Crowds flocked today to the Polish Town Fair and Festival, an annual summer favorite in Riverhead since 1975.
Visitors enjoyed traditional Polish food, music and folk-dancing, as well as browsing a variety of vendors offering just about everything under the sun.
Saturday was opening day; the event continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday’s offerings include Polish food, live music and a pierogi-eating contest at 1 p.m.
“It was a fantastic day,” said Kevin Davis, president of the Polish Town Civic Association, which organizes and produces the event. “It was great, absolutely great.” Davis credited the volunteers who he said make the event happen. He thanked them and thanked the Town of Riverhead for its assistance with everything. “Everything just worked out wonderful,” he said Saturday evening, after the fair closed down. He’s looking forward to Sunday, he said.
“We ran out of food by 1 o’clock,” Pendzick recalled in 2014. “We had no clue so many people would come. We sent out people all over town to try to replenish supplies. I don’t think there was a loaf of bread or a roll left in Riverhead.”
The fair continued annually through 2019, but was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It made its comeback in 2024, following a reorganization of the civic organization.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Emil Breitenbach Jr.
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