Despite the rain, dark clouds and short thunderstorm that rolled through TOYOTA PARK just before kick-off on the night of July 22nd, the Fire's first ever Polish Night at the team's new home in Bridgeview was a complete success. Covered in face paint, the Polish community accounted for almost a third of the crowd with over 4,000 attending in support of their culture and the Chicago Fire.
In celebration of the Polish culture, the Fire hosted "Polskie Orly," a Polish pre-game festival complete with food, music, and entertainment. Providing authentic potato pancakes and the infamous Polish pierogies, Kasias was just one of the 12 vendors in participation from around the local community. Events kicked off an hour an a half before the main game, as the Polish community showcased their rich musical heritage with performances by Polonia, a traditional Polish dance group; Jump, a Modern Dance Group; and various members from Polonia Star, the unique Polish version of American Idol.
The sun found its way through the clouds just before game time to shine down on Lira Ensemble as the female vocal group sang beautiful versions of both the American and Polish national anthems. Following kick-off fans witnessed an action-packed game between the Chicago Fire and MLS' top team, D.C. United, the squad coached by former Polish National Team and Fire captain Peter Nowak. The crowd 15,000-plus watched from the edge of their seats as the Fire battled to a 1-1 tie with the League's overall leaders with only 10 men after losing a man just into the start of the second half.
"We were very pleased with the turnout and support from the Polish soccer community for the first Polish Festival at TOYOTA PARK," said Fire Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Mark Washo. "The Polish soccer community has a strong and rich history, tradition and heritage here in the city of Chicago. An on-going relationship with members of the Polish soccer community is extremely important to the Chicago Fire, and to the future success of TOYOTA PARK."
At halftime, the Fire hosted a special ceremony for the induction of former Fire President and General Manager Peter Wilt into the club's own Hall of Fame, the "Ring of Fire." The ceremony also included a short slide show on the stadium's video board that reflected Wilt's time as Fire GM as well as appearances by Ring of Fire members Nowak, the group's inaugural member in 2003, and hometown hero Frank Klopas.
Polish Night was wrapped up following the game when 200 fans got a special chance to take part in a "Meet-and-Greet" with Nowak, who was honored as one of the members of MLS's "All-Time Best XI" for the League's first decade in 2005.
Due to the thunderstorms that cut short many of the Polish Night activities, the Fire is proud to announce that the club will again welcome the "Polskie Orly" festival back to TOYOTA PARK for the Fire's home match on Sunday, Sept. 17, also against D.C. United.
