Polish Town Civic Association

Clearance for the festival to take place under COVIID restrictions didn't come soon enough to make the necessary arrangements, a Polish Town Civic Association representative said.

The Polish Town Civic Association hasn't been making much use of its "Polonaise Park" in recent years and has decided its time to shed the costs of taxes and maintenance on the 1.3-acre property. Photo: Denise Civiletti

It's Polish Fair weekend in Riverhead — that means Polka music, kielbasa, pierogi, golumpki, babkas and beer. Photos from Polish Town USA as the 45th annual fair got underway Saturday.

It's a perennial favorite in Riverhead — a giant open air market where visitors can enjoy Polish food and music while browsing...

It's a perennial favorite in Riverhead — a giant open air market where visitors can enjoy Polish food and music while browsing hundreds of booths featuring every kind of merchandise imaginable.

Polish Town Civic Association picked the 2016 Polish Town Queen and her court this weekend at Polish Hall.

Tom Mielnicki, who became president of the Polish Town Civic Association in January, resigned the post in October because he says he couldn't get straight answers about how the money raised by its annual street fair gets spent or why the organization's tax-exempt status, which was revoked in 2014, has not been re-instated.

The sun was shining, the sounds of laughter and polka music filled the air and the crowds that flocked to Polish Town in Riverhead on this warm summer Saturday took in the sights, sounds and aromas of the 41st annual Polish Street Fair and Festival.

The civic association's president says the IRS action is "clearly a mistake" and its tax preparer, former town assessor Robert Gottschalk, said all returns were filed and he's corresponding with the federal tax authority to clear the "mix-up."