Polka Jamming at Center Court - Basketball Hall of Fame

Occasionally I diverge from technology and education here.....

Last Saturday night (Oct 25, 2008) my in-laws, Happy Louie and Julcia, were honored at the Krakus Festival held at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. This year the event celebrated the 400th anniversary of the first known North American Polish settlement in Jamestown, Va. Polish people were first invited to this country for their skill at producing soap, glass and potash.

Proceeds from the festival will be used to fund improvements to The Polish Center of Discovery and Learning at Elms College. The center, according to their website, is a LIVING MONUMENT, which celebrates the many contributions, past and present, of the Polish people and their descendants to the economy, the arts, and sciences of our nation. The mission of the Center at Elms College is to provide guidance and support materials to schools and other institutions wishing to introduce Polish topics to their students, to offer a variety of workshops, exhibits, concerts, conferences, seminars, films, plays, lectures and other events which focus on the history and cultural traditions of the Polish people in Europe and the United States, and preserve objects representative of the folkarts and material culture of the Polish people in America.

Entertainment at the festival included music by the Eddie Forman and Echo orchestras along with Lenny Gomulka and Chicago Push. Gabby and Eva, my two classically trained violinist daughters, got a chance to play with Lenny and his band.



Beautiful music Gabby and Eva..... congratulations Louie and Julcia..... it was a very special evening.