Riverhead Polish Hall last night celebrated the grand opening of “Ziggy’s Place,” in the reimagined lower-level bar, bowling alley and meeting room at the iconic Polish Town banquet hall.
Volunteers and members of the board of the Riverhead Polish Independent Club have been working hard to update and spruce up the hideaway space, especially the former “Garden Room,” which has been transformed from a meeting room into a lounge with a stage for live performances.
Riverhead residents Diane Tucci and Keri Najdzion spearheaded the effort, along with key members of the organization’s board, including Thomas Najdzion, president of the club, Mark Busczynski and John Chwalek.
“For a long time, I dreamed of creating a space centered around live music, where friends, families and neighbors could gather, connect and enjoy good, clean fun together,” Tucci said at last night’s event, where family members of Ziggy Wilinski, members of the Riverhead Polish Independent Club, Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard and members of the Town Board, Assembly Member Jodi Giglio and community residents gathered for the grand opening.
Ziggy’s Place will be open seven days a week, with live music every Saturday night, Tucci said. The lounge will also host stand-up comedy, as well as open mic and karaoke nights. The bar has a pool table and now features a dart board. A dart league may be forming soon, Tucci said. And of course, there’s the four-lane, full-scale bowling alley situated off the bar.
“There’s really something for everyone,” she said.
The banquet hall upstairs is part of the action, too. Tucci has organized line-dancing lessons on the main floor. It’s a locally unique space for line-dancing because of its wood floor, she said. Also, bigger bands will perform upstairs in the banquet hall.
Polish Hall will continue to host steak nights every month, as well as an annual lobster fest, in addition to being available for special events, including wedding receptions, said Keri Najdzion.
Walking into Polish Hall, Tucci said, she discovered it “wasn’t just a venue but a space frozen in time, filled with rich history, nostalgia and some truly amazing people who care deeply about keeping this community vibrant,” Tucci said.
Ziggy Wilinski was a huge part of that history, serving as president of the Riverhead Polish Independent Club for 17 years before his death in March 2021.
The original building, called Koscuiszko Hall, was built by the club in 1907, according to reports by the County Review and Brooklyn Daily Eagle. That building burned down in 1928 and the club built the current building in the same location.
Polish Hall is an iconic fixture of Polish Town and the wider Riverhead community.
Wilinski’s son Mark said last night his father had “an old expression: ‘Riverhead Polish Hall, the center of it all.’”
“This was the place on eastern Long Island where everybody came,” Thomas Najdzion, Wilinski’s successor as club president said.
“We’re just a little part of that history,” Najdzion said. “And we’re going to keep it going.”
Ziggy left “big shoes to fill,” Najdzion said. “This is a great tribute to a man that truly loved this place. His name will continue.”
The club and town officials are hoping the rejuvenation of Polish Hall will jump start revitalization of Polish Town as well.
Tucci said she has learned that Polish Town was never formally designated in any way. Town officials are now exploring the possibility of establishing a historic district for Polish Town, said Tucci, who is employed by the town as the Town Board coordinator.
“There’s opportunities to create maybe an urban renewal district there which will bring opportunities for funding,” Tucci said. “Once all these things go through, that means that, places like Polish Hall and the Polish Town Civic and all the businesses in there, can tap into funding to upgrade and update, and it’s going to become a vibrant little hub,” Tucci said.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Emil Breitenbach Jr., who also contributed reporting for this story.
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