The Ukrainian tall ship "Bat'kivshchyna" with Captain Dmytro Birioukovitch at the helm, participated in their first American Opsail Parade. With no funding from the Ukrainian government and only the most rudimentary equipment and supplies, it is nothing short of a miracle that the 90-foot schooner made it to the shores of the United States.

As part of the festivities, the "Ukraina" Ensemble of the Ukrainian School of Arts was invited to perform at the State Pier (Main Entry Stage) to represent and showcase Ukrainian culture to the visitors of Opsail 2000.

On behalf of the Ukrainian School of Arts, Marika Rad thanked the Connecticut-based Friends of Ukraine Expedition and Engineer Bohdan Les for inviting the group to participate in this truly remarkable event. She also thanked the Opsail 2000 committee, staff and volunteers for all their help and consideration during their stay.

The show opened with "Bat'kivshchyna's-own authentic Kozak" Petro Vashchyk. He entertained the audience by performing on a variety of musical instruments and welcomed them all on behalf of the Ukrainian crew.

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