Serb Fest Orgin :: Zelenkovich Family
First Serb Fest :: 1998
Recruited By :: John Zelenkovich

Nickname :: Berger

Trips to Serb Fest :: 25 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)

Additional Trips to Turkey Run :: 2 (1997, 2001 Observed)

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

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.

Since 2003, Scott has been instrumental in the planning and execution of Serb Fest each year. He’s also responsible for the continued growth and maintenance of Turkey Run Online! In 2005, he found himself in the center of inevitable, but still controversial Second Generation growing pains. While Serb Fest has always been a family-friendly atmosphere and Monica and friends have always been a part of the TR dynamic, there was a notion among some of the group that TR was somewhat of a “guys weekend”. Significant others of the group were forbidden to attend. But in 2005, the mold was broken with the attendance of Scott’s future wife, Julie, opening the door for a renewed FAMILY atmosphere at TR for the Second Generation. He and Julie welcomed their first son, Grant to Turkey Run in 2010 helping to pave the way for yet another generation of growth at Serb Fest!

GENERAL PARTICIPANT	5 YEAR ATTENDEE	10 YEAR ATTENDEE	20 YEAR ATTENDEE	GONE STREAKING
2+ Years of Serb Fest Attendence without an extended hiatus	5 Years of Serb Fest Attendance	10 Years of Serb Fest Attendance	20 Years of Serb Fest Attendance	10 Straight Years of Attendance
COUNCILMAN	FOUNDING MEMBER	LEGEND	TRAVELER	HISTORY BUFF
2+ Years of Serb Fest Attendence without an extended hiatus	Responsible for the Growth & Longevity of Serb Fest	Inducted into Turkey Run Hall of Fame	Traveled From Out of State (IL) to Attend Serb Fest	Serb Fest Historian
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR	CONSUMPTION	INTELLECTUAL	MOST IMPROVED	GOLDEN CEVAP
TR Rookie of the Year	Cevapcici Consumption Award Winner	Honorary Vince Kus Intellectual of the Year Award Winner	Most Improved Award Winner	Jovan Zelenkovich Memorial Golden Cevapcici Award Winner
FILMMAKER	GRILL MASTER	15 MILE FINISHER	XTREME HIKING	CLIFF DIVER
Producer/Co-Producer of TR Video Content	Mans the Grill When Others Do Not	Completed 15 Mile Canoe/Kayak Trip	Hiked Off-Trail and Lived to Tell About It	Plunged into Sugar Creek
GOOD SAMARITAN	TRIPLE CROWN	DEMERIT	BANNED
Assisted Others in Time of Desparate Need	3 Near Death Experiences in one Year	Dermerit Issued from Founding Member	Banned from Turkey Run State Park

Golden Cevapcici Award :: 2007
Cevapcici Consumption Award :: 2013


Cut-out canoe picture with Jovan - 1999
Carried the torch earning "Founding Member" status -2001 Observed
Had trouble finding Cherokee Village Campground at 2am -2001 Observed
Unveiled TR Online - 2003
Duct taped his shoe for the hike (to become an annual occurance) -2003
Tipped 100 ft. into kayak trip, found hiking shorts from 2002 unwashed and immediately packed them. -2003
Initiated Turkey Run Online & assisted in the editing of the documentary -2004
Initiated Turkey Run Online & assisted in the editing of the documentary -2005

"Okay Giggles (I'm REALLY sorry)" - 2004
"The world is my toilet!" -2007
"Paloma? That's a classy name for a trashy drink..." - 2011