Cedar polka dances again
From staff reports
The gas pump speakers at Bunting’s Cedar Market play the polka favorite “Roll out the barrel.” A new sign on the side of the building reads “Welcome to Cedar. Hometown of Rifino Valentine,” an homage to the Valentine Detroit spirits maker. Down by the ballfields, the massive 120 x 270 square-foot white tent is up and ready for crowds. And Srodek’s has arrived from the Polish Detroit enclave of Hamtramck with a wagon full of the best Kielbasa and Pierogis this side of the Atlantic.
Cedar Polka Fest is back!
The 39th annual festival celebrating the Polish heritage of this small town in the heart of Leelanau County takes place Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 26-29, and is expected to draw thousands of people. The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to change the festival date three times since last year. Typically held in late June, Polka Fest was canceled entirely in 2020.
“It’s been a moving target,” said co-chair Lisa Rossi. “Planning has been a real challenge. But we’re excited that Polka Fest is back.”
Polka Fest is known for its music. Dance to live polka under the big tents on Thursday from 5-11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5-midnight, and Sunday 1-6 p.m. Out-of-town bands include the Kowalski Brothers, Duane Malinowski, the Polka Brothers, and Jimmy K. Bring your kiddos to a performance by the Scottville Clown Band Concert band on Saturday from 2-4 p.m.
Adorned with both Polish and American flags, this traditional festival is awash in patriotism and love for community and country. Police, firefighters, EMS and 911 dispatchers gain free entry and a free drink on Thursday. “We’ve learned that some of those folks are underpaid,” said Rossi. “We’ll give each one a door prize ticket.” Gates open at 4:30 p.m. for the flag raising and national anthem. U.S. military veterans get free entry on Saturday, with gates opening at 1:30 p.m. At 6 p.m. the band will perform The Armed Forces Salute.
Food vendors include Srodek’s, Bunting’s, and Gibby’s Fries out of Traverse City. Raise a glass of Okocim beer from the old country, or a cocktail, to Cedar’s native son Rifino Valentine, who is back in town with spirits from Valentine Distilling Co.
Rossi and parade chairperson Kathleen Koch, the consummate Cedar booster and owner of the Polish Art Center, are just as excited about the festival events outside of the big tent. New this year is Srodek’s “Run 4 The Kielbasa,” a 4-mile-long run at 9 a.m. on Saturday that has already signed up 150 participants. This year’s festival also includes the second Hagerty Insurance Classic Car & Motorcycle Show on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. The Cedar Polka Fest Parade happens at 1 p.m. on Saturday, featuring as its grand marshal Michael Sheehan, the WTCM radio “word professor,” a former monk, English professor, and commissioner of the State Advisory Council on Aging. Kids Day, from 1:30-4 p.m. on Saturday, features the clown band, as well as station-based educational activities and old-fashioned children’s games like a water balloon toss.
There’s no cover price on “Free For All” Sunday (sponsored by the Cedar Tavern), when the festival wraps up with a traditional Catholic Mass at 11 a.m., a Polka Fest Craft Fair from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., an inaugural corn hole tournament at 1 p.m. (20 teams signed up so far), and more live polka music under the tent from 1-6 p.m.
Proceeds from the Cedar Polka Fest are funneled back into the community, funding scholarships for Glen Lake School students, Cedar Area Fire& Rescue, and youth sports leagues. In 2019, the Cedar Chamber of Commerce distributed $42,000 to those causes.
Visit CedarPolkaFest.org for more information and a full schedule of events.
