09/04/2025
Please join us! If you can volunteer 7-10 pm, please email Annette [email protected]
Slovenian Grape Harvest Polka Festival Returns to Joliet Saturday, September 6th with New Location, Expanded Lineup!
The fourth annual Slovenian Grape Harvest Festival, hosted by the Joliet Area Historical Museum (JAHM), will be held at Joliet’s legendary “Cro Club” - a new location - on Saturday, September 6th. The festival, first held in 1977 to honor Joliet’s vibrant Slovenian cultural history, was reestablished in 2021 to celebrate the opening of JAHM’s Martin & Emma Planinsek Grocery & Meat Market Museum. Amy Koncar Dorencz, the volunteer co-chair of the event recalled, “I have such fond memories of attending the Grape Dance as a child with my grandma and family. This festival has renewed that spirit with the well-loved music, food, and energy I always looked forward to experiencing. I'm incredibly grateful to the Joliet Area Historical Museum for preserving this cherished tradition and giving me the opportunity to create new memories with my loved ones.”
Entertainment at this year's festival is comprised of traditional polka music and dancers and will include live performances by artists from around the block and around the world, including Ray Koncar & The Boys, The Marela Slovenian Folk Dancers, The Singing Slovenes and the Bobby Mutz Band. The Singing Slovenes, who hail from Minnesota, will be accompanied by Gasper Krek, a renowned “button box” player direct from Slovenia.
Authentic Slovenian smoked sausages, affectionately referred to as “smokies” will be available for purchase a la carte or as meals, served on fresh-baked Milano rolls alongside homemade potato salad and coleslaw. Potica and strudel lovingly crafted by Slovenian bakers, will be available for sale while they last. Food sales are available for both dine-in and carry-out and include kid-friendly options.
For festivalgoers 21 & over, an authentic vintage “beer wagon,” provided by Blue Ribbon Products, will serve cold PBR and Hoffbrau drafts throughout the duration of the festival. Appropriate to the festival’s name, wine from award-winning Joliet vintners Bishop Hill Winery will be sold in both glasses and flights.
A trolley will be available to transport festival attendees from the Croatian Cultural Club to the Planinsek Market Museum throughout the day, which is several short blocks from the festival location. “The Slovenian Grape Harvest Polka Festival is not just an ethnic festival, it is truly a ‘Joliet’ party that showcases our local culture and welcomes everyone in an energetic family-friendly day of music, dancing and food,” said Greg Peerbolte, Chief Executive Officer. “JAHM is very grateful to the Cro Club for extending its hospitality to the festival, we anticipate it will add both new energy and authenticity to the festival.”
Admission to the Festival is just $5.00 and proceeds from the event will benefit the Joliet Area Historical Museum, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization committed to promoting awareness, understanding and preservation of Joliet’s history and material culture.
IF YOU GO:
What: The 4th Annual Slovenian Grape Harvest Polka Festival
Where: Croation Cultural Club, 1503 Clement Street, Joliet/Martin & Emma Planinsek Grocery & Meat Market Museum 1314 Elizabeth Street, Joliet.
When: Saturday, September 6th, 1:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Admission: $5 per attendee (includes Planinsek Market Museum admission).
Parking: Free onsite.
Live Entertainment Schedule:
· Ray Koncar & The Boys: 1:30 – 3:30
· Marela Slovenian Folk Dancers: 4:00 – 4:30
· The Singing Slovenes (feat. Gasper Krek): 4:30 – 7:00
· Bobby Mutz Band: 7:30 – 10:00
