News

We are happy to announce the start of Kino Smyka! Every other month starting April through October we will be showing Disney movies in Polish. This will be an outdoor style movie enjoyed while lying on a blanket. The premiere will be April 10th and will feature will be “Toy Story”. Those interested should contact Magda Dutkiewicz Vaughan. Please note that due to COVID, space may be limited to ensure social distancing.

As an introduction to Fall with all its colors and charms, at the end of October students from our School of Polish Culture and Language visited Priddy Farms. They took a hayride to the pumpkin patch, roamed the fields picking their perfect pumpkins, walked through the haunted woods. Other attractions included a train ride, bounce house and giant slides, feeding the new animal friends they made at the farm, and many more fun activities. Look at the pictures in our gallery to see how all enjoyed the field trip.

On sunny mornings this July, a group of PAS garden enthusiasts had garden tours. The visitors were able to see just a few gardens but each one was unique, full of life and beautiful plants. Each one was lovely in its own way. You can admire them in our picture gallery.

Our Spring Hike was successful again. Both the weather and company were great. Good news for those who missed it – we are planning to have at least two more hikes this Spring. Stay tuned.

On March 7th 2020, N. Copernicus School of Polish Culture and Language hosted the Polish Consul, Aleksandra Krystek. Before coming to Memphis, Ms. Krystek had expressed interest in visiting our School. As her predecessors, she had had good knowledge about our School’s education program and its activities.

Memphis is relatively far from cities with larger Polish communities on the East and West coasts of the U.S. and in Chicago, where Polish Education Centers are located, so our School had decided to work directly with the Polish Embassy in Washington DC to register the School and get sponsorship from education institutions in Poland. On a regular basis, we have been providing the Embassy with up-to-date, CD-recorded information about our School’ events, such as Poland’s Independence Day celebrations etc., with letters and occasional greeting cards. In return, we were receiving from the Embassy books about Poland’s important historical events, Polish traditions and great Poles. In 2016, we were honored getting congratulation letter from the Ambassador of Poland to the U.S., on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the foundation of the Polish School.

Our close relations with the Embassy allowed for registering our School as a member of the Center of the Polish Education Abroad (Ośrodek Rozwoju Polskiej Edukacji za Granicą) of the Ministry of National Education in Poland. As a result, our Teachers and Students obtained Polish School ID’s and can benefit from discounts on public transportation fares as well as cinema, museum and theater tickets in Poland. Recently, we submitted orders for Polish school handbooks and other teaching aids.

During the recent Consul’s visit, our students presented a show based on Julian Tuwim’s „The Turnip” („Rzepka”). The young actors got a big ovation from the Consul and the audience who found the kids’ performance entertaining, funny and demonstrating how good their command of the Polish language was.

The meeting with the Consul was both very enjoyable and informative. The Guests, Teachers and the Students had an opportunity to ask many questions concerning the Polish Consulat’s work, passport matters, Polish citizens’ issues in the U.S., Polish schools in America etc. We hope that the meeting met its participants’ needs and expectations.

On Saturday, March 7, the Consul will observe Polish School classes at the Bert Ferguson Community Center. After the school meeting, the Consul would like to meet with the local Polish community, where she will be able to answer questions about consular matters (the meeting will exclude political topics).

The Polish Consul will be in Memphis to offer services on March 6 at Church of the Nativity, 5955 St. Elmo Rd., Bartlett, TN 38135. Jacek Dutkiewicz coordinates the event. The updates about the consular services in Memphis will also appear on the website of the Polish Consulate. Please contact Jacek with any questions.

Basia Scarbecz beautifully decorated the Polish Christmas Tree in Enchanted Forest at Pink Palace on behalf of the Polish American Society.

The City of Sopot has once again asked us to participate in the “Memphis in Poland” festival. This year, the city of Bielsko-Biała is also participating. Currently we have the interest of such organizations as University of Memphis, the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, the National Civil Rights Museum, Pink Palace, and United for Human Rights. The MIP Committee made up of representatives of the patronizing organizations of the Festival created an independent foundation to manage this year’s project.

