By Abby Cambiano

Northeast News

June 8, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The annual Sugar Creek Slavic Festival will kick off in Sugar Creek, Missouri, on the evening of Friday, June 9, and continue Saturday with traditional food, entertainment, history, art and more.

The Slavic Festival honors the heritage of immigrants from Eastern Europe, including Czechs, Slovaks, Lusitanian Serbs, Poles, Croats, Slovenian, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Russians and Ukrainians, and more.
Starting in the late 1800s, political and economic tensions caused a wave of migration to the United States from these areas. Many of them settled outside Independence, Missouri, in search of the American dream, eventually creating the town of Sugar Creek, MO.

The tight-knit community celebrated their mutual heritage often and started the Sugar Creek Slavic Festival in 1986. Now, after 30 years, the festival is a reminder and a celebration of culture for the residents of Sugar Creek and surrounding communities.

The entertainment kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday with the Village Musicians, followed by Miss Czech/Slovak, the Kolo Kids, an ethnic dance troupe, a Kielbasa eating contest, and Kolograd.

“In the past we’ve brought in entertainment from Texas or Florida, but this year we’re having home-grown talent, Kolograd, and they’re very good,” Debbie Ray, vice president of the Sugar Creek Fair and Festival Board, said. “They’ll do every bit as good.”

Saturday’s entertainment schedule starts at 3 p.m. with the Ethnic Kroj Fashion show, followed by the Village Musicians, Hrvatski Obicaj, PromoUkraine, Sugar Creek Tamburitzans, Kolo Kids, Miss Czech/Slovak, the Ethnic Dance Troupe and Kolograd.

The Kroj fashion show invites Miss Czech and Miss Slovak winners from around the country to explain the traditional dress of Slavic countries. The fashion show will be held indoors at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Festival goers of all backgrounds can look forward to a homemade Croatian meal of roznijici (pork kabob) served with potato salad, slaw and bread, kielbasa sandwiches, hotdogs and hamburgers. All the favorites will be available, such as povitica, kolache, strudel and other baked goods.

For history and art lovers, Slavic Festival will have a museum display of artifacts, hand-painted Ukrainian eggs, Baltic amber and imported crystals. There will be opportunities to connect with groups and organizations that share Slavic heritage.

The Slavic Festival is held at the Mike Onka Memorial Building grounds at 11520 East Putnam in Sugar Creek, Missouri. Free parking and shuttles are offered throughout the two-day event.