Polish Festival in Belmont, CA

Mark, Mom, and I had a great time Saturday at the PolCA Polish Heritage Festival in Belmont, CA. We enjoyed Polish folk dancing, music, and food. I got to meet the Consul General of Poland from Los Angeles, Mariusz M. Brymor. I have him a copy of Rising Hope, my historical fiction book about the Polish Scouts’ coming alongside the Polish Underground in an effort to oust the Germans from Warsaw during WWII.

I was delighted to see that the Polish Society of California had a copy of Rising Hope at their booth, along with other books about Poland in English and in Polish.

I especially enjoyed meeting Polish-American Scouts that helped at the festival, including a leader named Anna. We talked about Scouts that fought in Poland during WWII, and about the current Polish uniforms worn here in the United States. Anna even agreed to let me take a picture of her in her gray uniform. She was delighted to receive a copy of Rising Hope because she is preparing a talk for her group of Polish-American Scouts about the history of Scouting in Poland.

Mom especially enjoyed the Polish band that included an accordion player. She taught accordion in Milwaukee, WI before we moved to CA in 1963 (she ran a music store in WI from the age of 17), and has continued to teach accordion, as well as piano and organ up to the present. Mark especially enjoyed the food! Last week I made Bigos for the first time, a traditional Polish dish. Can’t wait for my next festival!

Here are some pics of the Polish dancers.