We at the Copernicus Foundation would like to extend a warm welcome to attend the 28^th   Annual Taste of Polonia over the Labor Day Weekend starting Friday, August 31^st through Monday September 3rd.

PARKING:

FREE parking by Wright College (Montrose/Narragansett) includes a shuttle bus to Taste of Polonia grounds every 20 minutes. Paid parking will be available at Veteran Plaza garage and parking lots on Lawrence Ave – across the street from the fest grounds.

HOTEL:

For our out-of-town guest - we’d like to invite you to stay at the Ramada O’Hare located at 5615 N. Cumberland Ave., Chicago, Illinois, phone number (773) 693-5800. To receive a discount on available rooms mention Copernicus Foundation Taste of Polonia 2007. Room provided will be a double occupancy $69.00 per night which includes a continental breakfast.

It all started in the 80. On September 1^st 1980, we opened the first “Taste of Polonia” festival and have held this event each year over the Labor Day Weekend.

This year’s Taste of Polonia is “2 HOT 2 HANDLE” and is devoted to women. Women play an important role in today’s society. They are the mothers, wives, politician and professionals.  

During the Labor Day weekend we would like to celebrate our appreciation of women and the beauty each one possesses on an individual basis.

We would like to invite all women to come visit our theater to view this year’s fashion show.

You’ll be excited to see the line up we have in store for you on 4 non-stop music stages. 

Starting……

·         Friday, August 31^st  (5pm – 11pm)  Highlights of today’s events include:

Acts from Poland “Maleo Reggae Rockers” (www.maleo.pl) & Natalia Arnal featuring her smooth R & B, Swamphouse, (www.theswamphouse.com) a Hip-Hop band from sunny California. The Downtown Sound, Pan Franek, Zosia & The Polkatowners. “Mali Siumni” the Polish Highlander Dancers will also be gracing our stages with their unique dance style. Firebeat will be heating up the air with their Polish style of Pop.

Also featured is Axis (www.axis-jimihendrixtribute.com) – a tribute band to Jimmy Hendrix. 

Saturday, September 1st (Noon - 11pm) Highlights of today’s events include:

For those of you who were unable to attend Friday, we are again featuring “Maleo Reggae Rockers” and Natalia Arnal from Poland. Swamphouse (www.theswamphouse.com) from California will be performing a 2^nd show.  Casey Homel, Ampol Aires, The Ron Smolen Orchestra and Freez Dried (frdried.com) will featured on the Mid-America Stage. “Rico” – a tribute to Carlos Santana will mesmerize you with their smooth sound.  Hold on to your hats and your men because we have the Alizma (www.alizma.com) Polish triplets and Catfight (www.catfightband.com) back-to-back with all their beauty. The Afrodisiacs (www.mauibands.com/afrodisiacs) will bring out your dancing feet with their disco era rhythms. Vertus will be performing their style of Polish blues and Susie Q will be rocking the house.  For the children, we will have a Polish kid’s show. The  “Wawel” Polish Dancers will also be performing twice.  We will be having our fashion show inside the theater.

IT WAS JUST CONFIRMED THAT SATURDAY EVENING, DURING THE SWAMPHOUSE PERFORMANCE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MEET AND GREET SOMEONE EXTREMLY SPECIAL. SOMEONE EXCITING, SOMEONE WELL KNOWN IN THE POLISH HIP-HOP WORLD.

·         Sunday September 2nd (Noon-11pm) Special Mass Service held in the Copernicus Theater staring at 11am attending Chor Fryderyka Chopina, Father Dzieszko   Highlights of today’s events include:

From Poland, we have Natalia Kukulska  (www.nataliakukulska.pl) and your last chance to see Natalia Arnal.  Alizma (www.alizma.com) will be beautifying our stage one last time.  Firebeat  and the Daddy O’s (www.thedaddyos.com) are not to be missed.  For those of you who live to polka, we have Joe Walega & The Happy Hearts,  & The Polkaholics.  Like Jazz?  Be sure not to miss Frieda Lee and Marcin Januszkiewicz (www.friedalee.com). Tribute bands include Brit Beat (www.BRITBEAT.com) - Beatles, Denny Diamond – Neil Diamond, Bad Medicine (www.bad-medicine.com) – Bon Jovi and Appetite for Destruction (www.notquitegnr.com) – Guns N Roses.  “Wawel” Polish Highlander Dancers and the Polish Kids’s show will be on the George S. May as well. Try your luck and become a star singing with our wonderful Live Karaoke Band (www.livekaraokeband.com) set-up at the Jewel/Osco Stage. The fashion show inside the theater is an event you should not miss. Our talented “Polonia Dancers” will be gracing our theater stage directly after the choir performance. 

·         Monday September 3rd (Noon – 10pm) Highlights of today’s events include:

Last chance to see the lovely Natalia Kululska (www.nataliakukulska.pl) from Poland.  Swamphouse (www.theswamphouse.com), a California band will be bringing down the house one last time. Don’t miss the famous Elvis impersonator – Rick Saucedo, Prezence (www.prezencetheledzeppelinshow.com) – tribute band to Led Zeppelin and Elevation (www.tribute2u2.com) – tribute to U2.  The Gentlemen of Leisure (www.gentlemenofleisureband.com) will be bringing their various brands of music.  Featured Polish dance music will be performed by  Marek Przeradowski and “Gwiazda” (www.gwiazdaband.pl). Polka music can be enjoyed by Tony Blazonczyk & The New Phaze (www.versatones.com), Stas Golonka & The Chicago Masters.  The hypnotic Linsay Alexander can also be enjoyed with his ballads of Blues. Don’t miss out on “The Jason Kollum Variety Show” (www.jasonvarietyshow.com) or our breathtaking fashion show inside the theater.  “Wawel” the Polish Highlander Dancers will be featured throughout the day.

Each year the Taste of Polonia provides space for 100’s of food vendors and merchants to offer a mini- cultural experience of Poland right here in Chicago. We know that your experiences here at the festival we be so enjoyable that we will see you next year and don’t forget to tell your friends. We can proudly state that over a million people have visited our fest over the last 27 years. We hope to have helped you learn more about Polish customs and traditions. We wish to extend our thanks to all who have supported our Foundation by attending our events. We would also like to thank the thousands of Copernicus volunteers, who without whose help and assistance we would never have been able to achieve the successes that we have over the past 36 years.

We would most graciously like to thank our sponsors, volunteers, Board of Directors and members for their time, efforts and support to the Taste of Polonia and to helping make this event such a tremendous success.

See you all at the fest!

For more information visit: http://taste-of-polonia-2hot-2handle.blogspot.com for English or: http://taste-of-polonia.blogspot.com for Polish.