Polish Constitution Weekend 2016 In Parma's Polish Village
On Polish Constitution Day, this vintage fire truck features a Polish flag. | Photo © 2015-2016 Stefan P. Stefaniuk
This year, the Ohio Division of the Polish American Congress (PAC) continues a 68-year tradition during the weekend of April 29 through May 1, with much of it taking place in Parma's Polish Village!
The calendar of scheduled events highlighted on the PAC website is as follows:
On Friday, April 29, there will be an informal meet and greet event at the Ridgewood Inn (5759 Ridge Rd, Parma) from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m.
On Saturday, April 30, the Miss Polonia Contest will be held at the St. Charles Social Hall where Miss Polonia and Junior Miss Polonia will be crowned. John Szleszynski & Son will provide music for listening and dancing. Tickets are $10.00. Light refreshments will be available for sale. For reservations or more information, you can call either Allan Szuflada at (330) 659-9465 or Mark Relovsky at (216) 970-0507.
On Sunday, May 1, there will be a wreath laying, Mass, parade, and party. The traditional laying of wreathes will take place at Casimir Pulaski Monument (next to Cleveland City Hall) at 9 a.m. It is followed by the Mass which will be held at St. Charles Church (5891 Ridge Rd, Parma) at 10:30 a.m.
There will also be a Pancake Breakfast sponsored by the St. Charles Youth Group from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the St. Charles Parish Hall. Cost is $6.00 for adults and $5.00 for children. Funds raised will go toward their World Youth Day trip to Krakow, Poland this summer.
The parade will begin at 2 p.m. at Parma Circle (Ridge Rd, just north of The Shoppes at Parma) and will proceed north toward intersection of Ridge and Snow Roads. Those participating will include Parma City Officials, Parma area high school bands, US military color guard units, veteran posts in northeast Ohio, and many more.
A formal program after the parade will be held under the big tent behind Unity Catholic Credit Union (5839 Ridge Rd, Parma) with food and drinks available from a number of local vendors. Music will be provided by Northcoast Mix.
For more event information, visit PolishAmericanCongress-Ohio.com. A weekend event flyer can be viewed at PolishAmericanCongress-Ohio.com/Schedule.pdf
Also, be sure to visit PolishVillageParma.com, Facebook.com/PolishVillage, and Twitter.com/PolishVillage to keep up with the latest news in Parma's Polish Village.
Stefan P. Stefaniuk
Stefan P. Stefaniuk has been a Parma, Ohio resident since 1982 and enjoyed growing up in Parma's incredible historic downtown neighborhood. After serving five years in the U.S. Navy, he was honorably discharged in 2009 and returned to Parma, where he now resides with his wife and three children.