How We Did Not Run Out of Pierogi
Every July, the PACC holds a Polish Picnic at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Broadview Heights. Each year, we strive to do our best and deliver amazing food and fun for kids and adults. This year was not different – there was something for the little ones and something for the big ones. That something, however, was new and improved.
Just like last year, there was face painting and crafts for kids. Our volunteers worked very hard to make every little face as cute or scary as the little customer desired! The big wooden jenga was also a success. The bigger children (and many adults!) had fun playing the tricky game. The little ones focused on the destructive aspect and, suffice to say, they were very creative about it!
The new part was screening of Polish bajki (cartoons). While their parents were enjoying their pierogi, golabki, and potato pancakes, and chase it with a can of Okocim or Tyskie, kids (and those young at heart) were able to sit safely and comfortably under a canopy and watch some Polish classics. There was Bolek i Lolek, Reksio, and O dwóch takich co ukradli księżyc. For me, it was a real time travel to my childhood years.
Speaking of childhood, zapiekanki, our new addition to the menu, brought back even more happy memories. Zapiekanka (plural zapiekanki) is an open top sandwich served on a baguette, covered with mushrooms and grated cheese. It is then baked to a crunchy and chewy perfection and topped off with ketchup. It was so popular that we wondered if it would take over the popularity of paczki!
Kids from Gorale Polish Folk Assembly performed beautiful Polish folk dances. Ptaki and DJ NRG (also new!) took care of the musical side of our event. There were older and newer songs that were able to make everyone happy. And if we didn’t pull the plug and turn the lights off, people would continue dancing till the wee hours of the morning!
We are extremely grateful to all our volunteers: those who worked very hard to prepare the food in the weeks preceding the event (we lost count of our pierogi!), our gatekeepers, bar and kitchen staff, and our tireless dishwashers. Once again, our Piknik was a huge success. There are no words to describe the hard work and dedication that everyone put in. Dziekujemy!