Roxbury Bandshell on Franklin Street in Johnstown will be the site of a summer concert series that benefits the continued preservation of the historic structure.
Music and a Civil War encampment will begin at 2 p.m. May 27 as the Roxbury Bandshell Preservation Alliance launches its entertainment schedule.
The alliance saved the historic structure from demolition, and a team of volunteers has worked tirelessly to raise money to pay for ongoing repairs.
A big part of that effort has been the development of the concert series.
Mary Borkow, alliance president, is eager to kick off the series and commemorate Memorial Day.
“Our initial concert will begin with members of the 54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry conducting a flag-raising,” Borkow said. “They are a dedicated group of re-enactors who show people what the life of a soldier was like during the Civil War.”
The encampment has been a popular addition to the event, and parents enjoy bringing their children to the park to take part in the experience.
“The 54th will offer our visitors an opportunity to witness authentic drills, cooking demonstrations and a Civil War-era medical tent during a re-enactment,” Borkow said.
“It’s quite educational, and it’s the best way to learn about the Civil War without going to Gettysburg.”
The remaining concerts will begin at 5 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 9, except for the last concert, which will begin at 2 with an open-mic stage.
Along with the military camp, people will enjoy performances by Ole 97, a Johnny Cash tribute band, at 3; and the Desperados’ rock sounds at 5.
The alliance is inviting people to sample food provided by members of Holy Cross National Catholic Church in Moxham (534 Woodland Ave, Johnstown, PA).
Parishioners Pam Fish and Linda Ringler will lead a team that will prepare hamburgers, hot dogs, gobs and occasionally authentic Polish dishes such as pierogi and haluski.
Proceeds from food sales and any donations collected at the free concerts will go toward the bandshell’s restoration fund.
“We have had a good response when we pass around a drum for people to donate, and we appreciate every penny,” Borkow said.
All the musicians have donated their time and talents toward the preservation effort.
The Urban Institute is presenting its annual IRS Form 990 and State Charity Regulation Meeting on Monday, May 14, 2012 from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the Urban Institute, 2100 M Street NW, 5th Floor, Katharine Graham Conference Facility, Washington DC 20037. A continential breakfast will be available at 8:15 am.
The Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics in collaboration with the National Association of State Charity Officials will host the Annual IRS Form 990 and State Charity Regulation Meeting on May 14, 2012. This year’s meeting will focus on state regulation of charities.
The meeting will include a re-examination of the “Charleston Principles,” the guidelines that state charity officials developed in 2001 to guide state reporting requirements for internet solicitations and regulation of hybrid organizations such as B-Corps. There will also be discussion of IRS Form 990 and state e-filing issues and initiatives and other efforts to improve the availability and quality of data available on the nonprofit sector.
The event is free. Registration is required to attend. Contact the Urban Institute at (202) 833-7200 or register online.
From WTAM and also at Newsnet5: Celebrating the Polish Constitution: Big parade held in Parma.
The annual Polish Heritage Parade was held in Parma Sunday afternoon [May 6th].
Thousands watched as marchers stepped off at Parma Circle, and made their way on Ridge Road to Essen Avenue in honor of Polish Constitution Day.
After the parade there was a party at the Little Polish Diner on Ridge Road.
Festivities actually began on Friday with a celebration at the Donna Smallwood Activities Center, and continued Saturday at Polonia Hall.
Polish Constitution Day is celebrated around the nation. The constitution was ratified on May 3, 1791, with Poland being the second nation in the world to do so, following the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788.
A friend in Cleveland advises that there were two Polish Constitution Day parades in the Cleveland area. One held a week ago in Little Warsaw or Slavic Village in the city, and the one noted above in the suburb of Parma. He rightly points out that it is amazing because the bulk of Polish immigration arrived in the United States over a hundred years ago. And yet, we the descendants still remember our Polish ancestry and our cultural and democratic heritage.
On May 2nd Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York announced an exciting statewide volunteer initiative – “I Love My Park Day” – that will take place at State Parks across New York State this Saturday, May 5th.
“Our parks are one of the hidden treasures of our state,” Governor Cuomo said, inviting New Yorkers to participate in the first ever “I Love My Park Day.”
