The American Polish Festival and Craft Show, a Sterling Heights summer tradition, will return June 21-23 on the grounds of the American Polish Century Club in Sterling Heights. Festival organizers Leonardo Palermino (left), general manager and executive chef at the club, and Ernie Beller, president of the club, say everything is in place for the annual festival celebrating Polish culture. Gina Joseph – The Macomb Daily
America is a melting pot of cultures, but what makes America rich is the food, customs and traditions that people have enjoyed and shared for generations through community events like the American Polish Festival.
Polka bands and dancers, golabki, pierogi, potato pancakes, kielbasa and all things Polish are highlights of the June 21-23 event hosted by the American Polish Century Club of Sterling Heights.
“This is a way to keep our traditions alive,” said Leonard Palermino, general manager and executive chef at Century Banquet Center. “We’re doing this so we don’t lose our traditions, and in doing so, we remember who we are and where we come from.”
Ernie Beller agreed.
The American Polish Festival and Craft Show, a Sterling Heights summer tradition that brings people together while celebrating Polish culture, returns June 21-23 on the grounds of the American Polish Century Club in Sterling Heights. Photo courtesy of the American Polish Century Club.
His great-grandfather was a peasant from a small village in northeastern Poland who came to America with the wave of immigrants (between 1892 and 1954) leaving Europe in hopes of a better life in America.
“We had a lot of people come,” said the president of the Polish Century Club of America, who has been the festival’s chairman for more than 10 years.
Many of those who arrived at the port on Ellis Island settled in big cities like New York and Chicago, but some, like Beller’s great-grandfather, traveled farther afield, to states like Pennsylvania, where there were coal mining jobs. His son didn’t want the same life, so he moved to Hamtramck, where Polish immigrants had found work and where the people, businesses, churches and schools were similar.
Beller grew up here and married his wife of 35 years.
“My father always said, ‘You’ll marry a Polish woman,’ but I married a good woman,” Beller said. “She’s family-oriented, a great cook and tolerant of my passion for polka,” said Beller, who can’t wait to hear the bands that play the festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The American Polish Century Club and its women’s division have more than 300 members and volunteers who work to preserve Polish traditions while helping others in the community. Last year, the group donated more than $22,000 to scholarship recipients and charities.
Besides raising funds, the festival also serves as a celebration for this community and their families and friends who want to become Polish.
“We are excited to host our 42nd annual Polish Festival,” said Beller, “with second and third generation families coming every year for fun and food. Our members work long hours each year to prepare more than 5,000 golabki, more than a ton of city chicken, 750 pounds of potato pancakes and more than 20,000 pierogi for the Polish dinner. We can’t wait for everyone to come and taste the traditional Polish dinner that Polish Kitchen is famous for.”
Have you tried Polish street food?
Kielbasa Kafe will be serving the festival’s trademark Polish nachos and Polish egg rolls.
There will be American fare, treats for kids, adult beverages including craft beers made especially for the festival, and the Polish Pub will have a great selection of Polish and premium spirits.
The American Polish Festival and Craft Show, a Sterling Heights summer tradition that brings people together while celebrating Polish culture, will return June 21-23 on the grounds of the American Polish Century Club in Sterling Heights. Photo courtesy of the American Polish Century Club. This year’s schedule is as follows:
• June 21: “TGIF Afterwork Party”
Festival hours: 4pm to 11pm, Craft Show 4pm to 9pm
Music and Dance: From 5 to 11 p.m., “The Polish Muslims” and “John Stevens Polka Band from Pennsylvania” will alternate performances.
• June 22: “Hamtramck Alumni Day.”
Festival hours: 10am-11pm, Craft Show 10am-9pm
Music and Dance: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring the John Stephens Polka Band, The New Brass Express from Avery, Michigan, and John Gola and Goral from Toronto, Ontario.
• June 25: “PRCUA Alumni Day.”
Festival and Craft Show Hours: 10am – 7pm
12pm Porca Mass
Music and dance will alternate between the New Brass Express and John Gola and Goral.
“A lot of people come to the festival, shop at the craft booths, and then listen to music and eat,” Beller said.
for your information
The 42nd annual American Polish Festival will be held on the grounds of the American Polish Century Club, 33204 Maple Lane in Sterling Heights.
Admission is $5 (free for those under 17)
A free parking lot shuttle will run from Sterling Heights High School and the Career Readiness Center throughout the day.
For more information, visit americanpolishfestival.com
