Celebrating 100 Years of Poland's Independence!

The Why

The How

"Happy 100th, Poland!" was conceived by Pawel Dlugosz, with organizational help by Wojciech Osowiecki.

Multiple organizations helped the organizers in various capacity to promote & support the event (list below) for which we're outmost thankful. The turnout exceed our wildest expectations given the short timeframe to execute, and left us feeling all fuzzy inside.

Even though roughly 5,900 miles (≈9,500 km) separate Bay Area Poles from their homeland, the bond remains strong and the spirit warm. When no local event was planned to mark such a monumental milestone - the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining independence after 123 years of partitions by Russia, Prussia, and Austria - we knew something had to be done. With a budget of $0 and some word-of-mouth outreach, we gathered over 150+ participants to take commemorative group photos, handed out "Poland Unesco World Heritage Sites" booklets, "Poland Castles and Palaces" and a pocket map "Poland, Move Your Imagination" and sang sporadically Mazurek Dąbrowskiego, Poland’s National Anthem. Pączki also made the rounds. Kto nie był, ten lipa!

[at Crissy Field in San Francisco, CA]

Promotional materials for Happy100th, Poland!

Photography services generously provided by Daniel Kindra - https://www.danielkindra.com/

...and here's some sporadic - from the heart - singing of Mazurek Dąbrowskiego
(Poland's National Anthem)!