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, 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 ...

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

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but it was held in 2021.

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

See also

References

External links