Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church held their 6th annual Polish Festival on Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6, 2012 on the church grounds in the Spring Branch area of Houston. The weather was hot and sunny and a large crowd showed up on both Saturday and Sunday to enjoy the delicious food, cold piwo and great entertainment. The festival opened on Saturday morning at 10:00 am with a presentation of the American, Polish and Texas flags and singing of the national anthems of the United States and Poland.
The festival provided a variety of things to do for adults and children. There were games, a water slide, rock climbing wall, art studio and other fun activities in the children’s area. The entrance to the festival was lined with vendor booths full of t-shirts, jewelry, artwork, crafts and other items. The silent auction which was held in the new, air conditioned parish hall was a popular place this year.
Long lines formed for the good food which included delicious Polish pierogi, golabki, kielbasa, kiszka, bigos and American barbeque and hot dogs. A huge assortment of traditional cakes, rolls and desserts was served all day and there was plenty of cold beer, wine and soft drinks to go with it.
The large outside stage with a newly paved dance floor drew the biggest crowd and the entertainers kept the audience cheering for more. DJ Chris Piorkowski along with Laura Felusiak, Monika Zielinski and Adam Golunski served as Master of Ceremonies and made the announcements. Chris kept the entertainment flowing along, played recorded music and entertained the crowd between acts. The children from the Polish School sang, danced and impressed the crowd at intervals throughout both days. Other entertainment was provided by Polonia Houston Folk Vocal Ensemble, Wawel Folk Dance Ensemble, Edward Winiarski, Sara Winarska, Adas Przyblski and Yessica Krozel. The pierogi eating contest and the Polka dance contest were also big hits with the crowd.
On Saturday afternoon, Texas-Polish dance band fiddler Brian Marshall took to the stage and entertained the crowd together with talented musicians Mark Halata on accordion, Ron Kasowski on guitar, Chuck Bolin on drums, Harlan Kubos on bass and Brian’s sons Jakub on clarinet and Michal on fiddle. James Mazurkiewicz, Brian Wisnoski, Frank Motley and C. J. Jozwiak joined in from time to time. To continue a tradition started a few years ago, Brian Marshall took up a collection and raised enough money to buy Father Waldemar Matusiak a pair of cowboy boots.
At 7 pm on Saturday, there was a surprise appearance by “Me Myself and I”, the winners of Poland’s Got Talent. The group sang live jazz-rock-soul acapella combinations, using only their voices for both the music and vocals.
If you missed this years festival, be sure and make plans now to attend next year.
Below are a few photos of the fun and there is a slideshow of many more photos on page 2 and there are a few music videos in the Polish Texans Video section or you can see more videos on our YouTube Channel.
James Smock has always held an interest in his Polish ancestors and heritage. He is a native Houstonian with Polish roots in Bremond, Marlin and New Waverly, Texas.