(Chicago, IL) – We are all well-aware of Chicago’s huge Polish-American population; but nowhere it is as prominently visible than at
Taste of Polonia! The annual Labor Day weekend event hosted over 50,000 guests between September 3rd through the 6th.
Guests enjoyed non-stop live music and entertainment on 5 stages, Polish food favorites like pierogi and kielbasa, dancing, shopping and shaking hands with Illinois politicians including Governor Pat Quinn, Congresman Mark Kirk and Former Illinois State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka.
This year’s exciting musical line-up included performances by chart-topping bands from Poland: Elektryczne Gitary and Sztywny Pal Azji, as well as Chicago’s own: Kashmir, 7th Heaven and Gentlemen of Leisure. Popular Polish local artists like Funky Polak, Grażyna Auguścik and Veselovsky were also present. The stage inside the Copernicus Theater also hosted a stream of performances including a musical tribute highlighting the life of Poland’s beloved composer, Frederic Chopin by the Paderewski Symphony Orchestra.
The youngest festival guests were entertained at ‘Kid’s World’ and on the ‘Kid’s Stage’ with numerous workshops and activities including a visit from the popular Disney Radio Road Crew. Festival guests also enjoyed shopping for old-world treasures at the Festival Marketplace and trying their luck at arcade and
carnival games plus at the Fest’s ‘BIG Nick’s Casino’.
Taste of Polonia’s corporate sponsors found new and exciting ways to drive traffic to their booths. PNC Bank gave away prizes like $50 gift cards; while their Virtual Wallet truck provided not only fun games, but also an opportunity to get familair with a terrific product that allows clients’ to track and control their finances online.
Chef- Michael Niksic
The Jewel-Osco booth was packed with culinary enthusiasts watching daily cooking demos presented by chefs Tomasz Rybiński and Michael Niksic.
The popular Chicago chefs showcased their skills using Thomas Professional Hard Anodized Cookware™, currently available at Jewel-Osco with the company’s newly launched “cookware for a penny” promotion. And the Verizon Wireless booth enticed festival guests by hosting three days of personal appearances by award-winning bands from Poland that signed autographs and posed for photographs with adoring fans!
Chef- Tomasz Rybiński
Photos from Taste of Polonia at:
https://polishnews.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=310