Town Crier Articles

 

On June 5th and June 27th, Williamsburg resident  Grace Konar (Konarkowski) and New Town resident Aneta Leska, who has worked at William and Mary's Global Research Institute, spoke about their lives in Poland.  They captivated their New Town audiences with vivid family stories, with Grace at the first talk drawing on her parents and grandparents memories to talk the German invasion of Poland and the Holocaust.  At the second talk, both Grace and Aneta shared stories from their own memories of state surveillance, escape and resistance in postwar Communist Poland.   Family photos and documents from the concentration camp archives provided vivid images, complimenting their stories.

 

This is Part 1 of a series about their talks.

                                                                   

 

On June 5, Grace Konar described  the impact of the war on her mother’s family, who lived in Warsaw. With the German invasion of Poland in 1939, her grandfather, Leopold Grzechni, was mobilized to fight, was captured and then disappeared, possibly having been sent to France as a slave laborer. At the end of the war six years later, he returned by ship to Gdansk, a northern port city, too weak to be sent home to Warsaw.   

 

Her mother, Janina, and her siblings, all young adults, were among the three million Poles deported to Germany as forced laborers to toil on farms and factories. Her grandmother, Stefania, and her youngest child remained in occupied Warsaw. With food in desperately short supply, Stefania told Grace stories of how she engaged in the dangerous practice of smuggling food from the countryside, which carried the penalty of death. Stefania survived 1944 Polish resistance uprising, which the Germans brutally repressed, killing more than 200,000 Poles. Amazingly, Stefania and her children all survived the war and after regaining contact with Leopold settled in Gdansk. Scarred by the violent separation of her family, for years she insisted that all her children, their spouses and grandchildren live together. Grace lived in this large household with seven cousins.

 

Drawing on remembered conversations with her husband’s parents, Balbina Marcinak (maiden name) and Czeslaw  (Iga) Konarkowski, Grace described Balbina's activities with the Polish resistance. In 1943, Balbina was captured, tortured, and transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland where the number 45917 was tattooed on her arm. Iga, a Polish soldier, was captured shortly after Germany invaded and initially held in a POW camp in Germany.  

 

Both ended up in the Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria, where men and women were separated. Conditions in the camps were horrendous; random beatings and killings, back-breaking work, constant hunger, no coats or gloves during the winter and no other belongings aside from a thin blanket and a bowl or cup. Grace passed around the audience the small metal cup that Iga used at Mauthausen and also spoke of the notorious quarry, where for a short time Inga helped carry giant slabs of granite up 186 steps. (See photos of Mauthausen below.) However, Iga’s fluent German, his skills as a musician and in Grace’s words “his beautiful Gothic German handwriting” mostly protected him from such brutal work.  

 

     

           

In early May 1945, in the midst of the confusion associated with the U.S. Army’s liberation of Mauthausen, Balbina and Iga met on the grounds of the camp and three weeks later married and made their way back to western part of Poland. Balbina gave birth to Michal (Mike) Konarkowski, who at the age of fourteen met Grace at a youth camp. They both went to university in Gdansk, where they subsequently married. Grace and Mike believed that his parents suffered from PTSD, with Iga always nervous and afraid that the Germans would invade again. Balbina was obsessed with hunger and never would throw away any food, even stale bread.

 

   

 

As time for the talk ran out, at the audience’s urging, Grace agreed to finish her story at a second talk later in June.  After the session ended, residents gathered around Grace to ask more questions. Among them was New Town resident Aneta Leska. Although there is a tiny group of Polish immigrants living in Williamsburg, Aneta, who is a generation younger than Grace, had never met her. As fate would have it, Aneta was born in Poland in 1978, the very year that Grace and Mike emigrated, and her family was part of the Polish democracy movement led by Solidarity that ended Communism in 1989. Aneta readily agreed to provide insights from her family’s perspective at the next talk.

 

Look for Part 2 of the families' stories in the August Town Crier.

We play using a light ball on Mondays (rain date Wednesdays) between 6:00 and 7:30.  Everyone, who is at the pool, from older kids to seniors, is invited to play and no experience or swimming skills are necessary.  Feel free to play regularly or occasionally.  Come and join the fun!  

   

Any questions, contact, Liz Fones-Wolf at efwolf@wvu.edu.

 

 

 

 

The New Town Residential Association continues our wonderful relationship with William & Mary and the Athletics programs!  While the weather tried to chase us away, many steadfast New Town residents attended the W&M baseball game against the College of Charleston on Sunday, May 4th for food, friendship, and fun.  Almost 40 New Town residents joined us for the game where we enjoyed field level seats along the 3rd base line. Foul balls aplenty were scooped up by the kids present, and “traded in” for free sodas at the concession stand!  

