Polish heritage as lived in our region will be a major feature in our 2025 programming. Our interest began several years ago, and now we are beginning phase 2 of our project. Come back to this space for news on this theme and more.
You are invited to join our interest group anytime.
COMMUNITY 10-15
PNA Dancers bring Polish heritage alive Perform at arts festival at Old Crossing
Treaty Park The Association of the French of the North (AFRAN) recently sponsored their 43rd annual Chautauqua and Arts Festival at Old Crossing Treaty Park in Huot, Minnesota. By special invitation, Polish National Alliance of Warsaw took part in the festivities.
AFRAN board director Virgil Benoit traveled from Red Lake Falls, Minnesota, in early 2025 to connect with Polish community members near Warsaw and Minto. He was seeking a new ethnic group to be represented at the annual arts festival in late August.
PNA members Roger and Sandy Schuster and Chris Misialek were instrumental in introducing Benoit to Polish food, customs and culture – he even learned to make authentic Polish sausage on return trips to Minto.
Benoit was so interested in the history of this ethnic group that he invited a delegation of the PNA to participate in the August 2025 celebration near Red Lake Falls. This festival is a public event that connects people of the Red River Valley through the arts to the heritage of the region. Hundreds come annually each year to the fest which is held at a primitive style historic site which has no buildings. The festival creates a social atmosphere conducive to the exchange of thoughts and learning.
Fourteen members of the Warsaw PNA presented cultural experiences for their audience. Dancers wore a variety of regional costumes and performed several regional dances of Poland. Dance director Sandy Schuster gave detailed information between dances about each regional costume and the area of Poland represented. Dances and costumes illustrate a commitment to folk traditions and beauty of design on fabric as well as execution of dance steps. Schuster was assisted with the dance performance by Emma Nice.
Robert Gruchala of Minto spoke about the history of Poland, migration of immigrants from Poland to the Red River Valley over the years, early history of St. Stanislaus Church in Warsaw and the start of the Polish National Alliance in Warsaw in 1945. This year Warsaw PNA celebrates 80 years, the only PNA Lodge in North Dakota, based out of Chicago, Illinois.
At the completion of the PNA presentation, PNA members Marge Gudajtes Gourde, Sheila Czapiewski and Mary Riske served the audience samples of cheese and potato pierogie. In the evening a Polish meal was served in the park – many guests waited all day for this delicious meal of homemade Polish sausage, pierogie, sauerkraut and salads.
Old Crossing Treaty Park is the one and only park marking the link between Native Americans and homestead history of Red Lakers that residents of some 21 countries of the Red River Valley formed from the treaty land cession. For more information about this historic area, go to: oldcrossing.org.
(Submitted by Sandy Schuster, Warsaw PNA 701-360-2144)
PHOTO CUTLINES
Four young ladies dancing in the PNA performance at the annual Chautauqua and Arts Festival are, from left, McKenna Pinta, Cecilia Pinta, Zelda Pinta and Isadora Pinta.
Dancing in the boy’s group were, from left, Gabriel Pinta, Frank Pinta, Henry Pinta III and Benedict Pinta.
Bob and Doreen Gruchala dance together at Old Crossing Treaty Park in Huot, Minnesota, as part of the annual Chautauqua and Arts Festival.
Members of Warsaw’s Polish National Alliance who participated in the program or performed at the festival are, from left, Bob Gruchala, Doreen Gruchala, Henry Pinta III, McKenna Pinta, Frank Pinta, Zelda Pinta, Gabriel Pinta, Isadora Pinta, Cecilia Pinta, Benedict Pinta, Sandy Schuster, Mary Riske and Emma Nice.
Bob and Doreen Gruchala dance together at Old Crossing Treaty Park in Huot, Minnesota, as part of the annual Chautauqua and Arts Festival.
The pictures that follow were taken at the “Sausage House” in Minto, ND. where six of us representing AFRAN made Polish sausage with experts Chris Misialek and Roger Schuster of Minto, ND who guided us through the stages until we had a great number of sausage rings made up to take home and share. We plan to serve some at our annual meeting March 16.
Working together to built understanding and friendship across the counties of the Red River Valley. Minto is 70 miles from Old Crossing.
Our youngest member, Arthur LaCoursiere had this to say about his experience.
“What I liked about making sausage was the grinder. I smashed the meat into the grinder then I made it into sausage. We got casings and made the sausage. Me and my dad and Virgil all had fun!
P.S. I tried a lot of sausage. It tasted good and we put it in the smoke room. Chris and I did the stuffing.”
*Arthur LaCoursiere, Old Crossing, Huot, MN
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