Category: Events

Long-time KCK accordionist remembered by Polski Day organizers

Accordionist Don Lipovac, who died April 26, played at the 2013 Polski Day celebration. (File photo from 2013 by William Crum)

Polski Day, which will be held Saturday, May 3, will not seem the same this year without accordionist Don Lipovac.

Lipovac has played the accordion at the event for the past eight to 10 years, said Cathy Kolenda-Smith, Polski Day Committee member.   Lipovac, 79, died Saturday, April 26.

“It was very devastating that Don has passed. He was a great musician and he contributed a lot to Polski Days,” Kolenda-Smith said.

Known for playing the accordion at similar festivals in the community, as well as at weddings, showers, and at funerals, Lipovac had his own polka band and also led the Tamburitzans at St. John’s School for many years. He was a graduate of Wyandotte High School who held degrees from the Kansas City Conservatory of Music.

“I knew Don very well,” Kolenda-Smith said. “He definitely did a lot in the polka world.”

Lipovac was so well known in the community that the Rev. Mike May mentioned him in the invocation given at the Unified Government Commission meeting on May 1. He asked everyone “to give thanks to God for all he has brought to us over the years, and pause for a moment to remember him.”

Kolenda-Smith said that Lipovac will be missed. Other musicians have swapped schedules to help out at the Polski Day Festival on Saturday, she said. Some coming in from Omaha, Neb., will help, and the schedules of the different musicians will be changed.

Polski Day will get under way at 11 a.m. Saturday with a parade at 12th and Central to 8th Street, then to Vermont, ending at the All Saints parish at 8th and Vermont in Kansas City, Kan.

There, a festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with entertainment, activities, children’s activities, food, and music. A Mass is planned at the church at 4 p.m.

Chapel Hill to give Apple Pies to those Who honor their Moms on Mothers’ Day

“Mom” and “Apple Pie” are terms that are often connected to memorable events for families, so it’s only natural that a local company which preserves memories is rewarding those who remember their moms.

On Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11th, Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens will provide a complimentary apple pie to families who come to the cemetery at 701 North 94th Street in Kansas City, Kansas.

“It’s our way of honoring those who are remembering their mothers who may have passed away,” said Cheryl Holifield, a spokesperson for Chapel Hill.

“We have a limited number of apple pies available, so only the first 175 families to visit us between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. will receive a pie,” she continued.

Visitors should obtain a survey form at the second gate outside the Chapel Hill-Butler Funeral Home office and after completing the form, return it to the office to receive their apple pie. There is a limit of one apple pie per family.

People may call 913-334-3366 or email [email protected] with any questions and comments.

The company provides Dignity Memorial services.

Chapel Hill-Butler prides itself on responding to their client families and providing services to meet their personal needs. Some of those personal services include a Lakeside Mausoleum, a Lawn Crypt Garden and special features specifically designed for cremation.  They are a cemetery of choice for thousands of families of all religious backgrounds.

In 2002, the Memorial Gardens were selected as the site for a new Chapel Hill-Butler Funeral Home, which opened in 2003.
 

Extension plant sale today and Saturday

The K-State Research and Extension Master Gardeners Plant Sale will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, May 2, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Extension Office, Wildcat Room, 1200 N. 79th St., Kansas City, Kan.

The public is invited to shop at the sale and support the Master Gardeners programs with their purchase of vegetable plants, flowers, and miscellaneous gardening items.