On September 10, people celebrated the parish and municipal harvest festival at the sports stadium in Gromadka. Following a Mass celebrated by Rev. Dr Dariusz W. Andrzejewski, the celebrations began with a colorful harvest procession, which went from the Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Gromadka to the sports stadium.
Among the invited guests were the Starost of Bolesławiec County, Tomasz Gabrysiak, MP Szymon Pogoda, director of St. Luke’s Hospital in Bolesławiec Kamil Barczyk, commander of the County Fire Service in Bolesławiec, Senior Brigadier Andrzej Śliwowski, commander of the County Police Headquarters in Bolesławiec, Junior Inspector Tomasz Jagielski, and Junior Inspector Rafał Janiec, former director of the prison in Głogów Ryszard Kędzia, president of ZGK in Lubków Radosław Palczewski, Chairman of the Gromadka Municipal Council Krzysztof Król and Secretary of Gromadka Municipality Tomasz Matyjewicz.
The harvest festival hosts in Gromadka were Elżbieta Gajewska and Andrzej Czarnota. Together with Mayor Ryszard Kawka and parish priest Dariusz Andrzejewski, the harvest festival hosts received symbolic gifts—loaves of bread and fruit—from the eleven villages of Gromadka Municipality and representatives of the Wrzos Allotment Garden Association in Gromadka.
The Mayor of Gromadka Municipality welcomed the guests.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, today we are holding a parish and municipal harvest festival, which we discussed with the parish priest a year ago,” said Ryszard Kawka. “I am very pleased that the festival took place on the initiative of the parish priest. First, I would like to thank the organizers: the villages of Gromadka, represented by village head Marianna Drozdek, and Borówki, represented by village head Elżbieta Gajewska. Thank you to the guests for attending this harvest celebration. I wish that no one would ever lack daily bread at their table. As mayor of Gromadka Municipality, I assure you that this bread will be shared fairly among you. I wish everyone health and happiness. I would like to say: God bless those who plow the land, but not only those who sow; also the animal breeders and growers, because we want Polish food and plenty of it on our tables,” the mayor added.
The Starost of Bolesławiec County also addressed a few words to the residents of the municipality.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you very much to the mayor for the invitation,” the Starost of Bolesławiec County told those gathered at the harvest festival. “I think this is a good time to give thanks that we do not lack food. I wish that we would never run short of it, that Providence would watch over us and drive away all the other threats gathering somewhere over us in Europe. I wish you health and every success, and that we would all meet again next year at the harvest festival in Gromadka Municipality,” Tomasz Gabrysiak added.
The director of St. Luke’s Hospital, invited to the harvest festival, praised the attendance and the development of Gromadka Municipality.
“All the wreaths on display are beautiful; the parish and municipal harvest festival is a wonderful celebration,” said Kamil Barczyk. “The harvest festival is a time for summaries and thanksgiving: a time for the local authorities to thank residents for their hard work. Especially the farmers, who are the main producers of the food on our tables. It is very important to honor this time of reflection and to thank one another,” the director added.
The celebration had excellent stage entertainment: the folk ensembles, as well as the participants of the music workshop at the Gromadka Municipal Culture Centre and Library, prepared beautifully, while the musical star was Norbi, known for his 1997 hit “Women Are Hot.”