“I Love My Park Day” is a statewide event to enhance the state’s parks and historic sites and bring visibility to the entire park system and its needs.
Join thousands of your fellow New Yorkers this Saturday, May 5, and volunteer to help improve our state parks. Click here to sign up.
Volunteers will celebrate New York’s state park system by cleaning up park lands and beaches, planting trees and gardens, restoring trails and wildlife habitats, removing invasive species, and working on various site improvement projects. There are more than 35 participating state parks and historic sites.
Bring your friends and family to your favorite park this Saturday and help preserve the beauty of this great state.
President Obama will award a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jan Karski, a former officer in the Polish Underground during World War II who was among the first to provide eyewitness accounts of the Holocaust to the world. The medal will be presented this summer on a date yet to be determined.
Karski was a long time member of The Kosciuszko Foundation and The American Center of Polish Culture (ACPC), which became heirs of Karski’s last will and testament.
On April 7, 2011, Kosciuszko Foundation President Alex Storozynski and Kaya Ploss, former Director of the ACPC, which is now part of the Kosciuszko Foundation, wrote to President Obama asking him to honor Jan Karski “a man of courage and great distinction who was a citizen of Poland, the United States and Israel. As representatives of the two Polish organizations in America that were beneficiaries of Jan Karski’s will, and having merged last year, we hope that you would consider awarding Jan Karski the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
The foundation was later joined in the quest by The Jan Karski Centennial Campaign, an initiative of the Polish History Museum in Warsaw. Members of the steering committee that have been pushing the campaign include: Alex Storozynski, President and Executive Director of The Kosciuszko Foundation; Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter; Robert L. Billingsley, Co-Chair, Georgetown University Jan Karski Centennial Campaign; David Harris, Executive Director, American Jewish Committee; Andrzej Rojek, Kosciuszko Foundation Trustee; and campaign director Wanda Urbanska.
Jan Karski speaking at the Kosciuszko Foundation
The Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
President Obama said, “We must tell our children about how this evil was allowed to happen-because so many people succumbed to their darkest instincts; because so many others stood silent. But let us also tell our children about the Righteous Among the Nations. Among them was Jan Karski-a young Polish Catholic-who witnessed Jews being put on cattle cars, who saw the killings, and who told the truth, all the way to President Roosevelt himself. Jan Karski passed away more than a decade ago. But today, I’m proud to announce that I will honor him with America’s highest civilian honor-the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
Karski served as an officer in the Polish Underground during World War II and carried among the first eye-witness accounts of the Holocaust to the world. He worked as a courier, entering the Warsaw ghetto and the Nazi Izbica transit camp, where he saw first-hand the atrocities occurring under Nazi occupation. Karski later traveled to London to meet with the Polish government-in-exile and with British government officials. He subsequently traveled to the United States and met with President Roosevelt. Karski published Story of a Secret State, earned a Ph.D at Georgetown University, and became a professor at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. Born in 1914, Karski became a U.S. citizen in 1954 and died in 2000.
Polish Curriculum Added at EMU
Yankees versus Tigers at Polish-American Baseball in Detroit on June 1st
by Jacek Adamski
YPSILANTI– The campus of Eastern Michigan University was abuzz with action as the school’s intercollegiate basketball teams hosted Polish-American Heritage Day at the Convocation Center. Besides the variety of attractions there were some special Polish-American news announcements that highlighted the event. There was history, music trivia and prizes to draw in the students. The biggest draw was the Polish food presentations.
The event was loaded with sports information and Polish history, here sports broadcaster Raymond Rolak talks to EMU assistant football coach Mike Hart about opportunities to play American football in Poland. Photo by Lars Hjemlroth
Polish Rock-pop singing sensation, Magda Kaminski, performed at breaks during the games. She was a big hit doing routines and songs from her new CD at both halftimes. She handled the many photo requests with grace and mingled freely with the post concert crowd. The Wawel Folk Ensemble and the PNA Centennial Dancers performed during the TV timeouts. The Wawel troupe wowed the audience with their colorful costume changes.
