The chairman of the “Blues nad Bobrem” Association (BnB), which has 26 members, is Zbigniew Lewandowski; Dariusz Gruszecki is deputy chairman, Maciej Burniak is secretary, Łukasz Molak is treasurer, and Krzysztof Rojewski is a board member.
Krystyna Juszkiewicz, the creator and longtime organiser of BnB workshops and concerts, was made an honorary member of the Blues nad Bobrem Association. She also welcomed the guests who attended the meeting. In her welcome, she emphasised the strength and importance of the musical event, which has been held in our town since 1990. With enormous enthusiasm and commitment, she conveyed to us what had always been most important about this event: a sense of community, friendship, the belief that one is taking part in an important event, mutual help and people’s warmth. The association’s members emphasised the indisputable role, influence and importance of Ms Juszkiewicz. “Blues nad Bobrem” is and will remain her child, and she herself will remain the good spirit of the blues.
The new board has a great deal of work ahead of it. As Cezariusz Rudyk, a former member of the “Obstawa Prezydenta” band and current councillor, emphasised, this is the last opportunity to obtain European Union funding for a project reviving blues workshops and concerts in Bolesławiec. Unfortunately, without financial support, the event will not take place.
Two interesting proposals related to organising the project emerged during the discussion. The first was put forward by Zbigniew Lewandowski, who stressed that only a professional division of responsibilities and tasks between the board and the organisational office would produce specific results. According to Lewandowski, the level of Blues nad Bobrem will depend on the organisational office and the people involved in it. Jerzy Pietrzak spoke about a new formula for the festival, which could be visible in the town throughout the year, and said that concerts as good as Sławek Wierzcholski’s recent performance at Piwnica Paryska should be held more often than just once a year.
The deputy mayor, Wiesław Ogrodnik, was present at the meeting. He assured everyone that the mayor was strongly supportive of the event and suggested that the board obtain public-benefit organisation status, so that citizens could donate 1% of their tax to BnB.
As an event, Blues nad Bobrem needs a physical venue for organising workshops and concerts, accommodation facilities and tourist infrastructure. The association’s members are full of enthusiasm and aware of the enormous amount of work involved, as well as the need for financial support from the municipal authorities. Jerzy Pietrzak stressed that Bolesławiec need not be merely a town of ceramics; it can once again establish itself on the map of Poland and the Euroregion as a town of blues. We invite everyone to cooperate and help. At present, the Association’s headquarters are located at the “Perfekt” Office at 12"13 Sierpnia '80 Street.
(information: G. Ferensowicz/KG)