Celebrating Poland

July 2, 2017 at 12:08a.m.

POLAND

Celebrate Poland

Boardman sisters Adrianna Quinlan, 13, and her sister, Genevieve, 12, who won the two top spots in their age group in the 2016 Poland Idol singing contest at Celebrate Poland, tried to repeat their success in Saturday’s event.

“I’ve done Poland Idols for 11 years,” said Cindy Best, first-year president of Celebrate Poland, on the grounds of Poland Village Hall. “It’s fun seeing the contestants come back year-after-year.”

Best’s daughter, Brittany Best, a former Poland Idol contestant, is a voice performance major at Berklee College of Music in Boston and was one of the judges for Saturday’s contest.

The Quinlan siblings, students at Boardman Glenwood Junior High School, were among about 25 contestants in four categories - kindergarten to fourth grade, fifth to eighth grade, high school and adult.

“It literally rained on my parade Friday,” said Best.

But, she said, because of great community support, there was a crowd of about 300 for the Disco Inferno rock band performance squeezed in between the rain.

However, while precipitation threatened off-and-on early Saturday, the hot, muggy day did not keep away a crowd of people who enjoyed the events and one another.

Poland Seminary High School students Lauren Gates, 17, and Lindsay Roberts and Ryan O’Kane, both 16, say they come to Celebrate Poland to hang out with their friends and watch the fireworks.

But when they were younger, they said, they came with their families to the event.

“At first, it was for the parade and free candy,” said Ryan.

Lindsay, who moved to Poland a decade ago, also first attended the event with her family. “Now, it’s with friends,” she said.

“This is a family-friendly, free event that doesn’t cost a lot of money. That’s our goal,” Best said.

It has something to interest almost everybody, from $2 pony rides for kids to vendors selling everything from clothing to food, Amazon Eric’s reptile show, and the Centennial Garden, which was refurbished by the Poland Village Gardeners and community residents in 2007.

“The pony rides are very popular,” said Donna Wolfe, a member of the Celebrate Poland 2017 Committee and Poland Women’s Club, noting the line of parents with their children.

Poland Village Gardners Ginny Meloy of Poland Township and Cathy Lind of Poland Village were on hand to welcome visitors to the Centennial Garden.

The garden, created in 1923 by Judge James B. Kennedy, aims to beautify the area and remind people of the history and heritage of Poland, Meloy said.

According to the Centennial Garden literature, “By the pathway near the entrance is a large stone marker, under which is buried a time capsule, “The Spirit of ’76,” containing photos, messages and memorabilia of Poland residents in commemoration of the nation’s 1976 bi-centennial.”

“At the right side of the garden is a large, round millstone which had been in the Old Grist Mill that stood by Yellow Creek at the front of the Town Hall property until 1920. The centerpiece of the garden is a classic Greek-styled pergola that reflects the historical charcter of Poland,” according to the literature.