The event provided a platform for dialogue and creative connections. Groups and people affiliated with Polish culture and those in attendance had an opportunity to make connections and build relationships. Also, awareness was generated throughout the community and beyond.
EMU’s marketing and graduate studies program used the event as a skills development assignment and blitzed awareness with the addition of social media for the occasion. Other EMU activities were highlighted such as the faculty art exhibition and the upcoming graduate student art exhibition through March 8, at the Ford Gallery on campus.
A variety of historic and art displays were showcased in the atrium lobby along with an academic presentation by the EMU World Language Department. Considering the global economy shifts, the EMU World Language Department showed how communication has become essential in more than one language. The handouts introduced why it is so important to have a good understanding of other cultures. Dr. Rosemary Weston-Gil was on hand for questions. Additionally, resource materials were provided for study abroad.
It was also announced that EMU would be starting a Polish curriculum next September.
The EMU E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2012 was introduced and a presentation about the Polish-American Football League, Polska Liga Futbolu Amerykańskiego, with EMU assistant football coach Mike Hart and sports broadcaster Raymond Rolak was popular.
Carol Surma, president of Friends of Polish Art said, “I had nice discussions with folks who were interested in our upcoming 75th anniversary celebration and new audiences to network our scholarship programs.”
Chris Ozog said, ”This was a great opportunity for everyone to come together and highlight the activities of other organizations. Who knew so many Americans were playing professional basketball in Poland? This event also shows why an introduction to languages can be so relevant for global bussiness.” Ozog also presented information about the upcoming Polish-American Night at Comerica Park with the home town Detroit Tigers.
It was announced that Friday, June 1, 2012 will be the date and the New York Yankees are the added draw. Ted Klamerus, a board member of the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame helped ambassador the baseball announcement.
The 2012 NPASHF induction will be Thursday, June 21, at the American-Polish Cultural Center in Troy, Michigan. A lively question and answer period held the attrention of many. Rolak, a past chairman of the NPASHF was in demand with questions and trivia regarding Polish-American sports history.
Also a display on basketball, koszykowka, opportunities in Poland was a highlight. It explained the exchange of players between Europe and America. This year, there are 68 American men and 44 American women playing professional basketball in Poland, including Lauren Prochoska formerly of Bowling Green. She was the Mid-American Conference Women’s Tournament MVP last year in Cleveland. Anna Kowalska, a Polish National and also an assistant coach for the visiting Kent State women talked about her NCAA basketball experiences in America.
The Polish Times had a popular display about the Polish aviators of World War II and the Battle of Britain. A local art club presented awards to the most outstanding educational displays including those presented by the PRCUA, Michigan Polish American Congress, and the Polish National Alliance.
Malgosia Myc was available to extend information on how to access research archives of the Polish Detroit history collection at the Bentley Library at the University of Michigan along with information regarding the Polish Ann Arbor Film Festival.
Telewizja-Detroit a video service in the Detroit area and a continuous podcaster of Polish information had a display and TV message board available for those in attendance. Another popular attraction was the Polish food offerings presented from Srodek’s of Hamtramck, Michigan. There were video highlights of the Srodek television episode that aired on the popular Bizarre Foods TV show on the Travel Channel hosted by Andrew Zimmern.
Four year EMU basketball letter winner Kamil Janton, also a Polish National, had an outstanding role in the men’s 68-55 win over Ohio University. His ten minutes of defensive play at center contributed greatly to the win.
Another highlight was in the EMU women’s victory over Kent State, 83-47. EMU’s Tavelyn James lit up the scorboard with 40 points. She was mobbed after the game by the CYO girls youth teams in attendance. Her performance earned her MAC Player of the Week honors.
Stella Szczesny, a Michigan director for the Polish National Alliance said, “This is a great location for the Polish community of Wayne County and Washtenaw County to meet. I have met people here from Lucas County and Toledo, Ohio. We have a PNA Polanie Ball tonight or I would stay to the very end.”
PolVision of Chicago carried a feature from the game and there were broadcast highlights of the event telecast to Poland.
