GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — With Pulaski Days canceled due to the pandemic, Holiday Bar in Grand Rapids is hoping to raise money on what would be the festival weekend to "Save the Halls."
“Due to COVID 19, many of the halls are forced to shut down. They’re not able to raise the funds they normally would through sales of alcohol and food,” Blake Edmonds, manager at Holiday Bar said.
Pulaski Days started back in the 70s. The festival, held the first weekend of October, is the main source of income for many halls that got them through the year. This year things look a lot different. Some halls are doing outdoor fundraisers, others are offering food to go in order to come up with the money to stay open.
But either way, it's nowhere near the numbers they normally see. That's why Holiday Bar says they're stepping in to try to help. A Polish, family-owned bar since 1905, Holiday is helping their neighbors on the west side by donating part of their proceeds from this weekend to Save the Halls. They're asking patrons to do the same.
“Many of our staff, many of our regular customers are also members of polish halls. Myself, I’m a member at Fifth Street Hall, right by my house. I would hate to see that go and the community that came with it,” Edmonds said.
