As a child, my October was bracketed by the Camden Pułaski Day Parade at the start and Halloween at the end. Halloween had costumes and candy, but Pułaski Day had so much more: a day with Babcia and Dzidek, rosoł, pierogi, kiełbasa, and pączki. The aromas of their Polish kitchen wafted out to the street, where my cousins and I had claimed a prime spot on the Mt. Ephraim Avenue curb in front of Dzidek’s Burdalski Produce Store. The Camden Pułaski Day Parade had begun! The day was dedicated to celebrating the great Polish general who fought and died for the American Revolution.
The parade was full of cars and floats decorated with white and red streamers. The cars were full of local dignitaries, waving to the crowds and yelling „dzień dobry!” Floats portraying Pułaski (sometimes with George Washington, whose life he saved) and Polish heritage themes rivaled those in Macy’s NY Thanksgiving parade, at least in my eyes. One year, my cousin Fred was General Pułaski himself! On a horse!
The one float that I did not like was the train. It fired loud firecrackers, but it also spewed candy at us kids on the curb. I wanted to hide from the explosions—but the candy! I would grab a handful then run inside the store until the train was safely away.
The moment when the balloon and souvenir man would walk by was fraught with anxiety. Would my parents buy us balloons? A Polish flag? A button saying Polska? Usually the decision was made collectively with the aunts and uncles so that we cousins either all got balloons, or none.
Just as the high school marching bands were ending, rosoł broth bubbled in the kitchen, and we ran inside to shake off the October chill with the first bowl of soup of the season.
Happy Pułaski Day!
And that’s what
Deb Said…
Deb Said 