Polish Americans in Western/Central New York are getting excited about next weekend, which will feature both the Buffalo Polish Heritage Festival and the Syracuse Polish Festival.

The Buffalo Polish Festival will be held next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 8-10, at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg, NY. This is a great festival with most of the activities indoors. There will be plenty of Polish food, polka music, vendors, and exhibits. PAF member, James Conroyd Martin, will be there autographing copies of his wonderful books, “Push Not the River” and “Against a Crimson Sky.” Pol Am Peter Cetera, formerly lead singer of “Chicago,” will be performing Saturday night in concert. The John Gora Band and Jerry Darlak and The Touch will also be performing some great polkas.

Three hours down I-90, you will find the Syracuse Polish Festival, also next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 8-10, at Clinton Square in Downtown Syracuse. This is an outdoor festival with plenty of Polish food and beer. There’ll also be lots of vendors selling some great Polish czaczka. This festival always includes some fantastic national polka bands and this year is no exception with Lenny Gomulka and the Chicago Push headlining. Unfortunately there’s no way Lenny can top last years lineup which included Kasia Malinowska and Kava 4.2, and Alizma, the gorgeous Okapiec triplets.