Plans are underway for the 18 th annual Perch, Peach, Pierogi and Polka Festival to be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in downtown Port Clinton at 109 E. Perry Street, over Labor Day Weekend.  The event begins on Friday, September 1st and the fun, food and fantastic polka music continues on Saturday, September 2nd and Sunday, September 3rd.  The festival will be open from 4pm to 9:30 pm on Friday and from 11am until 9:30pm on both Saturday and Sunday.  

Once again perch sandwiches and dinners will be served along with pierogies and delicious peach pie with Toft’s ice cream. Polish sausage sandwiches will also be available. Soft drinks, adult beverages and ice cold beer will be sold in the beer tent.  All food items are also available at the carryout.

The festival will begin at 4pm Friday, with all food and beverages available.  Music will be provided by the Frank Moravcik Band from 5 to 9 pm Based in Cleveland, the Frank Moravcik Band was formed in 1995.  The main emphasis of their music is on the “Cleveland Style” of polka music, however, they are known for their ability to perform a wide variety of different styles of polka music and popular dance tunes.  Frank and the band have been honored by various organizations including the National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame. The band has been the recipient of the Best New/Young Band Award from the Polka Hall of Fame and has received numerous nominations in categories of Band of the Year and Album of the Year.  Over the years, Frank has hosted a number of bus tours and performed with the band on cruise ships. His music has taken him to several venues besides Ohio including Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Missouri, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Minnesota, Texas, and Washington, D.C. Internationally, he has performed in Canada and the Netherlands. 

Performing on Saturday from noon to 4pm will be the Culkar band, another Cleveland area favorite. Having been around for a number of years, they specialize in Polka music as well as a large variety of American favorites. They have performed at various dance halls, dining rooms, private parties, and festivals throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states.  In 2019 the band was nominated by the Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame for the Band of the Year and Recording of the Year.  

From 5 to 9 pm Saturday, the Eddie Rodick Orchestra returns for the eigth time to close out the day. Eddie has been wowing audiences with his unique and exciting accordion playing for over 40 years. The entire band is made up of outstanding musicians and vocalists. Eddie has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for the National Polka Hall of Fame, and his orchestra was named the Band of the Year in 1990, 2002, 2007 and 2008.  Their album, “Polka Sweethearts” was the winner of the 2007 recording of the year. Eddie and his orchestra have played throughout the United States, in Spain, Holland, Canada, and Mexico.

Highlighting the weekend music will be the Del Sinchak Band from Youngstown, Ohio.  Del will play on Sunday from 12 noon until 4pm.  The Del Sinchak Band has seven successful releases on the award winning Peppermint label.  The National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame nominated four of these albums for the Album of the Year.  The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences nominated “Let the Sunshine In” the album for a Grammy Award for the Best Polka Album in 1999.  In 2005, Del’s album “Polkapizzazz” was also nominated for a Grammy. Del Sinchak is a member of the National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame and in 2009 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award.  This group has won the hearts of thousands of polka fans with their energetic live performances, and has played at the Perch, Peach, Pierogi and Polka Festival every year since the first one. 

Rounding out this year’s entertainment will be the Duane Malinowski Orchestra. They will perform on Sunday from 5pm to 9pm.  Based in Toledo, Duane has been in the business for over thirty years, and after spending the last sixteen years playing locally in the Michigan/Ohio area, he has taken to the road once again.  Even though he has recorded a couple of great country CD’s in Nashville, he has always stayed true to his Polish heritage. His latest release “Through the Years - Two Sides of Duane” has received rave reviews from across the country.  He has a solid group that, when you hear this band, you just know they love what they are doing! Like all the other bands, Duane and his group have performed throughout the United States, on cruise ships, and internationally.  

Admission to the festival for adults is $8.00 per day or $20.00 for the entire weekend.  Anyone under the age of 18 is free. The facility is protected from the elements and will continue rain or shine.  Everyone is invited to join us for this fun filled weekend.