The girl above is trying on Wianki or a wreath of flowers worn on the head. While I don't know every use for Wianki in Polish culture, I have read that residents of Krakow throw them into the Vistula River on St. John's Night (a.k.a. – Midsummer's Eve).
Here we have Pisanki (painted eggs) being made as well as the finished product:
The woman is heating a stylus thingy which consists of a very small funnel which is stuck in a whole at one end of the thingy. You heat it and then dip it in wax so that some of it melts and enters the funnel. From there you trace your design on the egg before dyeing it.
Next we have a family huddled around a table with opportunities for kids to color in pictures of all things Polish.
There was a lot of food to be had and I found myself playing cashier for much of the time. There was Kielbasa, sauerkraut, pierogi, and tons of baked goods including these Paczki, which are jelly doughnuts.
Paczki are consumed en masse just prior to Lent. From what I can tell, Polish-Americans generally celebrate Paczki Day on the day before Ash Wednesday (a.k.a. - Fat Tuesday) while Poles observe it is on the Thursday before as do more traditionally-minded Polish-Americans.
There was also accordion music courtesy of Sergei Belkin:
I believe he is from Ukraine, but don't quote me on that. While his English isn't great, he sure knows his way around a squeeze box.
Since I was out front this year, I wasn't able to partake in the Polish beer in back. However, I did get a chance to meet Szymon Wozniczka again, he of the Polish Film Festival here in Madison as well as Alderman Michael Schumacher. And this is really what the Spring Festival is about, in my opinion. Beyond food and buying stuff, it's about getting together and socializing.
Speaking of Poles and films, don’t forget that Pora umierac (Time to Die) will be playing at the Wisconsin Film Festival next month. Here's a trailer:
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