Polish-American Heritage Month Saluted in Utica
October 2, 2012 4:30 AM 
I spent my “wonder years” growing up in West Utica which, at that time, was a mixture of Irish, German and Polish neighborhoods. My paper route up and down Green, Schuyler, Wager and Lenox Avenues included such Polish businesses as Vogels Bakery, Pulaski Meat Market and Spilkas Restaurant. This month, October, is national Polish-American Heritage Month and, according to WKTV, the city of Utica marked the occasion Friday with a flag raising ceremony at City Hall.
“We treasure, along with our American heritage, we treasure our Polish heritage, the two combined together, as we would say, two beautiful pieces of glass in a cultural mosaic,” said Father John Mikalajunas of Holy Trinity Church in Utica. “We each have our distinctiveness and our unity.”
The old neighborhood has changed dramatically since I lived there but I will always remember the wonderful people, especially my Polish paper route customers, who made that part of growing up so special. For more information on Polish-American Heritage Month click here.
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