10,000 Polaks at a Festival

If you know me personally or have been following my blog for a time, then you know that Mikaela and I are Polish and proud of it.  I have blogged about my adventures in pierogi making, shared with you my tribute to my German-born, Polish-married great-grandmother when she died last year, and Mikaela posted a video of our family going all out in a skit on Polish reformer Jan Laski.

But several weeks ago on a blustery Sunday afternoon, my family's reveling in our Polish heritage found a new outlet: a nearby Polish festival.  I had heard rumors of such a thing back in the spring, and have been inwardly dancing the polka ever since.  We entered a little Poland, filled with the Polish language, Polish costumes, very Polish-looking people (apparently 10,000 of them attend the festival over the weekend!), and, of course, Polish music!  The first thing to draw our ears was the luminous sound of Chopin wafting through the kielbasa-scented air.  We crept up to the stage where an interpretive ballet set to a Chopin piece was underway. 

Soon, however, the trickle of rain turned into a torrent that began to drench us. 

We ducked into the nearest shelter: the pastry building!  We quickly found that to be a delightfully good choice, and salivated over the Polish pastries the Polish grandmas were cutting. 

"My kids are Polish," Mama explained to the pastry lady behind the table.  She sized us up with one swift glance, then said knowingly in her lovely Polish accent, "Oh, but they were not born in Poland, right? They are like my kids, then."  We all immediately wished we had been born in Poland. 

The monsoon soon evaporated into a drizzle, and people shook off their collars, emerged from their hiding places, and chatter and music and food lines commenced as before.  By this time, we only had so much self-restraint left in reserve after smelling and seeing Polish food but not tasting it.  It was all we could do to withold ourselves from swiping a pierogi off of a complete stranger's plate.  In order to preclude such an event, we quickly voted to sweep the food tents for the best possible goodies. 

Clockwise from left: Delicious kielbasa, a dinner roll sitting on top of bigos, Polish hunter's stew consisting predominantly of sauerkraut, a pierogi ruskie, Polish dumpling stuffed with a mix of potatoes, onions, and farmer's cheese, a pierogi z kapusta, Polish dumpling with aa mix of sauerkraut and mushrooms, golabki, cabbage rolls with a mix of meat and rice, topped with a tomato sauce, and sour cream for topping.  Not shown are the potato pancakes, placki ziemniaczane, which were delicious and came with sour cream, ketchup, or applesauce for topping.  Once we had stuffed ourselves to our fullest capacity with these delicacies, we wandered back to the stage area. 

A polka contest was just beginning, commencing with the children. 

Who could possibly not smile while observing that little blondie's delight?  Or what about the woman with the blue headwrap in the background, blissfully clapping along with the fabulous polka music?  Our family wasn't completely clear on just what dancing the polka looked like, and we still weren't clear by the time the kid's competition was over, but at least all the kids had fun! 

Next began the adult competition.  The accordian player began pointing people out in the crowd and forcing them to come compete.  If they dared refuse, he would "bawk" with his loudest chicken imitation into the microphone until they had to give in! 

This adorable couple captured our hearts from the beginning!  Doesn't the man look like a Polish gentleman from the 19th century?  I was standing behind a group of Polish grandpas who were rooting vociferously for this couple as well, so much so that one of the judges had to announce, laughingly, that "This is not Polish Idol!"  However, when this rosy-cheeked couple was announced as the first place winner in the polka competition, one of the grandpas in front of me let out a huzzah and exclaimed, "I knew they would win!" 

Later on, we danced to some lively waltzes, making up our own steps as we went along.  Susanna and Mikaela enjoyed themselves! 

 My cousin Aimee joined us for the afternoon.  Don't you think she makes a convincing Polish lady?

Is that Jonah masquerading there?

After touring the vendors and investing in some Polish candy, the pastry building was calling our names once more.  Mama tried this delicious poppyseed cake. 

Aimee chose the Polish cheesecake which, while different from American cheesecake, was still tasty! 

Papa and I got the paczki, a traditional Polish doughnut with what we decided was a plum filling.  This homemade doughnut definitely ranks in the top five tastiest doughnuts I have ever had!   

With those sweet treats, our time at the Polish Festival came to a close.  The food was gone  On the way home, we chattered about the dances we had danced, the food we had tasted, and the sights we had seen.  It was a wonderfully rich, fun-filled afternoon! 

Last but not least for your viewing pleasure, here is a 25 second video of my sweet grandma demonstrating "This Little Piggy Went to Market" in Polish on Susanna's foot.  The end is guaranteed to make you smile--I know I grin every time I watch it! 

Do widzenia!  Good bye!