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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Celebrate Poland Committee had their pancake breakfast on Feb. 10 at Poland Seminary High School to raise funds for their Celebrate Poland event on June 29 and 30 at Town Hall. Pictured are, from left, (front) Barbara Banks, Rick Pompeii; (middle) Marcia Tiger, Cindy Best, Jim Comport, Joanne Wollet; (back) Trisha Perry, Jim Way, John Tiger, Amanda Russo and Chris Russo. Not pictured is Dave Wolfe.
By ZACK SHIVELY
The Celebrate Poland Committee cooked breakfast for their third annual pancake breakfast at Poland Seminary High School on Feb. 10 to raise funds for Celebrate Poland. The pancake breakfast included fruit cups, sausages, cupcakes, water, coffee and pancakes. They also had a basket raffle at the event.
“We love to meet and serve the community,“ said Amanda Russo, a member of the Celebrate Poland Committee who served the pancakes to the Poland residents.
The Celebrate Poland event will take place June 29 and 30 at Town Hall. The event gathers members of the community together for games, fireworks and more. The pancake breakfast is the committee’s only fundraiser for the event. The rest of their funding comes from donations and sponsorships.
Cindy Best, the president of the committee, said that thousands come throughout the weekend, especially to see the firework display. She said she loves to see the community together for the weekend.
Best got involved with the committee over a decade ago when the committee had its first meeting at the Poland library. Since then, the event has grown into a large, two-day event.
Best said she tries to find something for everyone at the event. They have games and a bounce house for younger children, a petting zoo and fireworks for families and a craft show and strawberry pie contest for adults.
The also have a “Poland Idol“ singing competition with multiple age categories ranging from kindergartners to adults. Each singer performs for a set of judges. Best said each contestant has “a sea of blankets“ cheering them on.
The event is free, though some of the activities may have a small fee. The weekend ends with their firework display, which people from all over the community gather to watch.
Both Best and Russo said that the committee has room to grow. They currently meet the first Monday of each month at Poland Baptist Church.
If you would like information on helping the committee as a volunteer or sponsor, contact Best at 330-651-2999.
If you would like to enter the craft show or strawberry pie competition, contact Barbara Banks at 330-757-4584.