Polish American Festival a Hit

As festivals go, it was a modest affair, but the first annual Polish American Festival was a hit for those attending on Sept. 10, as participants enjoyed food, music, craft booths and near-perfect late summer weather.

The East Bay Polish American Association, which is housed in a small church on Mellus Street, was founded 20 years ago, according to spokeswoman Iwona Urbaniak.

“We came here 20 years ago,” she said. “We were just poor Polish immigrants, but we saved our money and bought this building.”

Today, there are Catholic services each Sunday, and a Polish school that was originally housed in the building became so popular that they had to relocate it to Walnut Creek.

On Saturday, Polish Americans came from throughout the area, including San Francisco, Walnut Creek, and Sacramento.

“My idea was to make this festival a big event,” said Urbaniak. “We have people from the Polish Scouts and the National Polish Alliance. Some people told me that this would not work. We don’t have that many Poles in Martinez, but there are people from all over the area here today. This will work. And next year will be bigger.”