Paczki Day is Hamtramck’s very own boozy Mardi Gras

Paczki Day is right around the corner — next Tuesday.

By Charles Sercombe
Rest up this weekend, because you’ll need it.
Paczki Day is next Tuesday, Feb. 25, but the festivities start this Saturday (Feb. 22) with the annual 5K Paczki Run in the morning, and a pre-Paczki Day countdown in a big tent that will be set up in the Hamtramck Town Center parking lot at Jos. Campau and Holbrook.
And this being Hamtramck, beer will be on hand to ease your way into the full-blown Mardi Gras party to come.
You’ll then have Sunday and Monday to recharge your batteries for the Big Day on Tuesday.
And if you survive that, there’s more fun later in the week, with the Hamtramck Music Fest that runs Thursday through Saturday.
Get all that?
Well, look at it this way: it’s no longer Paczki Day around here. Instead, it’s Paczki Week – just when you may have wondered how much bigger and crazier Hamtramck’s very own holiday can get.
As usual, the city’s bakeries are already gearing up for the crush of paczki lovers – and we’re talking around-the-clock demand from thousands of folks.
Our local bars and service halls will also be buzzing.
For those who like to see people gorge themselves on paczki, head over to PLAV Post 10 hall on Jos. Campau at noon for the annual paczki eating contest.
Trust us, it’s not for the faint of heart.
The post will also host bands all day and night.
Over at Small’s Bar at Caniff and Conant, you can down what they call “Paczki Bombs,” which is just what you suspect: paczki infused with booze.
The Motor City Sports Bar has its own take on paczki, with a thing they call a Paczki Burger. If you guessed it’s a burger with a paczki as its bun, you would be correcto.
It should be noted that American Coney Island in downtown Detroit came up with paczki Coney dogs.
Oh boy, we’re either stuffed or grossed out already.
The list of things one can do with a paczki continues to evolve.
New this year is a vodka that has the taste of a paczki – the jam and dough and all of it.
The folks at Detroit Distillery jumped on the paczki bandwagon and came up with the concoction. According to the Detroit News, the Eastern Market distillery made this using 12 dozen raspberry paczkis, supplied by New Palace Bakery from right here in town.
What could possibly be next – Paczki tacos? Paczki pierogi? (Oh no, what have we just unleashed??!!)
The paczki vodka is being distributed around the metro area, but you might want to head over the distillery on your own. And hurry up, because you can’t get it past Feb. 25.
We couldn’t get away with a Paczki Day story without mentioning Hamtramck’s favorite party band, The Polish Muslims.
This year, the guys and gals of the band have decided to slow it down a notch, and play at only two venues — instead of hauling their behinds and equipment to three separate bars.
Yes, their bodies may be fortified with paczki, but, hey, it’s time to do the slow roll, and The Polish Muslims will be playing at Ant Hall on Caniff from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
They will then slog their gear over to Whiskey in the Jar, and keep the party rolling starting at 2: 30 p.m.
(The printed version of this story incorrectly reported that the band was going to play only at Ant Hall. We apologize for the error.)
Hamtramck’s other entertainment fave is Danny “D,” who will start the day early — at 7 a.m., in New Dodge Lounge.
Now if you haven’t been there on Paczki Day, you’re going to be in for some ancient Roman-era debauchery.
We’re kidding. Sort of.
But you will see a wall-to-wall group of people drinking early and hard. Bar owner Cathy Gordon is your host, and chances are she’ll end up on top of the bar pouring booze down the throats of her customers.
Just another day in Hamtramck.
Did we leave anything out?
Not sure, but we’re already exhausting and excited just thinking about Paczki Day.
See you around town folks!
Feb. 21, 2020