BRONSON — Everybody is Polish in Bronson this weekend for the 54th Polish Festival.
Dozens of events take place from Thursday night until late Saturday.
Polish Festival Council President Candy Cox said the festival will be better and bigger in 2024. "People are ready to get back, get together, and have fun."
It was started in the 1970s by descendants of the dozens of Polish farmers and factory worker families who began immigrating to the area in the early 1900s and who wanted to celebrate their heritage.
The Bronson area was one of the largest early concentrations of Polish emigrants west of Detroit and Wyandotte.
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Cox, the Girard Township supervisor, is Polish, and said, "My great-grandparents came from Poland." Her family name is Stachowiak.
Cox and her council said 74 sponsors and donors, in addition to the volunteers, crafters, vendors, churches, service clubs, and other community organizations, make the festival possible.
There are some changes this year for Polish Fest. Now that Bronson enacted a golf cart ordinance for the city.
"We also are going to have a golf cart and bike decorating contests before the parade," Cox said for those who want to join the Saturday 1 p.m. Polish Fest parade. It's free to enter, "You just show up at St. Mary's Church around noon on Saturday."
With the construction of storage units by the eastside Dollar General, the Viking Alliance Truck Pulls moves to the east side of the property for the Saturday afternoon event at 5 p.m. "It's not going away," Cox said.
Here's what else you need to know:
- The festival king, queen, princes, and princesses will be crowned Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in St. Mary's school gym.
- Friday from 2-7 p.m., Jacob Mayer will play at the downtown gazebo.
- For the second year, the parking lot behind Smitty's Pizza, Matteson Street Grill, and Knights of Columbus will be closed off on Friday from 7-10 p.m. for a party featuring the band The Funkies.
- Friday fireworks begin at dusk, around 10 p.m., at the Bronson Jr./Sr. High School football field.
- Saturday night, the Polka Dinner Dance takes over St. Mary's Gym from 5-9 p.m. Pan Franek Zosia and the Polka Towners from Muskegon make their annual appearance before the Big Money Raffle.
- Friday is Kid's Day, and from 10 a.m. to noon. Douglass Park will host free food, games, and a bike raffle.
- The festival sets up Kids' rides and games in the library parking lot for three days.
- Crafts and vendors set up Friday and Saturday downtown on a closed-off N. Matteson Street.
- A chip-timed 5K race, walk, and kids' run will begin at 6 p.m. Friday from Grant Street at the high school. Registration starts at 5 p.m.
All the bars and restaurants will feature Polish foods and entertainment.
Local organizations and churches will host special meals, from pancake breakfasts to ox roasts. Details are available on the festival's Facebook page, and the complete list of events is on the city of Bronson's website. https://www.bronson-mi.com/about_bronson/annual_polish_festival.php
If you wonder if you might be Polish, check out the hundreds of Polish names on the sign along U.S. 12, Chicago Street.
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The other side of the signs features coats of arms from family clans and the white eagle coat of arms from the first Polish king in 1249.
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com
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