Polish-American Festival Bursts with Pride

The melodies of polka and the sizzle of smoked kielbasa filled the air at the 46th annual Polish-American Family Festival and Country Fair at the in Doylestown on Saturday.

The festival, which runs Sept. 3, 4, 5, 10 and 11, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., features local, national and international music acts, as well as traditional food and beer, a Polish village and market, and rides for the whole family.

“It started as a tiny little picnic, and grew to this extent,” said Jadwiga Healy, a festival chairperson and native Pole. “Last year we had over 25,000 people, and this year we’re hoping for the same.”

While the colorfully costumed Maki Polish Dance School of Ocean County, N.J., took the festival’s main stage, emcee Bill Fleming watched with a smile.

“I was raised by Polish and Lithuanian nuns,” said Fleming, who goes by Polka Bill at special occasions. “So it’s sentimental.”

Some attendees, like Barbara Stanert of Danboro, aren’t of Polish heritage, but came to enjoy the nice weather and learn more about the rich culture.

“I’m an Irish girl,” Stanert said, not objecting to fresh pierogies and a Warka beer.

Joan Karasinski and Ivoryleigh Thrush of the Banner of Jasna Gora reenactment group educated passers-by with facts about embroidery, blacksmithing and sewing in 17th century Poland, while two czars battled with swords nearby.

Across the Polish village, Maria Bielski, a 45-year veteran of Doylestown’s Polish-American Festival, presented her new book, “Two Friends, They Went A’Dancing,” a collection of musical dances and games for children written in both English and Polish.

“The best part of the festival is just meeting people from all walks of life and nationalities,” Bielski said. “And you can engage in all of this without ever having been to Poland.”

To keep Polish tradition alive through generations, Carla and Stan Tomaszewski of Maryland infuse their art and photography with lessons from the past.

“There are Polish-Americans who know simple Polish phrases from their grandmas, but many quickly assimilate into the American scheme of life,” said Stan Tomaszewki, a first generation Pole.

“So we bring nice visuals to catch people’s eyes, and they’ll find something to learn about too,” added Carla Hazard Tomaszewki, holding a greeting card featuring the Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, Poland – the model for Doylestown’s Shrine.

In the neighboring booth, a couple from Virginia rattled off the ingredients for a succulent Polish bigos, or “hunter’s stew,” featured in their new cookbook “Polish Classic Recipes.”

“It’s sauerkraut-based,” said Peter Zeranski, also a first generation Pole. “Then you add kielbasa, dried mushrooms, tomato sauce – any kind of leftover meat you might have.

“Smacznego!” he added, finishing off with the Polish equivalent of bon appétit!

After polishing off a meal of his own, little William Vaughn looked intent on getting back to the rides, while longtime festival-goer Catherine Klimczak took in the sights.

“I love the whole atmosphere, and I find it very peaceful here,” she said.

Back on the main stage, the Radość vocal-dance troupe from Ontario twirled and sang, captivating a growing audience of all backgrounds, and certainly living up to the meaning of their name – joy.

For more information on the Polish-American Festival, visit www.polishamericanfestival.com/