150 YEAR CELEBRATION

The Polish Kashub Float in Renfrew's
150th Anniversary Homecoming Parade
July 26, 2008

Renfrew Celebrates the 150^th Anniversary
of Canada's Polish Kashubs
with a float & many walkers in Kashub, Polish  & pioneer costumes
waving Kashub, Polish & Canadian flags

Our 150th anniversary coincided beautifully with the 150th anniversary of the town of Renfrew and gave the Polish Kashub community an opportunity to participate in the town's Homecoming Parade as well as showcase a store front window in the downtown area. Carol Sulpher nee Cybulski of Renfrew organized the float and walkers from Renfrew and set them up with costumes (the Kashub and some Polish costumes came from Wilno's Polish Kashub Heritage Museum Collection). Carol and her husband David Sulpher also provided most of the antique furniture as well as designing and decorating this very eye-catching float.  The theme of the float was a "Pioneer Polish Kashub Home in Renfrew" complete with nursery, kitchen and parlour. The truck and flatbed were provided by Cecil Crozier and the furniture originally came from the home of M.J. and Lizzie (Kuash/Kujach) Sulpher. Wilno Heritage Executive Director, Teenie Mask, organized the participants from Renfrew County.

The float was one of the very first in the parade and got a lot of interest not only because it was so colourful with the Kashub and Polish flags and costumes,  but because many Renfrew residents and visitors had not heard of the "Kashub" connection. David Shulist and Teenie Mask wearing traditional Kashubian costumes, carried the banner with the Kashubian griffin waving the Canada flag, and the words: Celebrate Polish Kashub Heritage.

Walter and Jason Narezny (on four wheeler), Phylis and Margaret Biernaskie and Shirley Mask Connolly wearing Kaszebe 1858 t-shirts; and others from both the Polish Kashub community of Renfrew and Renfrew County.

The float carried representatives of both the youngest and the oldest descendants of the original Kashubian immigrants: baby Jocelynn Sulpher was accompanied by her parents, Michael and Tracy Sulpher, her grandparents, David and Carol Sulpher, and great grandmother, Marcella Cybulski.  All wore pioneer costumes. The oldest male descendant on the float was Mike Sulpher Senior also wearing a pioneer costume.  Others on the float included Kay Kasaboski, Arnold Pastway, Agnes (Visneskie) Narazeny, and Rose (Visneskie) Schinkel wearing pioneer costumes; Veronica Bially and Stella Madigan wearing Kashub costumes;  and a band of excellent musicians: on fiddle: Nancy Nadobny Bailey, Maureen Blimkie, Andrew Walker [a descendant of the Roubles] and Ray Chapeskie; on guitar: Elsie Coulas, Scott Andrechek, Richard Sernoskie.  The upbeat tunes and the happy faces reflect the positive attitude and the good life the Polish Kashubs have made for themselves in Renfrew and Renfrew County for the past 150 years.  

For more information on the Wilno Heritage Society e-mail:
heritage@wilno.org