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The Polish Legacy in Cedar, Michigan |   |
| Home | Projects | The Polish Legacy in Cedar, Michigan | ||
        
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From March 1999 to December 1999, a group of Cedar area residents conducted a project to document their expressive traditions. The project was part of a Library of Congress effort called Local Legacies, an attempt to celebrate and share with the nation the everyday creativity of all of America. The Library of Congress defines a Local Legacy as "a traditional activity, event, or area of creativity that merits being documented for future generations." One Cedar area legacy is its rich Polish heritage, which is reflected by the community's traditional expressive culture: food, dance, music, custom, and the annual Cedar Polka Festival held every July, among other traditions. The Cedar Local Legacy project - The Polish Legacy in Cedar, Michigan -- resulted in a thirty-nine page report jointly authored and edited by project team members; a two-hour videotape; thirty project photographs; and additional supplementary materials. Complete copies of the project have been archived at the Library of Congress and at the Leelanau Historical Museum. A traveling copy of the project will be based in Cedar. In the spirit of the Leelanau Historical Society's mission, the Local Legacy project was a collaboration that engaged the interests and energies of many community members: Judy LaCross; Lucia Novak; Ramona Pleva; Wayne and Wanda Purzner; Agnes Williams; Robert J. Atkinson; Lawrence F. Bruckner; Cedar Chamber of Commerce; Claude J. and Bernie Czerniak; Robert Dezelski; Joan C. Gauthier; Father Jerry Hunko; Joe and Irene Janik; Thomas E. King; Loretta Panek Miser; Larry and Eunice Novak; Frank and Zosia Piotrowski; Michaeline Pleva; Ray and Marge Pleva; Keith Burnham; Andy McFarlane and Leelanau Communications; Glen Petersen; Denise Gotay; JoAnn Papenfuss; Congressman Bart Stupak; Laura J. Quackenbush; Katie Robinson; Kristi Thomas; and Mary Willis. We are happy to present highlights from The Polish Legacy in Cedar, Michigan as one of the original online displays on www.leelanauhistory.org. More exhibits that explore the diverse cultural history of Leelanau will follow. Please let us know what you think: info@leelanauhistory.org. You may also be interested in visiting the Library of Congress website at lcweb.loc.gov/bicentennial/legacies.html. On behalf of all participants who made the Local Legacy project a reality, Witamy! Welcome to northwest lower Michigan, Leelanau County, and the area commonly referred to as "Little Poland" - Cedar, Michigan. R. Mark Livengood, Director Leelanau Historical Society | |||
