Polish Fest 2024 will open Friday at Henry Maier Festival Park. This annual festival is celebrated as a "living educational showcase" of all things Polish.
I visited the festival grounds Thursday as the setup was underway. The enthusiasm among the participants was palpable as they prepared to bring Polish culture to life.
Final touches were being added when we stopped by. More than 500 volunteers are working tirelessly to make the weekend a success, preparing to welcome 15,000 to 20,000 visitors each day.
Polish Fest Directory Jeff Kuderski said he hopes visitors take away "something about Polish that they like or they love, whether it’s the sights the sounds or the tastes."
One of the festival highlights will be the kielbasa competition on Saturday, featuring a chef from Milwaukee and a chef from Poland with nearly 60,000 online followers.
Milwaukee's Chef Joe Parajecki shared his thoughts on the competition:
"I'm not scared. No problem. We're going to have fun with it. I think I make a pretty good Polish sausage, so I guess we’ll see," Parajecki said.
Anna Hurning from PolishyourKitchen.com also expressed her excitement:
"The most fun for me about cooking is to see when I serve the food, and people like it. They smile and say it’s delicious or this is just like my grandma used to make, or this is like my mom used to make. That part is, for me, the most fun."
Polish Fest opens today at noon and runs through Sunday on the Summerfest grounds.
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