PAS has been invited to join in the celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the founding of Memphis. As a celebration of diversity of the city, the organizers have asked each ethnic group to prepare some culinary delights that reflect cuisine of their country. We need someone to step forward and help organize this venture. More information coming in following weeks. Please contact the board if you would like to lead or help.

In addition, the Memphis in May committee has invited different ethnic groups to display a part of their culture which contributes to the city. Our Polish group is going to be taking part in the artistic part of this program. We invite all Poles to come participate in dancing the Polonaise. If interested, call Magada Mazur at 901-258-6504 or Halina Dutkiewicz at 901-277-7905.

Dr. Marcin Arendt, member of PAS, will perform as a guest soloist of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, September 29th, and on Sunday, September 30th, at Cannon Center.

There are pictures from the 2017 Festival of Trees in our Gallery. Basia and Mark Scarbecz represented PAS and decorated this beautiful tree.  They received a thank you letter from the organizers for helping raise funds for kids at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.  We thank you, too, Mark and Basia!

PAS was invited to participate in the MLK50 event at the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. We would like to invite PAS members to participate and offer feedback on this initiative. Among those expected to attend are Dr. Ryszard Schnepf, former Polish Ambasador to the United States, as well as a group of High School students and jazz musicians from Sopot. We ask PAS members to consider meeting our Polish guests and spending some time with them during their stay in Memphis from April 3 through 7. To assist with this project contact Jacek Dutkiewicz, or Pawel Jankowski. Ambassador Schnepf will be giving a speech regarding the role of the United States in regaining independence by Poland 100 years ago. We plan for this presentation to be part of the PAS 40th Anniversary celebration. More details will follow.

On March 3, 2018, the students and teachers of the Polish school took part in the International Story Time upon invitation from the Cordova library. Yet again, we had another chance to share the richness of Polish culture with the residents of Memphis. This time the children performed in Julian Tuwim’s English version of “Rzepka”. We are happy that the “Polish Day” has been received with great interest. Approximately 80 guests attended our event.

All of the children who attended our gathering participated in the staging. After the performance they had a chance to learn a few words in Polish. There was also no shortage of tasty treats such as apple pie or Prince Polo, which were greatly enjoyed. The next part of the program involved artwork created with plasticine (prepared by the library employees). The children were asked to create figurines with Polish accents. The realization of the program was made possible thanks to the dedication and creativity of the students, parents, and teachers. We would like to thank the library employees, especially Ms. Sharon Evard, for the help in organizing our performance. We also thank the students for their participation, parents, and all of the guests.

Here are a few movie clips from events at the School of Polish Culture and Language:

2019 International Story Time Celebrates Poland

2018 Camping

2018 International Story Time Celebrates Poland

2017 Mardi Gras at the Polish School

2016 Jasełka – Christmas Play

2016 Poland’s Independence Day at the Polish School

Classes for children at the Nicolaus Copernicus School of Polish Culture and Language in Memphis are held at the Bert Ferguson Center, Cordova, every Saturday from 10:30 am. More information about the School can be obtained from its coordinator, Halinka Dutkiewicz.

The last event of the Festival was a virtual chess match played by the students of the Sopot School “Lokomotywa” and of the Memphis School Douglass. This event took place recently in September after the summer break. A short video from this event is now posted on YouTube. It was filmed by Georgia-Pacific, the Douglass School sponsor and by the School “Lokomotywa”.

Illustrated Summary
Thank You Letter from Sopot Mayor Mr. Karnowski
Memphis Business Journal Story about MIP

We invite you to view the photos and videos from this year’s “Germantown International Festival”:

Parade
Polish Group Performance
Pictures

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland has released a new video explaining the importance of using correct terms to describe German Nazi Camps.  The video can be viewed here.

The Christmas play presented during this year’s “Wigilia” dinner by Polish School students is available on YouTube.

The embassy of RP in Washington sent us a letter from the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, Piotr Wilczek.  You can read it here.

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington, DC wants to highlight the efforts of Polish communities at maintaining their Polish heritage. PAS submitted the info about our history, mission, and activities.  This information and pictures are published on the Embassy’s Facebook page here, here, and here.

If you do not have our brochure with Memories of the MIM “Salute to Poland”, you can view it here.  It includes all the events honoring Poland.

