Beach-goers in Wildwood Crest take time to mark a special day (09/18/05)

THE 14th ANNIVERSARY OF UKRAINE'S INDEPENDENCE

Beach-goers in Wildwood Crest take time to mark a special day

WILDWOOD CREST, N.J. - Two weeks before Labor Day is the traditional time many Ukrainian families vacation by the shore in southern New Jersey. It just so happens that 14 years ago Ukraine declared its Independence on August 24, which always falls during this vacation week.

On this August 24, the word was let out on the beach that at 2 p.m. that day, Ukrainians would gather on the beach to celebrate Ukraine's Independence Day. At about 1:40 p.m., a man left his room in a hotel by the beach and came out onto the sand proudly raising the Ukrainian flag in the air. As he passed the college students who normally gather and play by the sand dunes, he called for them to join with other Ukrainians on the beach in 15 minutes. He then walked to the designated spot near the shore and raised the Ukrainian flag into the air.

Numerous Ukrainian families were sitting under the hot sun or riding the waves of the warm ocean water. One by one, as they saw the flag they got up and started to walk toward the man holding the Ukrainian flag. The college students were streaming from the sand dunes, while families were walking away from the ocean toward the gathering point on the beach. After about 15 minutes the crowd made a large circle of close to 200 people - men, women, boys, girls and babies.

The man introduced himself as Michael Koziupa, vice-president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, New Jersey Coordinating Council. He thanked everyone for gathering together on this spot and gave a short speech about Ukraine and its many years of struggle. He congratulated Ukraine on its 14th anniversary of independence and called on everyone to commemorate this occasion by singing Ukraine's national anthem, "Shche Ne Vmerla Ukraina." Everyone enthusiastically joined.

Afterwards everyone gathered together to talk and take pictures. Then, slowly the families returned to the beach and the ocean, while the college crowd returned to the sand dunes to enjoy this wonderfully warm and sunny day.

That night, the sound of Ukrainian music and song was carried on the ocean air, as Ukrainians gathered together at the Park Lane and Crystal Beach motels to sing and party together, to celebrate Ukraine's independence and their Ukrainian heritage.

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