[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 89 (Friday, May 26, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S7634]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  24TH ANNUAL POLISH HERITAGE FESTIVAL

 Mr. BRADLEY. Mr. President, our country is a remarkable 
mosaic--a mixture of races, languages, ethnici-ties, and 
religions--that grows increasingly diverse with each passing year. 
Nowhere is this incredible diversity more evident than in the State of 
New Jersey. In New Jersey, schoolchildren come from families that speak 
120 different languages at home. These different languages are used in 
over 1.4 million homes in my State. I have always believed that one of 
the United States greatest strengths is the diversity of the people 
that make up its citizenry and I am proud to call the attention of my 
colleagues to an event in New Jersey that celebrates the importance of 
the diversity that is a part of America's collective heritage.
  On June 4, 1995, the Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ, will 
begin its 1995 Spring Heritage Festival Series. This Heritage Festival 
program will salute some of the different ethnic communities that 
contribute so greatly to New Jersey's diverse makeup. Highlighting old 
country customs and culture, the festival programs are an opportunity 
to express pride in the ethnic backgrounds that are a part of our 
collective heritage. Additionally, the Spring Heritage Festivals will 
contribute proceeds from their programs to the Garden State Arts 
Center's cultural center fund which presents theater productions free-
of-charge to New Jersey's school children, seniors, and other deserving 
residents. The Heritage Festival thus not only pays tribute to the 
cultural influences from our past, it also makes a significant 
contribution to our present day cultural activities.
  On Sunday, June 4, 1995, the Heritage Festival Series will open with 
the 24th Annual Polish Heritage Festival. Chaired by Stanley 
Kostenowcyk, this year's event commemorates the end of World War II and 
pays tribute to the bravery of American and Polish soldiers in their 
war efforts. A special commemorative exhibition on the Polish people's 
involvement in World WAr II will be held in the Robert Meyner Reception 
Center and will honor the memory of the 6 million Poles that 
disappeared during this dark period in world history. The festival will 
also feature food, crafts, music, and traditional Polish folk dancing 
as well as an outdoor liturgy concelebrated by Rev. Msgr. Joseph 
Marjanczyk, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel R.C. Church of Bayonne, 
NJ, and Rev. Eugene Koch, pastor of St. Theresa's R.C. Church in 
Linden, NJ. Immediately following the outdoor liturgy will be a program 
featuring many talented Polish artists including: Lenny Gormulka and 
The Chicago Push; the Jimmy Sturr Orchestra with Carl Buda directing 
the St. Cecilia's Choir; Raymond Wojcik conducting the Garden State 
Philharmonic Orchestra; the pianist Jacek Zganiacz; the Hejnal Polish-
American Dancers; and Emcee Barry Kaminski. On behalf of all New 
Jerseyans of Polish descent, a group that numbers over 400,000 people, 
I offer my congratulations on the occasion of the 24th Polish Heritage 
Festival.


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