National Polka Festival facts for kids
The National Polka Festival is a fun yearly event in Ennis, Texas. It's a big party that celebrates the Czech heritage in the city. This exciting festival lasts for three days. It happens every year during the Memorial Day weekend.
During the festival, three special halls open their doors. They offer tasty Czech foods like klobase (which is a type of sausage), sauerkraut, and kolache (a sweet pastry). You can also enjoy live entertainment. There's lots of traditional polka music and dancing!
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History of the Polka Festival
The idea for the National Polka Festival in Ennis, Texas, started small. Three friends from Ennis, Raymond Zapletal, Len Gehrig, and Joe Liska, had an idea. They had seen how popular polka bands were in other cities. They believed people would travel to Ennis for the same reason.
So, in 1967, these three friends shared their idea. They talked to Jack McKay, who managed the Chamber of Commerce. For the idea to work, it needed help from both the Chamber and the people of Ennis. Jack McKay agreed that the festival could really help Ennis. It would also be great for the Czech community.
This is how one of the biggest polka festivals in the country began! The three friends agreed to find bands for the halls. The Chamber of Commerce agreed to organize the parade and downtown fun. Within just three years, the festival was a huge success. About 30,000 people came from all over the country. They came to enjoy the music and fun at the four halls.
In 2020, the festival had to be canceled. This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a big health situation around the world.
Festival Traditions and Fun
The festival today still keeps its original traditions and style. The people who started it, and those who followed them, wanted to keep the Czech traditions real. They still do this today. All the parade entries and bands are asked to have Czech themes. They are also asked to play Czech music.
This festival has grown over many years. It takes a lot of hard work from different groups. Today, it's one of the largest festivals of its kind in the United States. It attracts as many as 50,000 people!
Many famous bands have played at the festival. One even won a Grammy award, called Brave Combo. Other popular bands include The Jodie Mikula Orchestra, Czech and Then Some, and the Dujka Brother's. Bands come from all over Texas, the United States, and even the Czech Republic. The festival gets help from radio station 96.3 FM KSCS.
This festival is special because it has three large halls. These halls have big dance floors. You can dance to polka music, waltzes, or even a folk dance. On Friday night, a king and queen dance contest was added in 1986. This contest helps start the fun! The festival also has one of the biggest parades in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex area. After the parade, there are many activities downtown for the whole family.
Raymond Zapletal's son, Danny Zapletal, was in charge of the festival for 25 years. He retired in 2016. Danny still helps the festival whenever he can. Raymond's daughter, Michelle Zapletal Slovak, has been the festival's secretary since 1995.
Festival Details
The National Polka Festival is a three-day event. It happens every Memorial Day weekend. The fun starts on Friday night with music and the king and queen contest. On Saturday morning, there's a 5K and 10K race. There's also a 1K walk, starting at 7 a.m., if the weather is good.
Vendors set up tents along the streets. They sell all sorts of things. You can find handmade art, clothes, and different kinds of food. After the morning activities, the party moves to the community halls. These halls are Sokol, KJT, and Knights of Columbus. Bands play music there, and Czech food is served all weekend. Free shuttle buses take people from the halls to downtown on Saturday and Sunday.
More About the Festival
The parade starts exactly at 10 a.m., no matter the weather. It begins on N. Clay Street. Then it goes through downtown on Ennis Avenue. It turns south onto Main Street, where it finishes. The city closes off parking along the parade route. People start gathering around 9 o'clock to get a good spot. Anywhere along Ennis Avenue is good. The area near Dallas Street is great for taking photos. You can park on nearby downtown streets. You can also park on the grass along the railroad where the parade ends. The parade is quite long, so it's a good idea to bring chairs and umbrellas. Umbrellas can protect you from the sun or rain.
You can look at the vendor tents before the parade. But remember to find a good spot to watch the parade first! If the weather is nice, live polka music plays at noon on the downtown stage. You can find typical festival foods like turkey legs, BBQ, and funnel cakes. But this festival is special! You can also buy klobase sandwiches, klobase on a stick, sauerkraut boats, and kolache.
After the parade, three of the community halls open at 11:30 a.m. Different bands and dance groups perform there. You can pay at the door for each hall. Or, you can buy a pass for the whole weekend or just one day. Each hall offers a big menu of delicious Czech food.
Images for kids
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Girl in Americanized kroj, 1976
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1971 Polka dancers
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