Every summer for nearly 40 years now, a core group of parishioners from St. Stanlislaus Kostka Church gather in the old school basement in southeast Rockford to begin the meticulous process of making thousands of pierogi from scratch.
They sit side-by-side at long tables, their gloved hands covered in flour as they beat dough, scoop fillings and press dumplings into crescent moon shapes. They catch up on family news, joke and laugh and occasionally blurt out a word or two in Polish — all the while their hands never stop.
These men and women and even some children grew up eating and then making pierogi with their moms and grandmothers. Many have been making them for Rockford’s annual Polish Fest for so long they barely need a recipe, just plenty of love.
Welcome to the “pierogi factory.”
The factory, so to speak, comes to life each year in the weeks leading up to Polish Fest, the church’s one-day festival, held this year on Aug. 14.
Every year, thousands of people from across Rockford and beyond descend on the grounds of the church for their annual fill of traditional Polish fare, eaten at picnic tables while polka music fills the air.
But if you want to get a sense of what Polish Fest is about, you need to spend a night in the pierogi factory where babcias kiss each others cheeks as they pass along the ways of the old world to the next generation.
This year’s pierogi-making goal is 18,000 — a number that goes up almost every year because of high demand.
Selling out is never a problem.
“They are as authentic as you can get them around here,” said Sylwia Wysocki a veteran pierogi maker.
Stuffed with ‘love and care’
After nearly 40 decades of Polish Fest, the process of making pierogis resembles that of an assembly line with various people sitting at different stations. One group makes the dough. Another flattens it, yet another cuts it.
Wysocki said the church’s original pierogi recipe has been tweaked to perfection over the years by various contributors, but festival co-chair Margaret Borowoski insists “love and care” continue to be the main ingredients.
“We’re lucky to have the machine to make the dough and flatten the dough for us, but everything else is done by hand like peeling the potatoes and peeling the onions and things like that,” Wysocki said.
The pierogis are filled four different ways: pork, sauerkraut, sweet farmer’s cheese, or potato and cheese before they are frozen. They are baked the day of the festival and served hot on site.
Pierogis — bought individually or by the dozens — are easily the biggest seller at the fest, but pierogi-maker Patrick Bushaw said the family festival is more than pierogis, There are kielbasa sausages and sandwiches and potato pancakes, live Polka music, traditional dances and displays about Polish history and heritage.
“The festival itself is what helps keep our church alive,” he said. “It creates a sense of community, and certainly the financial aspect is very helpful for operations.”
Festival breathes new life into church
Profits from past Polish Fest have been used for vital needs such as new roofs for the church and school.
After the St. Stanislaus School closed in the 1980s, the building was remodeled to make it more energy efficient, by converting to natural gas for heating and by adding air conditioning.
A new piano and organ also were purchased for the church.
And when the church fell short in meeting the financial needs of the parish, Polish Fest funds were used to cover expenses.
The 39th annual Polish Fest returns this year to St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, 201 Buckbee St., after a two-year hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
After Polish Fest is over and you still haven’t gotten your fill of pierogis, Wysocki said the Polish delicacies also will be made and sold for other occasions such as World War II Days on Sept. 24 and 25 at Midway Village, and during Christmas and Easter bake sells.
Chris Green: 815-987-1241; [email protected]; @chrisfgreen
