The Pierogi Fest is an annual festival in
Whiting,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, United States, organized by the Whiting–Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce (WRCoC).
It gets its name from the
pierogi
Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving.
Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...
, a Polish dumpling. It draws more than 250,000 visitors each year.
The festival takes place on the last weekend of July, on 119th Street in downtown Whiting. The street is only open to foot traffic during the festival. There are food booths set up along the streets serving pierogi, kielbasa and sauerkraut. There are also live music performances, and carnival rides.
Other events include a Polka Parade, Pierogi Toss and eating competitions,
and the Mr. Pierogi Songfest, which features food and fest-related parodies of popular songs.
It features locally famous characters to bring goodwill, such as Mr. Pierogi, the Buscias, Miss Paczki, Halupki Guy, Polkahontas, and the Pieroguettes.
Pierogi Fest has been featured by Oprah, Yahoo Travel, and more.
In 2017 the festival's organizers filed a
trademark infringement
Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees (provided that such authorization was within the scope of the licence). Infringement may o ...
lawsuit in federal court against the organizers of the
Edwardsville, Pennsylvania
Edwardsville is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,918 at the 2020 census.
History
Edwardsville was first settled in 1768 by settlers from Connecticut. It was later incorporated as a borough in 1884.
Ge ...
, Pierogi Festival, asking them to change their event's name. At first the Edwardsville Hometown Committee (EHC), who characterized the WRCoC's requested licensing fee as "extortionate", filed a
counterclaim
In a court of law, a party's claim is a counterclaim if one party asserts claims in response to the claims of another. In other words, if a plaintiff initiates a lawsuit and a defendant responds to the lawsuit with claims of their own against th ...
challenging the trademark and seeking damages against the WRCoC for enforcing an invalid trademark. By the beginning of June 2018, when the Edwardsville event is held, however, the two sides had reached a settlement in which the EHC recognized the trademark in return for permission to hold its own.
2020 saw the festival get cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
but it was held in 2021.
See also
*
Lists of festivals
This is a list of festival-related list articles on Wikipedia. A festival is an event ordinarily staged by a community, centering on and celebrating some unique aspect of that community and its traditions, often marked as a local or national hol ...
*
Polish cuisine
Polish cuisine ( pl, kuchnia polska) is a style of cooking and food preparation originating in or widely popular in Poland. Due to Poland's history, Polish cuisine has evolved over the centuries to be very eclectic, and it shares many similariti ...
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.pierogifest.net/
Tourist attractions in Lake County, Indiana
Festivals in Indiana
Food and drink festivals in the United States