See the Polish version for the competition details.

One of our teachers, Magda Teodorowicz, made a short movie showing our students making Christmas ornaments, getting the tree ready, their gifts from Santa Claus.  You can watch this beautiful move on YouTube.

Dear Friends,

It has been our best kept secret for some time that Poland has been selected “a country of honor” of the Memphis in May 2015. Now it is official. On Tuesday, August 12, at the MIM annual dinner at the Memphis Botanic Garden, the new MIMIF Chairman Wei Chen announced that Poland will serve as the honored country for the 39th annual Memphis in May International Festival in 2015. This is a historical event for our Polish community – we are very proud. Now we have to meet the challenge. We invite our community to join the Honored Nationals Committee and help make this event a memorable one. The Honored Nationals Committee will be working on promoting Poland, with help from MIMIF, the Polish Embassy, and other Polish organizations here in the US as well as in Poland. Please contact PAS President Jacek Dutkiewicz if you want to volunteer. We are positive that our joint effort will produce a high quality program that will be remembered by Festival attendees for years to come.

PAS Executive Committee

Recently we received strong support from the members of the Advisory Council and from Polish Embassy leadership for our efforts aimed at earning the selection of Poland as the Country of Honor at the Memphis in May International Festival in 2015. As a result of these efforts, Poland has garnered a first place position among the finalists for the title of Country of Honor. Competing finalists also included Austria, Greece, Switzerland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. As a result of Poland’s selection as the First Place finalist and at our initiative, Jim Holt, Chair of the Memphis in May Organizing Committee, recently visited the Polish Embassy and conducted preliminary discussions on the participation of the Polish diplomatic mission in the festivities. According to the latest information, the Memphis in May Organizing Committee strongly supported Poland as the Country of Honor for 2015. The final formal selection of Poland will occur after the Polish Ambassador’s official acceptance of the invitation to participate in the event. If this happens, which we do not doubt, we are sure that all of us who hold the name and fame of Poland dear will rise to meet the challenge.

Dr. Susan Murmann has been working for some time on convincing the Memphis In May organizers to select Poland as a “theme” country.  She did not succeed this time:  Panama has been selected for 2014.  We are hopeful we will have more luck in 2015.  The Embassy of the Republic of Poland supports our efforts.  Consul Konowrocki sent MIM organizers a letter recommending Poland for Memphis In May.  The letter is here. PAS also sent MIM organizers a letter with information about Poland, its ties with America, and activities of the Polish community in Memphis.

The “Farewell to Summer” event has already become our tradition. This time around we plan to bid farewell to summer vacation on Saturday, August 23, 2014, cruising our mighty Mississippi River on the Tunica Queen riverboat. The boat leaves from the Tunica River Park. We will meet at 11 am sharp at the River Park entrance where students of the Polish School will receive their tickets paid for by the School. The parents/companions can buy their cruise tickets for $18.75 ($16.05 for groups of 20 or more). There is a snack bar on the boat serving soft drinks and snacks. This is a 1.5-hour cruise that offers lots of information and anecdotes from the history of this great river and unforgettable views that can be admired in the comfort of the riverboat rocking chairs. Please see the attached map to see the exact location of the meeting place. You can find the directions how to get there on this site.

Everyone is invited to join the group on a field trip to the Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange. The Museum tells the story of how Memphis came to be. Engaging exhibits help visitors understand our city’s place in time and explain how the art, history and music that is so important to our culture evolved from the confluence of people that were originally gathered here around the cotton industry.  Visit us later for details about the group meeting place and time.

The Cordova Branch Library celebrates countries and cultures of the world at the International Storytimes. The School of Polish Culture and Language will be hosting the upcoming edition of the International Storytime at the Library (8457 Trinity Rd). The event is planned for March 15 at 11 am.

The Polish School students, guided by a teacher Magda Mazur, prepared a puppet show “Stories about the Dragon of Wawel”. After the play there will be more attractions for the audience (coloring of the story characters, making a Polish flag, and sampling of Polish cookies).

