THE STORY OF PIEROGI FEST® 

How does a simple idea for a local festival to celebrate ethnic roots become a globally known phenomenon with hundreds of thousands of attendees each year?  

It all started a few decades ago in the little town called Whiting, Indiana. There, a combination of great ideas, strong community spirit, a little bit of luck, and a fair bit of wackiness all came together into what became the world-famous Pierogi Fest.  

 

How it All Began – The Early Elements 

The original idea for Pierogi Fest formed in the early 1990s when founder Marty Dybel and co-founders Tom Dabertin and Darlene Beerling had an idea to celebrate cultural heritage with a new festival in Whiting. The city has a long and proud history that blends many cultural backgrounds from around the world into a community that is totally unique, yet somehow remarkably familiar to visitors. That’s part of the magic of Pierogi Fest.   

Food, naturally, is a big part of cultural identity. As the trio was discussing early ideas, they knew that food, family, and fun would need to be cornerstones of the new event.  

Pierogis were chosen as a focal point to honor Eastern European heritage, but the festival has never been exclusive to a single culture. All foods from all nationalities are welcome, and over the years many different types of delicious dishes have been featured during the event.  

 

Wacky, Weird Inspiration 

Although it may sound a little strange at first, Pierogi Fest’s founders realized that grandmothers are an important part of almost all world cultures. Most people have a fond childhood memory of their grandmother in a weird outfit with curlers in her hair while she goes about doing the things that grandmas do. That was also a tradition in Whiting back when the founders were growing up.  

That’s why the bushas, or “busha ladies,” were incorporated into the fest as an important symbol. Busha is a Polish word for grandmother, and their presence throughout the festival represents the love and respect that all people have for their grandparents and family traditions. Plus, the hilarity of their weird grandma outfits.  

The Precision Lawn Mowing Team, or “Lawnmower Brigade” as folks call them, is another wacky element that Pierogi Fest’s founders added to the event. Traditionally in Whiting, men would often wear their old Sunday-best outfits to mow the lawn. These old clothes made for outrageously mismatched getups.  

Today’s Precision Lawn Mowing Team dresses a little bit more relaxed (and very Dad-like… we’re looking at you, guy with the socks and sandals…), but they always impress crowds with their expert maneuvering of lawn equipment through Whiting’s streets.  

 

Best Partners in the World  

Each of Pierogi Fest’s early founders were involved with the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce, the official organizer of today’s fests. A close partnership with the chamber, local businesses, and area volunteers brought the fest to life.  

The volunteers are truly the heart and soul of Pierogi Fest. Their involvement gives the community a tremendous sense of ownership and pride in the festival. The whole event is volunteer-driven and is basically nothing short of a community opening its doors to feed and entertain guests from all over the world. And really, what could be more special than that? 

“Pierogi Fest is everyone’s festival. It belongs to everyone that volunteers. There are so many people that take great pride in this festival because they’re part of it, they’re committed to it, they bring fresh ideas, and help with every step of the process. That is what makes the festival and the community so special,” Dabertin said.  

 

The Rise of Pierogi Fest  

Pierogi Fest wasn’t always the massive event that it is today. Surprisingly, the very first festival back in 1993 spanned only about 50 feet in length with only a handful of vendors and a few dozen people in the parade. Roughly 1,200 pierogis were served over about a day and a half.  

These days, the event is about a mile in length and the number of pierogis served is probably in the millions. But the fame and popularity didn’t happen overnight. There were several important milestones that propelled the festival as it grew.  

First and foremost – and just about everyone can agree with this one – one of the big catalysts for growth happened in year five when Pierogi Fest featured its first beer garden. Beer and pierogies go together as well as peanut butter and jelly. It’s practically a match made in heaven and was definitely a major milestone that boosted early attendance levels.  

Next came some unexpected support from the media. In the festival’s tenth year, Tom Dabertin’s mother thought that Steve Baskerville, a now retired meteorologist from CBS 2 Chicago, was a delightful television personality that should be involved with Pierogi Fest. Tenacious as she was, Mrs. Dabertin phoned CBS 2 until she finally obtained the contact information for Baskerville. The event’s coordinators invited him, and he conducted a live television weather broadcast from Pierogi Fest.  

This was the first time the event had received live television coverage. The coordinators were so excited to have Baskerville attend, they made him the Perennial Grand Marshall of the parade. Baskerville has served in this role every year since his first attendance. He has become an honored and important part of the Pierogi Fest story.  

Since the start of Baskerville’s involvement, lots of other media outlets have brought the spotlight to the festival. Joanie Lum and Roseanne Tellez from FOX 32 Chicago and Roz Varon from ABC7 Chicago have been key media supporters over the years. Oprah Winfrey included the festival on her “favorite things to do list” five years in a row. Numerous travel and food media outlets like TripAdvisor, Travel Channel, and The Food Network have featured unique and wacky stories about Pierogi Fest. And other TV stations from faraway places like China, Poland, Australia, Slovakia, and others have highlighted the event.  

All this attention catapulted Pierogi Fest onto the world’s stage as a destination event for all to enjoy.  

 

Still Got that Small-Town Perspective  

Although the festival is nationally recognized today, it still maintains its small-town perspective. That’s a big reason why people from all over world love coming to the fest each year – even those that weren’t raised in small towns. There’s something oddly familiar about Pierogi Fest for many people that attend. In a way, it’s like they’re transported to another time and place when things were a bit simpler and a lot more fun.  

But don’t just take our word for it. Come to Pierogi Fest and find out for yourself! The volunteers and people of Whiting welcome you, and we can’t wait to see you at this year’s event. Ladies, bring your buscia curlers and housecoats. And fellas, wear your best lawn-mowing clothes. Things are going to get wacky!  

 

Spotlight on Pierogi Fest!  

Over the years, Pierogi Fest has been featured on all kinds of national and local media outlets.  

  • Oprah Winfrey’s “Top 5 Things to Do,” five years in a row 

  • TripAdvisor, “Wackiest Festivals on the Planet”  

  • Food Network’s “Unwrapped”  

  • Food Network’s “All American Festivals”  

  • Travel Channel’s “Taste of America”  

  • Wall Street Journal, front-page feature 

  • Numerous Chicago media features from CBS 2, FOX 32, ABC7, NBC, and many others 

  • PBS “Wild Travels” 

  • Reader’s Digest “15 American Food Festivals Worth a Pit Stop”  

  • Interesting Indiana’s “Best Festival in Chicagoland”  

  • Channel 11’s “Wild Chicago” 

  • “Women’s World” magazine 

  • Yahoo.com “Blue Ribbon Festival”  

  • National feature on CNN 

  • Lakeshore Public Television’s “Savor Indiana”  

  • YouTube segment on “What America Eats”  

  • Time of Northwest Indiana’s “Best Festival,” over 18 years in a row 

  • Global news stores from countries like China, Poland, Australia, Slovakia, Germany, and others.