Event will begin Thursday; three teens planning to attend

Three young visitors from Poland

Bartek Rogula comes from a suburb of Warsaw, Poland, and is like a lot of teenagers.

He likes Metallica, Queen, and hard-core rap groups like NWA.

A different kind of music whose roots are much closer to home, however, will be heard starting Thursday at the 26th annual Cedar Polka Festival.

Rogula is spending most of June and July in Leelanau County courtesy of the 4-H International Exchange program. It is mere coincidence that he and two fellow Polanders, Anna Malinowska and Maja Stankiewicz, are also in the county at Polka Fest time.

So the big question for the teenagers from the land of Chopin is a natural: Do you polka?

“No, I don’t. It’s old-fashioned,” answered Rogula said. Not even his parents do the adopted official dance of Poland, he said. “My grandparents, yes. My parents? No,” he said.

Malinowska has more of a background with the dance step that will celebrated over four days in Cedar. From the ages of 8 through 10, she performed traditional folk dances as part of a dance troupe. One of those dances was the polka, but not the polka as we know it.

“When we showed her how we polka, Anna said that was not how she did the polka. We do the Chicago hop and the ‘Hillbilly’ polka, where Anna does more of the Bavarian style,” said Kathleen Hughes, who is hosting Malinowska. While she is no longer part of the folk dance troupe, Malinowska does like polka music.

“Oh yes, very much so. I like all kinds of music,” she said.

Stankiewicz admits that “I don’t like to polka; I don’t like the music.” She is living with Jim and Madeline Houdek of Lake Leelanau, and like her compatriots is absorbing all she can of the English language and American culture. “You usually see it at weddings and family events,” she said about the dance.

Regardless of how well they dance, all three plan to visit the Polka Fest.
Rogula is living at the home of county Prosecutor Joe Hubbell and Enterprise news editor Amy Hubbell in Centerville Township. His primary goal in coming to the U.S. is to improve his understanding of English. “I came here to learn English, to practice speaking and learn about America,” he said, his baseball-cap sitting cockeyed on his head. The three Polish students are part of a 4-H International Exchange program.

Being away from familiar surroundings in a strange land, where it gets much warmer and much cooler than home, took some getting used to.

“Maja (pronounced Maya) was so quiet the first few days she was here, I was afraid she would never speak,” said Madeline Houdek. Stankiewicz comes from the southwest area of Poland, not far from the large industrial town of Wroclaw. Malinowska lives in a more rural setting than the other two, in the Kielce region, which is located in the southeastern part of Poland.

Houdek and Hughes are sisters, so having the big family connection helped with making both Malinowska and Stankiewicz comfortable.

Hughes said Malinowska’s transition was difficult at first. “She cried and wanted to call or e-mail her mother a lot. Now, when her mother calls or e-mails she says, ‘Okay, Mom, don’t bother me, I’m busy,’” Hughes said.

Houdek and Hughes both speak a little Polish, and hearing the language spoken by their late father has been a rewarding experience for both women. “It feels good to hear the words again, it reminds me of Dad,” Hughes said.

The three Polish teens will experience the 26th annual celebration of the area’s Polish heritage when the Polka Fest starts Thursday, July 5, with a flag-raising ceremony at 5 p.m. outside the tent over at the tennis courts in Cedar. As soon as the ceremony is completed, music will start. Virgil Baker of Rockford takes the stage first and will alternate hourly with Rick Piotrowski of Oviedo, Fla., through 1 a.m.

Accordion and concertina-fueled music runs from 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. On Friday starting at 10 a.m., the Cedar Area Community Foundation will have chalk available for children to produce sidewalk art throughout Cedar for the Polka Fest. Budding artists of all abilities should meet at the Solon Township Hall on the end of Cedar for chalk.

The Polka Fest Parade is set for noon Saturday. Entries should begin lining up at the township hall at 11:30 a.m. At 10:30 a.m. face painting will be offered at the hall as well. In case of rain on Saturday, the parade will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Festivities wrap up on Sunday. A polka Mass with Bishop Patrick Clooney will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday under the festival tent. Pan Franek and Zosia Polka Towners of Muskegon will provide the music for Mass. The final session of polka music runs from 1-10 p.m.