The Polish blues band “Boogie Boys” represented Poland at the International Blues Challenge 2014. They extended their stay in Memphis to play on Sunday January 26 for our local Polish community. If you attended, you know it was great music and great fun for all. Our heartfelt thanks go to the artists for this awesome treat. There are pictures from the concert in our site picture gallery.

The PAS General Assembly Meeting held in October 2013, elected the Executive Committee for the next 2-year term. At their first meeting on January 15th , the Executive Committee divided their roles and functions as follows: Jacek Dutkiewicz – President, , Edward Nowakowski – Vice President, Zbigniew Stroinski – Treasurer, Ludmila Mitchell – Secretary, Agnieszka Przetak – Coordinator – Cultural Events.

The Boogie Boys Blues Band will participate in the Memphis International Blues Challenge 2014. The band also visited Memphis in 2009 and were one of the finalists of the 2009 International Blues Challenge. You can get acquainted with their music on YouTube and on the Band’s website. Once we know their schedule, we will publish it on our website so we all can go and cheer for the Polish band. The Boogie Boys have graciously offered to give a free concert for the Polish community in Memphis – thank you SO MUCH. The concert will be held on Sunday, January 26, 2014, at 6 pm at the Burt Ferguson Community Center – Banquet Hall, 8505 Trinity Road, Memphis TN 38018. See you all there!!!

See the Polish version for details.

See the Polish version for details.

Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Washington, DC Ryszard Schnepf established the Polish-American Advisory Council. See the Polish version for details.

We are happy to announce that one of the PAS Members, Bruno Jaromirski, donated $2,000 for Christmas presents to be given to kids who will be at the Polish Wigilia Dinner. To make sure that your child gets the present, please contact Halinka Dutkiewicz ph. 901-277-7905 lub email halinatu comcast.net by Tuesday, December 3, 2013. Also, you need to send the Wigilia dinner admission fee to: Attn: PAS Treasurer, Polish-American Society, P. O. Box 770927, Memphis, TN 38177-0927.

This year we are celebrating the 35th anniversary of our organization. PAS was founded in 1978 by Len Jankowski and a group of Polish immigrants and Americans with Polish roots. PAS activities were suspended in 2002 and then revived six years later. We will celebrate this significant anniversary at our election meeting October 27.

This year’s event was a great success.  We also feel satisfaction that our Polish representation was very visible, the Polonaise dance was exceptional,  and our grilled sausage was an undisputed hit – for four years in a row.  You can read about the festival in the Commercial Appeal.  There are pictures featuring international teams and their dances available on the GFest website.  We concentrated our shots on the Polish team and you can see our pictures here.

Les Claires Duo: Kinga Augustyn, Violin and Alexandra Snyder Dunbar, Harpsichord performed in Memphis at a recital organized by the Polish-American Society.  Handel- Sonata in D Major, HWV 371, third movement from the recital is available on YouTube.

Kinga Augustyn will play in Memphis again on Friday, August 30, 2013, at 7 pm at St. John Catholic Church (before the Labor Day weekend.)  She will be performing with her harpsichordist, Alexandra Snyder Dunbar.  Our thanks go to Father Kazimierz for providing the venue and helping to make the concert happen. The recital theme is “Mostly Baroque” and the program is available here.

According to our Polish tradition, we will end the Carnival at the “Ostatki” party on Saturday, February 9, from 7 pm to midnight, at the Country Hills Clubhouse, 1610 Oaken Bucket, in Cordova. The theme is “Black and White” – so wear a costume or dress up in stuff that is black and white. This is a potluck event so please bring a dish to share with others. Witek Kaziow, ph. 752-9010, is in charge of the event and the menu, so please contact him about the dish or a dessert you plan to bring. We also appreciate offers of help with event preparations. Tickets are $10 per person. Please contact Witek to sign-up for the dance and send your check to PAS Treasurer, Polish-American Society, P. O. Box 770927, Memphis, TN 38177-0927.

The Christian Brothers University selected Richard Bute to be a member of the 2013 class of the CBU Athletic Hall of Fame. Richard, with 5 other inductees, will be honored with a dinner program that will take place on Friday, February 15, 2013. He will receive a commemorative plate and he will also be recognized during the men’s basketball game with Shorter University in Canale Arena on Saturday, February 16, 2013. Richard, please accept our congratulations and best wishes.

