Dozynki Polish Harvest Festival

By WKTV Staff

Quote of the Day

“Only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere.”
Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton from ‘Vertigo’

The cars are here!
The cars are here!

Ladies and gentlemen, the days you’ve all been waiting for — this year’s Metro Cruise is Friday and Saturday, Aug. 23 and 24, and it’s packed with more to do and see, according to organizers. Started 15 years ago by the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce to encourage businesses and patrons to travel the “Sunset Strip of Grand Rapids,” the annual event has become a two-day car extravaganza with more than 100,000 people attending. Go here for the scoop.

Pick out your partner
and join in the fun

Admission is free to the Dozynki Polish Harvest Festival at Rosa Parks Circle, 135 Monroe Center, this weekend Friday-Sunday, Aug. 23-25, and there will be plenty of inexpensive parking in Parking Lot Areas 7, 8, and 9 for those who don’t mind a short walk. Fun activities during the festival include music, dancing, authentic Polish food, the paczki eating contest, crowning of the busia queen and more. Learn all about it here.

Who’s the Faire-est one of all?

Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. It happens Saturday, Aug. 24 from 10am-5pm at the GRPM. More info here.

No Alabama tonight

Hey, they really wanted to continue their 50th Anniversary Tour at the VanAndel Arena tonight, but lead singer Randy Owen’s ongoing complications with cluster migraines and vertigo have laid him low. The group had hoped to continue its record-breaking 50-city tour, however, doctors have advised more time is needed for Owen to fully recover. Rescheduled dates for the tour will be announced in the coming weeks.

Fun fact:

Could be rocks in your head…
or a migraine

Alabama’s lead singer, Randy Owen joins roughly 69 million people—nearly one-third of people over the age of 40 in the U.S.—who experience vertigo at least once in their lives. Curiously, dancing can make it better. Hey! Hie thee down to the Dozynki Polish Harvest Festival this weekend and put it to the test.

Courtesy Polish Heritage Society of Grand Rapids

By Matt Gryczan

In honor of the 40^th anniversary of its annual Dozynki Polish Harvest Festival, the Polish Heritage Society of Grand Rapids has turbocharged the free event this upcoming weekend with top-notch entertainment and demonstrations of Polish cooking, dance and crafts.

This year, the festival features:

Polka dance lessons, led by instructors from the P.R.C.U.A. Malbork Dance Ensemble;
Demonstrations on how to make pierogi (dumplings), chrusciki (cookies), beet soup, haluski (fried cabbage and noodles), mizeria (cucumber salad), crepes and canning peaches;
Presentations on Polish pottery and the fine art of creating pysanky eggs;
Explanations of Polish folklore such as how to tell a person’s future from hay straw and the meanings behind the Wigilia feast on Christmas Eve; and
Crafting treasure boxes for children.

“A lot of the activities will center around our demonstration tent, which we liken to a visit to your busia’s (grandmother’s) kitchen — the place where all the fun stuff is going on,” said Marilyn Lignell, past society president and demonstrator of the Wigilia feast.

In addition, the Polish Heritage Society is bringing the internationally known Lenny Gomulka & Chicago Push band to play two nights of the three-day event, along with other well-regarded polka bands, including Gerry Kaminski’s Polka Network, Dave Slivinski & The Noteables, Gary Szotko’s GPS Polka Band, the Polski Chix Polka Band and Ray Watkoski’s Family Band.

Gomulka is considered a living legend in the polka community; he’s developed a huge base of followers in the United States and Canada since he formed the Chicago Push in 1980. Nominated for 12 Grammy awards in the polka genre, he was inducted into the International Polka Music Hall of Fame & Museum in his hometown of Chicago in 2016.

Admission is free to the Dozynki Polish Harvest Festival at Rosa Parks Circle, 135 Monroe Center, from Aug. 23-25, and there will be plenty of inexpensive parking in Parking Lot Areas 7, 8, and 9 for those who don’t mind a short walk.

Other fun activities during the festival include the paczki eating contest, crowning of the busia queen and a performance by the P.R.C.U.A. Malbork Dance Ensemble, a dance group for youth ages 3-18 that teaches traditional Polish folk dances with authentic garb.

The Polish Heritage Society also selects a local not-for-profit group for special recognition during the festival as a way to build awareness and support for the organization, and this year the society is highlighting the Wolverine Worldwide Family YMCA in Belmont. Representatives of The Y will be present during the afternoons of the festival to educate visitors about the offerings and mission of the organization.

The Dozynki Polish Harvest Festival is the major fundraiser for the Polish Heritage Society of Grand Rapids, a non-profit organization founded in 1963 to perpetuate and advance the Polish culture that has been so integral to metro Grand Rapids. Among a number of its activities, the society awards scholarships annually to students of Polish descent who attend Aquinas College, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College, and Davenport University.

For a full calendar of events for the three-day Dozynki Polish Harvest Festival, please view the society’s website at Polish Heritage Society of Grand Rapids.