The Northampton Arts Council works to support and nurture the arts in the city of Northampton. The Council awards grants twice each year to artists and arts groups from both state and locally-raised funds, and seeks to improve public awareness of the arts. Its' goals include maintaining and preserving the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Northampton, programming such annual events of interest to the community as First Night Northampton and Transperformance.

Thursday, October 4, 2018

32nd Annual Pulaski Day Parade

WHAT: 32nd Annual Pulaski Day Parade
WHEN: Monday, October 8th at 11:00am
WHERE: Downtown Northampton

When the 32nd Annual Pulaski Day Parade kicks off at 11 a.m. in downtown Northampton on
Monday, October 8 it will celebrate several items of significance to the Polish community of
Western Massachusetts: the 100th anniversary of Polish independence after World War I, Polish
Heritage Month, the contributions of General Casimir Pulaski to the American Revolution as
father of the American Cavalry, and the significant advocacy of our region made by this year's
co-Grand Marshals who are members of the legislative Polish Caucus, State Representatives
Stephen Kulik of Worthington and John Scibak of South Hadley. These co-Grand Marshals will
be retiring at the end of the current legislative session after long and distinguished careers in the
Massachusetts House of Representatives.

The parade will step off from the former Blyda lot on King Street and proceed to Pulaski Park on
Main Street for a commemorative program. At the post-parade program in Pulaski Park,
Stephanie Kraft, noted local author of books and articles about Polish culture, will be the guest
speaker.

The parade features many Polish organizations from throughout Western Massachusetts, local
and civic groups, military units to celebrate General Pulaski's military prowess, and farmer and
agricultural groups in recognition of the regional Polish community's strong ties to the land.
Parade music will be furnished by a polka band and five other bands that include those from
Northampton and South Hadley High Schools, Hopkins Academy in Hadley, and two fife and
drum corps, the Windsor Regiment and Marquis of Granby, both from Connecticut.
The day's events begin at 10 a.m. with a Memorial Mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church on
King Street that will include short comments as well as liturgical songs in Polish and English.
The parade will begin at the conclusion of the Mass.

Representative Kulik was initially elected to represent the First Franklin District in 1993 after
serving 11 years as a selectman for the Town of Worthington and was active in many regional
and statewide organizations promoting the interests of municipal government, particularly in
small towns. This 19-town district is the second largest House district in the state and Kulik has
been a leader on such issues of importance in his district as public education, the environment
and energy, economic development, health care, food and agricultural policy, and municipal
government.

He is presently the Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, an influential
position that includes such responsibilities as helping to craft the state's annual budget. He also
sits on the six-member conference committee of the House and Senate which reconciles the two
versions of the budget for presentation to the full legislature.

He is a member of several legislative caucuses that focus on issues of importance to Western
Massachusetts and these include the Small Town and Rural Caucus, the Regional School
Caucus, the Regional Transportation Caucus, the Polish Caucus, Rural Policy Advisory
Commission and the Massachusetts Food Policy Council.

In 2002 Representative Scibak was first elected to represent the Second Hampshire District that
includes Easthampton, Granby, Hadley, and South Hadley. He was a selectman in South Hadley
from 1991 to 2002 and served as President of the Massachusetts Selectman's Association and as
a member of the Governor's Local Government Advisory Committee. He is currently serving as
Chairman of the Joint Committee on Higher Education.

Throughout his legislative career, he has been a strong advocate for disabled persons, infant and
youth services, senior programs, veterans' benefits, agricultural issues and reducing the high cost
of prescription drugs. He is also committed to improving the quality of education at all levels
from preschool to higher education and as well as increased access to workforce training and
economic development programs within the region. He is a member of the Oral Health,
Regional Transportation, Library, Polish, and Boating Caucuses.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame with Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. degrees in
Psychology, he has held faculty appointments at Indiana University, the University of
Massachusetts, and Westfield State University.

Individuals, groups, or organizations interested in marching in the parade can contact Jerry
Budgar at 584-2964 or at gbudgar@rcn.com

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