imagine, but we’ve certainly seen great evolution in our friend BS! In 2007 Big Shit respectfully requested to shed his nickname for anything not referencing bathroom related activities. It's been challenging, but some have made an effort to refrain from using his former nickname. This of course is nearly impossible and is generally mocked after the consumption of 6 or more beers. On a serious note, Brian is one of the few attendees in recent memory to have not missed a TR (aside from the accepted sabbatical of TR 01) following their first year of attendance. TR 2009 marked Brian’s 10th (unofficial) straight year of attendance! There was some concern leading up to TR 2010 that Brian would opt out of attendance to travel the world, but in somewhat of an act of destiny, plans did not materialize and his attendance streak remained active!

   

:: FULL PROFILE ::

Jeff Berger :: Councilman

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 2001
Recruited by :: Scott Berger

Family :: Erin Berger (Wife), Eloise Berger (Daughter), Hazel Berger (Daughter), Graham Berger (Son), Scott Berger (Brother), Julie Berger (Sister-in-law), Grant Berger (Nephew), Carter Berger (Nephew), Brian O'Kelly (Brother-in-law)

Notable Recruits :: Brian O'Kelly

Krangis made his Turkey Run debut as part of the skeleton crew of TR 2001. Alongside his brother Scott, he experienced Serb Fest at its finest - from the trip to DSD Delicatessen to dining alongside the elder Serbian crowd to being witness to the initiation of the original Indian Head Dress. With the exception of 2009, he has been in attendance every year since. In 2003, Krangis set out to document our heralded weekend at TR on film and in May of 2004, released "Fire & Ice Extravaganza", a 43 minute intimate look into a pivotal year at Turkey Run – one in which the torch had seemingly been passed to the next generation of attendees. In May of 2006, with unprecedented anticipation, a Special Edition version of the documentary was released along with a Bonus Disc full of additional features, commentary, and most notably, a recap of TR 2004. Krangis's involvement with TR DVD releases is no doubt his shining contribution to Serb Fests past and future and will forever be a big part of his legacy at TR.

   

:: FULL PROFILE ::

Brian Crissie :: Councilman

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 2001
Recruited by :: Scott Berger

Notable Recruits :: Vince Kus

Brian Crissie, known by most simply as, CR, made his Turkey Run debut as part of the skeleton crew of TR 2001. Alongside Scott Berger and fellow first time attendee, Krangis, he experienced Serb Fest at its finest - from the trip to DSD Delicatessen to dining alongside the elder Serbian crowd to being witness to the initiation of the original Indian Head Dress. He also witnessed one the finest quotes in TR history, being on the receiving end of Mr. Z’s instruction of "You eat, or you're out!" You couldn't ask for a better introduction to TR! It was enough to bring him back to TR 01 Observed and TR 02. While he briefly lost "General Participant" status in 2003, he was able to regain the title in 2004 and has ultimately gained Councilman status after going well out of his way to make an abbreviated appearance at TR 05 due to the funeral of his Grandmother that same weekend. Today, he can be counted on year after year to provide his hunting knife, hatchet, and affinity for starting fires to the weekend's festivities. He’s also becoming somewhat of an unofficial photographer of Serb Fest, building an impressive portfolio of TR photography in recent years!

   

:: FULL PROFILE ::

Rishi Loona :: Councilman

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 2003
Recruited by :: Jovan Zelenkovich

Rishi initially made his mark on Serb Fest before he even touched the blessed soils of Turkey Run! He single handedly raised the bar by traveling all the way from Charlotte, NC for his first trip to TR in 2003 (the bar was raised slightly higher in 2004 with the attendance of a rookie from Raleigh, NC). After his early on-again, off-again of attendance record, Rishi has established himself as a consistant and expected attendee year after year. He has etched himself into the fabric of TR and the group always looks forward to his manning of the grill, especially after dark! Rishi has proven time and time again that he embodies the true spirit of Serb Fest and is exemplory of that year round!

