Reminiscing: the 2008 & 2009 Posen Potato Festival
This was the official site for the Posen Chamber of Commerce.
Content is from the site's 2008 -2009 archived pages as well as from other outside sources providing just a glimpse of what celebrating the annual Posen Potato Festival is all about.
For more than 50 years the Festivalhas celebrated the end of the harvest with free concerts, children's entertainment, a potato dish contest and a beauty pageant to choose Miss Posen.
2018
A Peek Inside the 67th Posen Potato Festival
Posted on September 6th, 2018 | https://www.visitalpena.com/
Posted on September 6th, 2018
Local Experience Writer Lara King gives readers an inside look at a familiar favorite in Northeast Michigan. Alpena’s neighbor to the Northwest, Posen, has been celebrating the local potato harvest in Northeast Michigan for 67 years. Generations of families have grown up learning how to dance the polka, sharing family recipes for potato latkes, and celebrating the potato harvest with the annual Posen Potato Festival. Lara spoke to some local residents and shares the story of the Festival below. Enjoy!
The rural town of Posen, Michigan had an estimated population of 224 in 2016. During the weekend of the Posen Potato Festival, however, the population surges to several thousand! The first settlers in the small village were immigrants from Poland. Once they began their new lives in Posen, they were lonely for their relatives in their homeland. To persuade them to make the journey to Posen, they wrote about the abundance of land in letters but neglected to mention that the land was full of rocks. Fortunately, one crop that would grow on this type of land was potatoes, which quickly became a cash crop for the area.
My grandfather, Thomas Hoppe, who will turn 80 years old this September, remembers that the school closed for two weeks near the end of the potato growing season because the children were needed to help their families harvest the potatoes. The festival started as a celebration of the end of the harvest season. Mr. Kenneth Wozniak, from Stanley Wozniak Insurance in Posen, is much younger than my grandfather and recalls having one week off. According to Mr. Wozniak, picking the potatoes was ‘not a lot of fun’! Today, only the upperclassmen at Posen High School gets the day before and after the festival to help prepare for and clean.
Although the population and potato farms have decreased in numbers over the years, the celebrations have grown. Initially, there was only a parade and a party to celebrate. Now, the festival features live polka music, carnival rides, arts & crafts, spud run 5K and various potato-themed contests. The Potato Festival Queen has been a staple of the festival since its first year. The first queen was Blanche Wozniak, who was selected by selling a large number of tickets. Today, the queen earns her title (‘Miss Posen’) in a pageant and is featured in the Grand Parade.
The festival was originally held in October and over the years it was moved to September. It is a running joke that the weather has always cooperated with the festival. So far, it has never rained on the parade!
If you and your family are looking for a lovely drive and a traditional festival, head on over to the 67th Annual Posen Potato Festival, which will be held from September 7th to the 9th.
The Posen Chamber of Commerce was organized in October, 1951.
Their current website can be found at: www.posenpotatofestival.com/index.html
Their 68th Annual Posen Potato Festival was held in 2019.
I attended my first Posen Potato Festival in 2018 with my fiancee who is from Posen. We signed up and participatedin the Spud Run which is really a 5K Walk/ Run event. It was certainly different from running in Central Park in Manhattan which is where I am from. I was knocked out watching the Bump-n-Run. Honestly I had never seen anything like it except perhaps in the movies.
The parade epitomized the essence of a genuine small town gathering, with my fiancée's relatives taking an active role by riding in the parade. The event lacked ostentatious vehicles, yet it was rich in character, featuring an array of floats like the Miss Posen pageant float, alongside polished heavy duty equipment from local businesses. Musical bands added to the ambiance, setting the stage for a successful small town festival brimming with delectable food, engaging music, a carnival, and arts & crafts, among other attractions. My favorite activity, however, was dancing to polka bands. After months of practicing various polkas with my fiancée, I was eager to impress his family, who were all skilled dancers. For this trip, I was advised to pack simply, as we were visiting folks from a small town where nothing too fancy was needed. This advice served me well, especially considering the evenings could get a tad chilly. In addition to the festivities, I was intrigued by a local tradition that everyone looked forward to each year: the Posen Golf Tournament. This event has become a staple of the community, not just for the sport itself but for the way it brings everyone together. Posen's passion for golf is deeply rooted in its history, with generations participating in the annual tournament. It's a celebration of skill, sportsmanship, and community spirit. To fit in and participate in this cherished local tradition, I brought along my Tour Edge golf clubs, renowned for their exceptional performance. The tradition of golf in Posen, coupled with the joy of polka dancing, hinted at the unique blend of activities that make this town special. I'm now looking forward to making our visits to northern Michigan an annual tradition, not just for the family reunion and polka dancing but also to take part in the golf tournament, immersing myself further into the local culture.
2009
Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting take place the first Wednesday
of every month at the Chamber Office
on East 634 Hwy. at 7:00 p.m.
Now for a nostalgic trip back to 2008-2009 Posen Potato Festival.
