Outstanding Pole 2007 Award

United Polka League

the United Polka League “Pole of the Year 2007”

The United Polka League which now has four hundred and fifty members  has been in existence for twenty-nine years.

The primary objective of the leaders and membership is to promote dancing of polkas, obereks and waltzes.

As interest and membership increased, polka dancing instructions were scheduled to attract and teach members of the organization other styles and steps.

Much of this was taught at the Mayfair Inn and Club Monarch. As time went on, interest prompted diversity of dances and it was expanded to include figure dancing and line dancing where many took an interest to this new innovation.

At its first organizational meeting, John Firlit was elected November 1977 and installed on March 12, 1978 as the first president of the United Polka League. At the second annual meeting, Ed Sabloski was elected on November 1979 and installed in 1980 as the president of the UPL. Ed subsequently has been elected for twenty-seven years as president of the UPL.    There are at least twelve dances held every year at the Roselawn Restaurant that the UPL schedules. There are also three big events held each year. They are the Christmas Dinner and Dance in December, the Installation Banquet in February and the Clambake/Picnic held in July. Bands that have played for the UPL have come from, not only New York State, but from Mass., Penn., Michigan, Ohio, Conn., Chicago, and Florida.

Some of the groups that have played for the UPL are: Happy Louie, Eddie Blazonczyk, Eddie Forman, Eddie Biegaj, Lenny Gomulka, Gary Lekki and the Eagles and Jasiu Klocek and the Salt City Brass. The UPL prints a quarterly newsletter, The Polka Insight, delineating these events. The members of the UPL attend functions at Polish Homes in Rome, Utica, Syracuse, Herkimer, and Albany.    This club also gives financial support to worthy charities such as the ARC, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and the Ronald McDonald House. The officers of the club include: Ed Sabloski, President, Bob Zyskowski, Vice President, Lillian Kryczkowski, Treasurer, Robert Firlit, Financial Secretary, Betty Tolpa, Recording Secretary and Roger Brady is their Sergeant at Arms.

Tad Szyszka, chairman of the Polish Festival said that the United Polka League is an organization that is proud of their heritage and will never forget their roots.