Ray Henry Memorial Bridge Marker, 1999

The Ray Henry Memorial Bridge is dedicated to one of Windsor's polka maestros. Born Henry Mocarski, he learned to play the accordion as a boy. In 1939 at the age of sixteen he started a polka trio with friends who played the saxophone and drums. Within a short time they added more musicians and the ten piece ensemble called itself the Ray Henry Orchestra. Although the group played a wide variety of music, Mocarski's first love was the polka and he became known as "Ray Henry the Polka Maestro." His band played all over the northeast, travelling to perform at dance halls and social events from Chicago into Canada. The group had more than 1,000 musical pieces in its repertoire; amazingly more than 800 of them were composed by Ray Henry himself. The orchestra was featured on live radio shows, such as the ones emceed by Stan Ozimek on Sunday afternoons in Connecticut, and made dozens of recordings. Ray Henry was inducted into the International Polka Association Hall of Fame in 1972. Windsor's Ray Henry passed away on January 24, 1998. Immediately his friends, fans, and fellow musicians formed the Ray Henry Tribute Committee. They held dances to raise funds for a Ray Henry Musical Scholarship at Windsor High School, displayed memorabilia at the Windsor Public Library, played concerts on the Windsor Town Green, and arranged for the dedication of the Farmington River bridge in Ray Henry's memory on July 24, 1999. The dedication was followed by a picnic, music, and dancing at the boat launch by the bridge. The Windsor Historical Society owns copies of three Ray Henry Orchestra recordings: "Polka Session with Ray Henry," "Wicked Good Polka," and "Fifty Years and Better." Why not take a few minutes to watch some of the Ray Henry Orchestra videos available on YouTube, download recordings from iTunes, or visit the Windsor Historical Society and listen to one of our CDs. A lively polka is guaranteed to elicit a light-hearted gaiety in the listener, no matter what the age. You may even feel like dancing! Copyright 2015 Windsor Historical Society.

Website: http://www.windsorhistoricalsociety.org/nl_2012_12_standard.pdf

	Historic Sites	Points of Interest
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All Points

Ray Henry Memorial Bridge Marker, 1999
Highway Bridge Plaque, 1993
Railroad Bridge Plaque, 1993
Farmington River Plaque, 1993
Seniors Time Capsule, 1999
Town of Windsor Time Capsule, 1976
Shad Derby Plaque, 1976
Windsor Center River Trail, 1996
A Load Too Heavy to Bear, 2013
John Henry II, 2014
First Town Square, 2007
Track Power, 2014
John Henry, 2012
I Saw What Turned the World Before Socialism. Did You?, ca. 2008
Into the Future, 2008
First Town Downtown Heritage Bricks and Time Capsule, 1996
Windsor Lions Club Memorial, 1990
Moly Mosquito, 1993
Ballad of Mack Street, 2003
Vietnam Memorial Plaque, 1968
Copper Beech Tree, 1967
Anita and Champaben Patel Memorial, 1999
Constitution Oak Plaque, 2012
Nathan Steinberg Bench, 2001
Wilson Congregational Church
Former Elks Lodge
Windsor Shopping Center
Roger Wolcott School
Sharshon Park
Wilson Branch Library
Mott's
Carville's Restaurant
Full Circle
Windsor Grist and Saw Mill, ca 1862

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