Some of you may remember the Polish blues group Kajetan Drozd Acoustic Trio who competed at the last two sessions of the International Blues Challenge. This time around we are going to host Nocna Zmiana Bluesa (The Blues Night Shift), a well-known band coming from Poland to compete with other blues groups. The musicians have graciously extended their stay in Memphis and will play for the Polish community and sympathizers.  The concert will be held on Sunday February 3, 2013, at 2 pm in the reception hall of St. John Catholic Church, 2742 Lamar Ave.

Admission is free but donations to thank the band will be very welcome. To learn more about the group, you can visit their website or listen to their music on YouTube.  Please spread the word around, we don’t often have such a great opportunity to see Polish artists perform.  See you at the concert!

The beautiful white and red Christmas tree decorated with Polish baubles that we displayed in our home page slide show during the Christmas season was a creation of Basia and Mark Scarbecz.  The Festival of Trees organizers sent a special thank you letter appreciating our organization’s support.  Basia and Mark – big Thank You for your effort.  You can still admire the Polish Tree on pictures in our gallery.

Dear Friends,

I would like to invite you to attend my Book Signing Reception at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis. It will be an honor for me to see you there. Please come, your presence will reward all my efforts of writing this book, “Brush with the Edge of Time and Profession.”

November 19th 5:30 PM
Holiday Inn University of Memphis
3700 Central Avenue, Memphis TN. 38111
Tennessee Ballroom

Food and Drink will be available

Edward Nowakowski CFBE

On September 19, 2012, The Commercial Appeal published a story about Edward Nowakowski, one of the Poles whom many of you know and who lives in Memphis. The article shows Edward as not only a master of culinary art but also as a teacher and author of a book which will be published this fall.

On October 17, 2012, The Commercial Appeal published an article about the Rutkowski family bee hives and honey – interesting reading.

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington DC has handed over a commemorative album containing momentous belonging to Ignacy and Helena Paderewski to the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Museum in Kasna Dolna outside of Tarnow, Poland. The album was gifted to the Embassy by Halina and Jacek Dutkiewicz who reside in Memphis, Tennessee. These valuable memorabilia was given to them by Neil Smith, an American whose family was acquainted with the Paderewski’s. Neil Smith’s ancestors were for many years strong supporters of the Polish White Cross, a paramilitary civilian organization established by Helena Paderewska in the USA during the First World War. In line with the wishes of the donors, the album was gifted to a museum located in the former manor belonging to Ignacy Jan Paderewski in Kasna Dolna. Paderewski purchased the manor in 1897, intending for it to become his summer residence. On the pages of the “Boston Transcript” he would invite Americans to visit Krasna, for it is close to the Tatra Mountains and even not too far from Paris, only a 33 hour train ride back then. Thanks to the efforts of the Tarnowski Musical Society and the Paderewski Center Tarnow-Kasna Dolna, this manor – which is the only remaining residence of the virtuoso – functions today as a museum, a concert venue and a place dedicated to the memory of Ignacy Jan Paderewski.

On Wednesday, March 29, 2011, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland hosted an event in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the death of Ignacy Jan Paderewski.  At the event, in addition to speeches, a piano concert, the guests had an opportunity to view Paderewski memorabilia, including some of the historical documents gifted to the Embassy by the Polish-American Society.  Please see pictures from the event.

The Polish American Society is fortunate to have obtained some valuable mementos of Ignacy Paderewski and his wife Helen. This gift was forwarded to the Association by Halina Dutkiewicz, who received it from a family friend, Neil (Chip) Smith. Chip”s parents were close friends with the Paderewski family. They helped financially support the Polish White Cross, an organization created by Helena Paderewska. The goal of this institution was to get medical attention for Polish soldiers who fought on various fronts during the First World War. The mementos include portraits of the great Polish pianist and statesman, signed in his own hand, numerous letters and postcards from Helen Paderewska, and other interesting memorabilia. We have decided to make electronic copies of the memorabilia and publish them on the website of the PAS. The originals will be given to the Polish Embassy in the United States in a ceremony during the Consul’s visit in Memphis in August 2010.