Hadley celebrates 350 years with giant parade

By Nick Grabbe
Staff Writer

Published on June 19, 2009

HADLEY - As he watched the floats and bands go by at Sunday's 350th anniversary parade, Daniel Dudkiewicz thought about his grandparents, who came to Hadley a century ago.

"I'm thinking about all the people who affected me who aren't here today," he said. He was also thinking about his grown son and daughter who, like many Hadley natives, returned to their hometown for the biggest event in the year-long celebration.

"The spirit of community is what makes Hadley special," Dudkiewicz, a selectman, said.

About 1,200 people participated in the two-hour parade, and thousands more lined Route 9 to watch. Although it was raining at 8 a.m., the sun was just breaking through when the parade started at 1.

Anna Wood, who grew up in Hadley and remembered the 1959 anniversary parade, staked out her spot in front of Town Hall at 9:30. "I'm not a parade person, but I'm here for this," she said.

There was a party atmosphere, with barbecues and lawn chairs and reunions of old friends. Ann Duffy Rust, of Gorham, Maine, reminisced with her classmate June Baceski, of Hatfield, while Cheryl Kopec, of Chicopee, came with daughter, Elaine Condon, of Rhode Island, who was 1 year old when they went to the 1959 parade together.

"It's wonderful. We should have them every year," said Wanda Mazur, of Hadley, who also attended the parade 50 years ago.

"I'm really excited. I've lived here for a long time," said Darienne DeWalt, 11, of Hadley before the parade.

Popular shirt

Many people wore yellow shirts, showing bunches of asparagus, that read: "Grown in Hadley." Conceived as a souvenir for children, the shirt proved popular with adults.

The parade itself featured music that ranged from Irish to Polish to military to fife-and-drum. Police officers and firefighters marched, including some from Wethersfield, Conn., one of the towns that Hadley's settlers came from 350 years ago.

John Koloski, the grand marshal, rode in an 1848 stagecoach. "I love this town," he said. "After something like this, I love it more." Koloski served on Hadley's 300th Anniversary Committee.

Some of the floats were inspired. The class of 1959 float showed a replica of soda fountain with a sign saying, "Root beer 10 cents."

The Whole Foods Market float was followed by 14 people pushing shopping carts in a weaving pattern, some dressed up as fruits and vegetables.

The Amherst float read, "Happy 350th from your daughter." The one from Sunderland featured a waterfall.

John Mish, 91, looked at a list of the 17 members of the committee that planned Hadley's 300th anniversary celebration and noted that he and Koloski are the only ones who are still alive.

"This is an outstanding place," he said.

The parade included everyone from Victoria Kozera Drabek, at 101, Hadley's oldest resident, to stiltwalker "Asparagus Al," dressed up as the town's most famous vegetable.

When the North Hadley Sugar Shack float went by, with its evaporator going, the maple sweetness was detectable in the air.

Many of those on the floats threw candy, which children scampered to pick up.

People on the Atkins Farms Country Market float threw cider donuts.

The Three-County Fair float had a Ferris wheel, while the one from First Congregational Church of Hadley showed worshipers in old pews.

The Hampshire County Farm Bureau display featured horses and the slogan "Poop happens," with two people behind it wielding a broom and shovel.

"It's impressive that the town can be around for 350 years," said Randy Izer, who has lived in Hadley for 43 years. His son-in-law lives in Oklahoma, where they made a big deal of the state's 100th birthday, he said.

From near and far

People came to the Hadley parade from as close by as Florence, Belchertown, Whately and Granby, and from as far away as Maine, Michigan, Buffalo and Syracuse, N.Y.

Jim Jackson, of Hadley, brought with him a memento from the 250th anniversary celebration 100 years ago, which he picked up at an auction house. Linda Bilodeau said of the parade, "I'm glad to be alive to see it."

"I'm very proud to be a Hadley native," said John Kokoski of the Mapleline Farm. "The community offers a lot to future generations."

There were few glitches during the parade. The attendance was far below town officials' prediction of 100,000, showing they may have been preparing for the most challenging scenario.

State Rep. John Scibak, D-South Hadley, saw the parade in a larger context.

"There are too many things to feel bad about, with people hurting from the economy," he said.

"But here we're coming together as a region to support history. The people who settled Hadley 350 years ago had their challenges. They got through them, and I'm sure we will, too."