[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 18684-18685]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      DON KRZYSIAK: A POLKA PRINCE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 3, 2001

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Don Krzysiak of Bay 
City, Michigan, for his induction into the Michigan State Polka Music 
Hall of Fame and for his many years of celebrating Polish heritage in a 
town where nearly everyone seems to claim Polish ancestry or at least 
wishes they could.
  Bay City's Polish community is one of the proudest in Michigan, 
bringing with it a love for good food, good spirits, fellowship, dance 
and the traditions of a footstomping, lively musical style known as the 
polka.
  When Don and his wife, Lois, opened Krzysiak's House Restaurant in 
1979, they created a touchstone for all things Polish for people near 
and far. From the pacskis to the polka, Don and Lois brought Old World 
Polish charm to Bay City in the same melting pot style that joined 
classical European music with folk music to form a uniquely American 
brand of polka during the Depression Era in the United States.
  Over the years, Don has been an active promoter of both Polish 
heritage and the polka. He has been instrumental in organizing many 
events, including the Bay Area Polish Tall Ships Festival, a 
presentation of the Magnificent Mazowsze song and dance ensemble, 
Polish Cabarets and traditional Polish Wigilia celebrations. He is 
perhaps most noted for putting together an event on Fat Tuesday in 1999 
billed as the ``Polka Paczki Party at Krzysiak's House Restaurant,'' 
which was covered live by a local television station and received front 
page coverage from the Bay City

[[Page 18685]]

Times. This event is now described in mythic proportions in the local 
Polish community and throughout the state.
  The reasons for Don's induction into the Michigan State Polka Music 
Hall of Fame, however, go beyond his legendary abilities as a 
restaurateur and promoter of Polish heritage. He also has a keen ear 
for the polka and is an expert polka music listener. Don also recently 
learned to play the stumpf fiddle and he performs at hospitals, nursing 
homes, and senior sites throughout the year.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Don 
Krzysiak on achieving the Michigan Polka Music industry's highest honor 
and for his many contributions in safeguarding all aspects of Polish 
heritage for generations to come. I am confident that Don will continue 
to warm Polish hearts and satisfy the appetites of people of all 
backgrounds well into the future.

                          ____________________