The Taste of Polonia is a Chicago festival held at the

Copernicus Cultural and Civic Center The Copernicus Foundation ( pl, Fundacja Kopernikowska) is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization based in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by Poles in Chicago in 1971 in order to raise funds towards raisi ...

in the Jefferson Park community area of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

every

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend since 1980. It is the

Copernicus Foundation The Copernicus Foundation ( pl, Fundacja Kopernikowska) is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization based in the Jefferson Park, Chicago, Jefferson Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by Poles in Chicago in 1971 in order to r ...

's major fundraiser and a four-day celebration of Polish cultural heritage, traditions, and customs. The Taste of Polonia features delicious

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 ...

, entertainment on three stages, as well as numerous Polish handcrafters and artisans. The festival attracts attendees from Chicago's Northwest Side, the rest of Chicago, and outlying areas in the region. It draws both

Chicago's Polish community Both immigrant Poles and Americans of Polish heritage live in Chicago, Illinois. They are a part of worldwide '' Polonia'', the Polish term for the Polish Diaspora outside of Poland. Poles in Chicago have contributed to the economic, social an ...

as well as people of other ethnic backgrounds. Taste of Polonia is the largest ethnic festival in Chicago, drawing crowds between 40,000 and 60,000 each year over the span of four days. As one of Chicago Polonia's chief festivals, numerous local and national politicians have made it a stop on their campaign trail during the election season. In 1992, the Taste of Polonia was honored by the presence of and hosted by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

. In 2000, the fest was visited by future Vice President

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...

Tipper Gore Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore (née Aitcheson; born August 19, 1948) is an American social issues advocate, activist, photographer and author who was the second lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. She was married to Al Gore, the 45th vi ...

, and

Hadassah Lieberman Hadassah Lieberman ( Freilich; born March 28, 1948) is the second wife of former United States Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Life and work Hadassah Freilich Lieberman was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (a past report erroneously stated ...

. Former House Speaker

Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U ...

and his wife Callista came to the festival on September 4, 2011, ahead of the

2012 Republican Party presidential primaries Voters of the Republican Party elected state delegations to the 2012 Republican National Convention in presidential primaries. The national convention then selected its nominee to run for President of the United States in the 2012 presidential ...

to screen the documentary ''

9 Days That Changed the World ''Nine Days that Changed the World'' is a 2010 documentary film produced by Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista that centers on the role played by Pope John Paul II in the fall of Communism in Europe and the rise of labour union A trade ...

'', which the couple coproduced.http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8342047 No festival was planned in 2020.

References

1. http://ToPChicago.org

External links

The official website of Taste of Polonia
Sponsored by the Copernicus Center a

Festivals in Chicago Polish-American culture in Chicago Cultural festivals in the United States {{Chicago-stub