The New York Polish Film Festival (NYPFF) offers viewers an opportunity to celebrate Polish cinema and the rare opportunity to interact with the filmmakers themselves. NYPFF showcases features, shorts and documentaries created by distinguished filmmakers, both new and long-established. NYPFF is the largest festival promoting and presenting Polish films on the East Coast. This year the NYPFF is incorporating a new segment, “Neighboring Cinema.” This segment will present three awarded films from post communist countries — Russia, Rumania, and the Czech Republic.
This year the Film Festival is coming to trendy Williamsburg in Brooklyn. The screenings will take place at Indie Screen Theatre. Festival’s films will also be presented in Manhattan and Queens.
Thanks to NYPFF thousands have been afforded the opportunity to see Polish cinema in New York.
Rev. Bernard Nowicki, pastor of the Heart of Jesus Polish National Catholic Church in Bayonne, will lead the contingent for the 2012 tri-state Pulaski Day parade in Manhattan and for the activities in celebration of the 75th anniversary year.
His selection was announced by Richard Romelczyk, chairman of the Bayonne Pulaski Memorial Parade Committee.
Fr. Nowicki was honored at a Sashing Brunch on April 14 at the Chandelier Restaurant in Bayonne.
Fr. Nowicki is a native of western New York where he participated in the Polish dancing troupe founded by his mother, participated in a seven-week church youth excursion to Poland, was a presenter of Polish language declamations and poetry at celebratory occasions, and appeared in various stage presentations.
Fr. Nowicki served as the pastor of two parishes in the Pittsburgh area where he met and married Barbara Ann Liberasky. They have a daughter, Berit Elizabeth, who resides in Massachusetts.
Fr. Nowick is chaplain of the NY-NJ Seniorate United Choirs, a chapter of the PNC National United Choirs (NUC) that was organized to advance and preserve Polish musical culture.
The Santa Fe Opera will present Karol Szymanowski’s opera King Roger this summer starring Mariusz Kwiecien.
King Roger, an opera in 3 acts, with music by Karol Szymanowski and the libretto by the composer and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz premiered on June 19, 1926 in Warsaw, Poland.
The opera originated from Szymanowski’s enthusiasm for Mediterranean culture as a melting pot of different peoples and religions. The opera is set in 12th Century Sicily and relates to the enlightenment of Christian King Roger II by a young shepherd who represents pagan ideals.
The Kosciuszko Foundation invites you to meet Stephen Wadsworth and members of the King Roger creative team on Thursday, May 3rd at 7 p.m. at the Foundation, 15 East 65th Street, New York, NY. The presentation includes a panel discussion with Stephen Wadsworth, Director and Ann Hould-Ward, Costume Designer. There will also be a musical performance with Haeren Hong, Soprano and Jeanne-Minette Cilliers, Pianist. Contact the Foundation at 212-734-2130 for more information. Tickets are $25 per person or $20 for students and members.
This summer, One Story will again be offering an intimate 6-day fiction workshop for writers. The week will include morning workshops, afternoon craft lectures, and evening panels with authors, agents, MFA faculty, and editors. The workshop will be held July 22 – 27, 2012, in the One Story office at The Old American Can Factory in Brooklyn, New York.
This unique experience, both practical and creative, is for writers looking to take the next step in their careers. Former Associate Editor Marie-Helene Bertino and Contributing Editor Will Allison will be returning as workshop leaders. Editor-in-Chief Hannah Tinti, as well as other established writers chosen for their ability to teach the craft of writing in engaging ways, will teach afternoon craft classes. Every night, there will be a wine and cheese reception and panel discussion with industry professionals. Last year’s lecturers and panelists included Myla Goldberg, Darin Strauss, Jenny Offill, Simon Van Booy, editors from Granta, Electric Literature, A Public Space, Gigantic, literary agents, and MFA directors.
Please join One Story at the Old American Can Factory on Thursday, May 17th for a free craft lecture from Hannah Tinti on the art and skill of creating character.The event will begin with a reception at 6:30 pm. This is a rare chance to sample a craft lecture like the ones offered during the workshop, and an opportunity to meet some of the faces behind One Story.
Applications for the One Story Workshop for Writers are being accepted now until May 31, 2012.
