Taste of Polonia | Copernicus Center Chicago 2018

It is a well known adage that Chicago has the largest Polish population of any city outside Warsaw and it is probably even larger if you consider all those of Polish descent throughout all of Chicagoland.

As a third generation half-Pole (both of my maternal grandparents were born in Poland) I still feel a close connection to my Polish heritage. This is further enhanced by the fact that my uncle Stanislaw Radosh (my mother’s brother) is the founder and executive director of the Polish Center for Discovery and Learning in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

The tug of my Polish roots is what brings me to “Taste of Polonia” year-after-year. The mega-event held at the Copernicus Center on Milwaukee Avenue in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Chicago is an annual ritual gathering of the area’s Polish diaspora. We struck up conversations with three different groups of people who happened to be from Geneva, Roselle, and Crystal Lake.

Interestingly “Taste of Polonia” is not simply a “church-basement” celebration of days-gone-by but is actually a rather contemporary festival that honors the old and features the new generation of Polish immigrants.

After enjoying our Polish plate at the standing-room-only dining tent, we wandered inside to cool down and see what was happening. About 1500 people filled the sizeable former movie palace to see and listen to Andrzej Rosiewicz a 74 year old singer who is apparently a kind of vaudeville entertainer accompanied by a canned soundtrack. It was all Polish language so not quite sure what was the fuss except to say he packed the place.

Surprisingly for us, in the social room (just past the ever popular casino games) we happened upon what turned out to be a Chopin piano concert by two very talented pianists. They were there to help promote what I concluded to be a newly released Polish language indie cinema costume drama,”W SŁUŻBIE OJCZYŹNIE I NAUCE” a short episode in the life of Maria Skłodowska-Curie.

Pianist Pawel Checinski who was born in Poland and is a well known teacher and professor of music in Chicago evidently performed much of the music track for the film. He was on hand to perform several Chopin piano pieces at the conclusion of the film’s presentation.

I can’t say much more about the film as is was not subtitled and the presenters provided no translation of the introduction for the benefit of the non-Polish language speakers in the audience. This is perhaps one of the drawbacks of “Taste of Polonia” in recent years. I do not suggest they do their programs in English but rather just translate enough to give the rest of us a glimpse into what is happening so that we can have an idea of what’s going on.

Prior to the film we witnessed an additional surprise performance by Piotr Pawlak, a young pianist, with a head of hair that could rival Paderewki. He was born in 1998 in Gdańsk and has won numerous awards in Poland. His fabulous technique and passionate musicality provided an interesting contrast to that of the master Checinski. The juxtaposition between the agile youthful exuberance of Pawlak compared with the powerful but compact technique of the maestro was a delight to see and hear.

It was an unexpected treat to hear these two piano masters together. Incidentally, they had never met before.

Shame on the organizers of “Taste of Polonia” for not giving these two exceptional musicians a more prominent venue and better piano. In spite of which they delivered outstanding musical performances to the handful of appreciative attendees.

Later on in the theater we sat in on the screening of “The Fourth Partition.” This is a documentary about the life and contributions of Polish Americans from about 1865 through WWII told largely, and perhaps appropriately, from a Chicago point-of-view. After all Chicago is arguably the capital of Poland in America.

The remainder of “Taste of Polonia” is much like the rest of the many Chicago summer street fairs including the obligatory appearance of local politicians. We got a quick photo of Illinois Governor Rauner at the V.I.P. entrance. As with other ethnic fairs the food is good though not exceptional. But of course that is not the point. The point is to literally get a Taste of Polonia. If you want to enjoy a comfortable Polish meal visit one of the many Polish restaurants in Chicago.*

The garage band music at three different venues throughout the fair is mostly too loud to the point of overpowering the sound systems and distorting the sound. Later in the evening they had a nice performance by “Gentlemen of Leisure,” a very credible R&B cover band.

Due to rain much of the scheduling was moved around which contributed to the chaos but if you’re willing to just go with the flow you will be sure to encounter an eclectic mix of all things Polish that will give you some insight into the culture, and an interesting flavor of what is the “Taste of Polonia.” Be sure to put it on your calendar for 2019 Labor Day weekend.

by Reno Lovison for Chicago Broadcasting Network.