   

:: FULL PROFILE ::

Dave R :: Councilman

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 2005
Recruited by :: Jovan Zelenkovich

Family :: Bryanne R (Wife), Adeline R (Daughter), Louis R (Son)

Dave R made his TR debut in 2005 earning himself both Rookie of the Year and Intellectual of the Year honors. Dave has always been among those who have exhibited the most Serb Fest spirit - especially in the off season. He's been known to proactively start dialog on upcoming TR's as early as January providing the spark for the proverbial flame that keeps us warm in the frigid cold nights of winter as we wait in anticipation for the warmth of the May sun. In recent years, Dave has also taken it upon himself to provide a variety of meats including Hamburgers, Brats, and other unmentionable sausages with tough skin that have affectionately become known as "R Mystery Sausages". He has most definitely become a true fixture at TR and we hope to have him and his family with us for many years to come!

   

:: Full Profile ::

Mike Z :: General Participant

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 2008
Recruited by :: Scott Berger | Julie Berger

Family :: Amy Z (Wife), Anna Z (Daughter), Kate Z (Daughter), Callen Z (Son)

Mike made his TR debut in 2008 and captured Rookie of the Year honors. His quick witted humor worked well within the group and managed to nickname himself "FM" within hours of the start of the weekend. It's no coincidence that this also occurred after consuming several beers with Crazy Dan. After a year off in 2009, Mike and his family returned in 2010 and picked up where he left off, adding an unusual, but much appreciated brand of humor to any conversation. While in 2008 he came away being nicknamed "FM", 2010 yeilded an even more eyebrow raising nickname - "BM". Folks - pay attention - this is how you secure back to back Intellectual of the Year honors! After a several year hiatus, Mike and Family returned to TR in 2018 and we hope to see them back as regulars in the future!

 
 

Erich Mann :: General Participant

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 2013
Recruited by :: Dave R & Scott Berger

Family :: Lauren Mann (Wife), Henry Mann (Son), Vivien Mann (Daughter), Vikki Ecker (Sister), Maddie Ecker (Niece), Joey Ecker (Nephew), Joe Ecker (Brother in law), Scott Berger (Cousin), Jeff Berger (Cousin)

   
   

Joe Ecker :: General Participant

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 2017
Recruited by :: Scott Berger, Erich Mann

Family :: Vikki Ecker (Wife), Maddie Ecker (Daughter), Joey Ecker (Son), Erich Mann (Brother in law), Lauren Mann (Sister in law), Henry Mann (Nephew), Vivien Mann (Neice)

Joe's proven to be a valuable source of grit within the group. He's quick witted and not afraid to pound a beer. What more can you really ask for in a fellow TR attendee??

   
   

Mark Decker :: General Participant

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 2016
Recruited by :: Julie Berger

Family :: Katie Shannon, Cameron Decker (Son), Aaron Decker (Son)

   

:: FULL PROFILE ::

Charlie Ruiz :: Past Participant

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 2003
Recruited by :: Jovan Zelenkovich

Charlie Ruiz also made his TR debut in 2003, and while his experience could have been spoiled by Jovan's lack of accommodation to the rookie, he made the most of the weekend! While his presence at Turkey Run has been sorely missed during his 2005-2008 hiatus, we were beyond excited to have him return to Turkey Run in 2009. Chuckles (sorry) has proven to be among the most active of all attendees in the TR Community. He is responsible for the inception of Serb Fest's Facebook Group and has fostered continued dialog on all things TR in the many months between our hallowed annual trips.

   

:: FULL PROFILE ::

Brian O'Kelly :: Past Participant

Serb Fest Origin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 2010
Recruited by :: Jeff Berger

Family :: Erin Berger (Sister), Jeff Berger (Brother-in-law), Eloise Berger (Neice), Hazel Berger (Neice)

 

   
   

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