I feel a bit like the new kid on the block, even though I have lived in Burleson County for almost 14 years, the whole kolache thing is, ummm, well, uhhh, lets just say, awkward for me. So, why the awkwardness? What is a kolache? Where does that word come from?
Well if you don’t know, kolaches are yummy, and yes, they are based on the word that the Czechs use, koláč, and if you can read Czech, here is a website with a picture and recipe, looks tasty! That recipe, titled, Jablkový koláč, which actually translates to apple pie, follow this link for the translation, funny, and I always thought that apple pie was an American thing. Anyway, see where I am headed here, kolaches, are American, apple pie, not so much. The kolache Festival could be called a Czech pie festival, but that just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Now, before I make the entire Burleson County want to come render me, let me get to my point.
The people of Burleson County love to celebrate their Czech heritage, and that is a wonderful thing, but hidden in this whole “Czech Pie Party” or “Kolache Festival”, is an American thing! Think about it, America is a new kid too, and almost everybody here came from somewhere else, and with us, we brought things, like, Apple Pie, and yes, hot dogs too, but, in the American Tradition, we made them our own, I would even say, better!
I have a feeling that some might think I am putting the Kolache Festival down, quite the opposite, I am just trying to say, that by celebrating the Czech heritage, we celebrate the American Heritage! It is about remembering those that came before us, those that survived here, long before air conditioning and refrigerators. Think about how a pie, evolved into a kolache, what was the purpose? I really hope that I can meet someone that can tell me. I may even enter the kolache eating contest, after all, it is easier to eat a bunch of kolaches than it is to eat a bunch of pies!
More about the Kolache Festival.
(UPDATE)
Just in time for this years Kolache Festival, I am building a new website, CaldwellKolacheFestival.com, and there is also a new category here on this site for the articles written there, I hope to get some help on this one.