 

What would a baseball game be without hot dogs!  Plenty of hot dogs and more were provided by the Activities Committee.  Several winners came away with some fun door prizes including a W&M Team poster signed by all of the players, and a baseball signed by the team and coaches.

 

While the team was competing on the field, competition was happening in our field level picnic area as players of all ages challenged each other to games of cornhole with the winners taking bragging rights!

 

Many thanks to the amazing volunteers from the NTRA Activities Committee as well as the other volunteers who helped organize and present another fantastic NTRA event.  Thanks to the William & Mary Athletics office for all of their work and cooperation for another New Town/WM event.

 

Thanks also to our volunteer photographers for these pictures!  Look for more NTRA Activities Committee events coming up.

 

   

 

 

Most of us know ground cover in the form of mulch or pine straw. Mulch is available in various shapes and colors, with dyed-brown shredded mulch being the most widely used in residential and commercial settings.  

 

Consistent with first-quality residential communities, ground cover is required for individual lots and must be kept weed free. Mulching should ideally be performed in early Spring on an annual basis for the best results. 

 

Another form of ground cover includes pine straw, available in different varieties, it does not need to be removed annually. All you need to do is put fresh straw on top of old straw to revitalize the color and provide beds with new nutrients, so it’s really a renewable resource. 

 

Benefits of mulch or pine straw include:

• Protection of tender roots from temperature extremes, keeping the soil warm during cold spells and, conversely, cool during hot spells.
• Conserves soil moisture by reducing water evaporation rates and moisture loss.
• Protects against soil compaction by reducing the rain impact. 
• Encourages water infiltration into the soil, reducing runoff. This is probably the most important benefit, as it prevents erosion. 

 

 

Keep your eyes out for info on our July 18th and August 23rd pool events as well. 

 

Many improvements have occurred over the last several years with increased numbers of loungers and umbrellas, equipment and accommodations for the Lifeguards, and maintenance of the pool bathrooms and deck, promising this 2025 pool season to be enjoyable and fun for everyone! Long-time pool-goers will notice some changes and improvements with the selection of a new pool management company – Clearwater Pools. Many essential tasks and responsibilities are covered by Clearwater, including monitoring water quality, management of the Lifeguards, weather decisions, and authority for the many safety concerns and regulations. Clearwater has been great to work with, kicking off a positive pool season. 

     

The safety of pool users, and especially the safety of the children is paramount in the enforcement of Pool Rules and the regulation of pool hours and usage. The Lifeguards have a big job, but also truly appreciate getting to know New Town's personalities and creating some special relationships over the summer.  

 

Stay tuned for several pool events planned by the Activities Committee – a real opportunity to meet neighbors and make new friends!

 

A lot of effort, dedication and time goes into the three months of safe and fun pool days for New Town's residents. Many thanks go to those volunteers who make this all possible; those who support the success of the pool by serving on the Board of Directors, or serving on one of the NTRA's Committees. A big thanks to our hard-working Chesapeake Bay Management team too! We look forward to a successful kick-off on May 24th and seeing you at the pool throughout the season!!

Robbie Bussey, a 12th grade homeschooled Williamsburg student, has earned his Eagle Scout badge by leading a repair project on part of the trails near The Pointe at New Town apartments. (An Eagle Scout project requires an individual to "demonstrate leadership by planning, developing, and directing others in a significant community service project that benefits an organization other than Scouting. The project must be substantial, challenging, and not simply routine maintenance.")

 

In searching for a suitable Eagle Scout project, Robbie learned of the trails condition through his mother who works at Ironbound Gym. Aided by one of his Troop 103 leaders who owns a building company, Robbie then planned out the materials and work that would be needed to repair the path. While more of the trail system clearly needs attention, Robbie took on the revitalization of this trails section because it was "in the worse condition and doable in a short timeframe.” Robbie was assisted by other Scouts from his troop and their parents. After weeks of planning and coordination with suppliers, utility company, etc, they did the work over the course of 4 days. Robbie feels “a huge sense of accomplishment” for having completed this revitalization work.

 

Scott Grafton of the New Town Commercial Association exclaims, "New Town would like to give a special shoutout to Robbie Bussey and Scout Troop 103 for their amazing work on the New Town trails! We are so grateful for all the hard work and heart he put into making them better for everyone to enjoy. Let's give this young man the credit he deserves — the trails are looking better than ever thanks to his dedication and leadership!”

 

 

 

 

Join your neighbors for a New Town clean-up.

 

Saturday, May 3rd, 9:00 am, meet at the New Town community pool.

 

Trash bags, gloves, and pickers will be provided.  Hope to see you there!

 

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