Polish Heritage Festival

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

The annual Polish Heritage Festival will take place in Golden Gate Park on Sunday, October 12^th from 10am-to-5pm. This celebration is hosted by the Polish-American Congress-Northern California Division and will be filled with live music, dancing by costumed folk performers, Polish food, original art and jewelry displays and activities for children. The food menu includes kielbasa, pierogi (stuffed dumpling), kapusta (a sauerkraut dish), golabki (cabbage rolls), and potato pancakes, desserts and pastries, and of course authentic Polish beer! Entertainment will be provided in the Gallery Room of the San Francisco County Fair Building. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.

Children ages three to seventeen from the John Paul II School of Polish Language, based in Walnut Creek, will be performing historical dances including two variations of the famous “Krakowiak” dance in authentic period costumes. These historical folk dances originated in Cracovia – a Southern region of Poland admired for its great beauty and romantic history.

Several regional and “national” dances will be performed by the renowned Lowiczanie Ensemble of San Francisco, Mary Kay Stuvland, Artistic Director. Selections will include the dynamic “Krakowiak,” a fiery and evocative “Kujawiak/Oberek” duet, a suite of delightful dances of “Old Warsaw” from the inter-War period, the earthy and wild dances of the Rzeszow region of southeastern Poland, as well as the elegant and melodic dances from Cieszyn, a charming Renaissance city in southwestern Poland. Performances will start on the hour, 1pm- 4pm.

The John Paul II School of Polish Language is a non-profit organization and has been charted with the education and continuation of Polish language and culture since 1967. Enriching the lives of the children and adults within the Polish-American community with Polish history and heritage provides them with a closer identity to their roots and family traditions. These experiences also create links and bonds with others within the Polish- American community which can lead to travel, higher education and career opportunities. Please read more about John Paul II School of Polish Language at www.polishschool.org.

Łowiczanie Ensemble of San Francisco now has over 20 national and regional suites, and features approximately 10 pieces in its active repertoire in any given season. The Ensemble often works with live musicians, produces concerts and special events, tours throughout the western United States, and creates unique educational and entertainment programs for presenters as varied as the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, Polish community-based festival organizers, public and private school teachers, wedding planners, and individuals. Please read more about Łowiczanie at www.polishfolk.org.

The Polish American Congress is a National Umbrella Organization, representing at least 10 million Americans of Polish descent and origin. Its membership is comprised of fraternal, educational, veteran, religious, cultural, social, business, political organizations and individual membership. The Polish American community prides itself on its deeply rooted commitment to the values of family, faith, democracy, hard work and fulfillment of the American dream. We are present in every state and virtually every community in America, on various social, business and economic levels. Please read more about the Polish American Congress at http://www.polamcon.org/index.html.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 18th, 2009 at 3:47 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.