An open-air motorcade drove down Lincolnway as South Bend Tribune reporter Jack Colwell and Senator Bobby Kennedy made their way to the west side of South Bend, in April of 1968. When the car doors opened they emerged to crowds of people celebrating at Polish meeting houses with food and drink in hand, eager for a chance to shake hands with the senator.
“Kennedy talked to the crowd in English and Polish. He sang a Polish song. He waved a Polish flag. He ate kielbasa….Dyngus Day was in the national news as a result of Kennedy’s visit,” Colwell wrote in a 1998 retrospective. A unique Polish-American holiday with folklorish roots linked to the introduction of Christianity to Poland, Dyngus Day has evolved into the political event of the season featuring home cooked food, polka music, and campaign speeches ahead of May primary elections. And few places in America celebrate Dyngus Day quite like South Bend!
Dyngus Day celebrations have historically been held at Polish institutions, including the West Side Democratic & Civic Club and the M.R. And Z.B. Falcons buildings. There, volunteers and members spend long hours over the stove and in the kitchen preparing kielbasa, noodles, hard-boiled eggs, and delicious desserts to feed hungry crowds. The sound of polka music fills the halls, where dances and drinks are shared in between handshakes and speeches from politicians hoping to connect with the South Bend community. All across the area, residents and visitors alike enjoy Dyngus Day and Solidarity Day traditions, where efforts to strengthen local connection and efforts to make improvements are powered by political action.
The Z.B. Falcons, a local chapter of the fraternal Polish organization founded in 1897, used their building at 323 S. Sheridan Ave. on the West Side right up until last year, with the bittersweet final Dyngus Day celebration occurring last April before the building’s closure at the end of May. But just as traditions in the old country found themselves evolving to fit a changing American society, new traditions will emerge as the Z.B. Falcons Nest 80 transforms into the new Western Branch of St. Joe County Public Library. So we say Smigus Dyngus, Happy Dyngus Day!
Take a Trip Down Memory Lane
Check Out Michiana Memory’s collection of South Bend Tribune photographs of Dyngus Day celebrations.
Dyngus Day Reads
References
Dits, J. (2025, Jan. 3). Z.B. Falcons building to become new Western Branch library. Makeover coming to LaSalle. South Bend Tribune. https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/local/2025/01/03/z-b-falcons-to-be-new-western-branch-library-in-south-bend/77429504007/
Kate, A. (2024, April 13). The history and traditions of Dyngus Day, 2024. ABC 57. https://www.abc57.com/news/the-history-and-traditions-of-dyngus-day-2024#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWhen%20it%20came%20to%20South,South%20Bend%20today%20was%20born.
Krabill, T. (2018, April 2). Michiana Stories: Kenny and Amy Bartkowiak. WVPE. https://www.wvpe.org/commentary/2018-04-02/michiana-stories-kenny-and-amy-bartkowiak
West Side Democratic & Civic Club. (2010, April 5). Celebrating 80 years of Dyngus Day and other assorted memories.
WNDU 16 News Now. (2024, April 1). Politicians seek support at South Bend Dyngus Day events. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxyHxcsR_28
WSBT-TV. (2024, April 2). Indiana club celebrates final Dyngus Day before permanent closure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG4QnJOmSZI