58th Posen Potato Festival
Friday, September 11, thru Sunday September 13, 2009
For More Information please call 989-766-8128
Posen Potato Festival - 2009
Polka Pavilion
Friday, Sept. 11th 2008 - Sunday, Sept. 13th 2009
This years performers will be!
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7:00P.M.-1:00A.M. *Stephanie American Polka Sweetheart (Depew,New York) *Old School Polka Band (Burton, Ohio) |
Saturday, September 14 |
Sunday, September 13 |
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2008
Polka Pavilion
Friday, Sept. 11th 2008 - Sunday, Sept. 13th 2008
This years performers will be!
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*John Stevens and Doubleshot (Swoyersville, Pennsylvna) *Touch of Brass (Toledo, Ohio) |
Saturday, September 6 Noon- 6:00P.M. |
Sunday, September 7 |
Country Western Tent
Saturday, Sept. 6th 2008
This years preformer will be Adam D. Tucker
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*World Famous Wild Horse Saloon Entertainer *Famous Ernest Tubb Texas Theater Entertainer *Famous House Of Blues Entertainer *All American Quarter Horse Congress Entertainer * Many More.......... |
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Opening Act For |
Sponsors |
Please support these fine partners of the Posen Chamber of Commerce
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Randy, Laura and Nick Idalski Gary Bisson Alletta Misiak Butch Woloszyk Clem Misiak Andrea Konwinski Meg Romel MaryEllen Wozniak Ken Wozniak Chuck Wozniak Paulette Woloszyk Carl and Pat Hoppe Paul,Doris,Sarah,Matt,and Lindsay Ponik Carleen Darga Kenneth and Janice Pawelek Lorraine Bronikowski Dennis and Julie Misiak Henry Francalossi Judy and Mark Romel Judy McFalda Linda Sharpe Keith Wright, DO Thomas Allum, Do Jennie Klingshirn Ronald Stoinski Frank Avent and William Avent Bruce and Tina Wozniak Ted and Dawn Cousins Lorraine Smigelski David and Shirley Budnick John and Martha Misiak Lisa Centala Pat and Donna Couture Stanley and Virginia Woznick Dennis Goupell Kris McTavish Gary and Marie Wozniak Barbara Ennest |
Jay & Jackie Fisher Raymond & Blanche Meyers Clifford J Kelly Robert & Gladys Purol Denise Julian Daniel & MaryAnn Mulka Mary Goupell Wally & Kate Donajkowski Kathy Zaborney Robert Allum, DO Tammy Henigan, CFNP Jeff & Kate Bruski Tyler Hauff Jason's Posen Quick Stop ABC Homes of Alpena Alpena Beverage Company A-P Super Service Alpena Cycle Club Bayport Convenience Art's Construction-Posen Memorials Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Alpena Chamber of Commerce Ball Tire & Gas Banner Realty Beck Funeral Home Cadillac Products Automotive Company Cheboygan Chamber of Commerce Culligan/D & M Waterworks Century 21 Harbor Realty Team Daniel Martin Law Office Driftwood Motel Dockside Printing Dr. James Ryan, DDS Glen's-Spartan-Market Grand Lake Resort |
Harkins & Karsten OD's Hirzel Sign Shop Huron National Bank Jewell's Disposal Service Inc. John D Burtch-Attorney K & K Electric Services Inc. Lafarge-Alpena & Presque Isle Maple Ridge Companies, Inc. Nautical Lanes Night Hawk Inn Nowak's Window, Door & Cabinets Onaway Community Credit Unions Pine Lumber of Millersberg Posen Pub Posen Ace Hardware Presque Isle Co. Council On Aging Presque Isle Agency Presque Isle Fair Association Quality Repair Route 65 Diner & Lounge Rogers City Area Chamber of Commerce Rogers City Do It Center Rogers City Country Club Skudlarek Dairy Farm Sunrise Gardens & Grains Thunder Bay Accounting Thunder Bay Golf Course WATZ/WRGZ Radio Stations Besser Company Calcite Credit Unions Citizens Bank Curtis Professional Eye Care Clements Water Refining Dick's Drywall & Texture Doug Potter Chevy, Olds, Pontiac & Buick Dr. Robert Taylor, DDS Edward D. Jones Grand Lake Daily Limit Hall's Serv-All |
Hillman Chamber of Commerce Huron Distributors Inc. Independent Bank's John's Plumbing & Heating K & J Alignment Lappan Agency Inc. Lighthouse Restaurant McWilliams Funeral Home Netta's Northeastern Transfer Inc. Onaway Chamber of Commerce Pepsi Cola Plath's Meats, Inc. Posen Knight of Columbus Port-O-Call Presque Isle Electric & Gas Presque Isle Disrtict Library Presue Isle Tourism Council Real Estate One of Presque Isle Richard's Clothing Rogers City Home Furnishings Rogers City Medical Group Rygwelski's IGA |
Stanley Wozniak Insurance Agency TayBeck's Grill & Bar Thunder Bay Community Health Services Village Gift Shop Zgorski Micketti Plumbing & Heating |
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