POLAND — Celebrate Poland is returning this weekend in its full glory.

After no event in 2020 and a 2021 event scaled down to one day in the fall, Celebrate Poland has returned to a solid two days of family fun Friday and Saturday.

Cindy Collingwood Best, event director, said the pandemic is not a problem this year, but finances are causing a pinch.

She said fireworks have jumped 30 percent in price due to transportation costs. “Even though fireworks went up, we did not want to cut back,” Best said.

Celebrate Poland is a nonprofit that raises funds through several avenues to help pay for the two-day event. The challenge this year is securing more funding than past years.

“It typically would cost us around $34,000 for the event,” Best said. “This year we are well into the $40,000s.”

She said donations and funds come from businesses and sponsorships, ads in the program, fees from the food vendors, and from letters requesting donations.

“This year we are seeing a decline in public donations,” she said. “We have seen no small donations this year so far.”

She said residents would often give $25, which may seem small, but Best said those small donations add up. She said even a $10 donation this year would go a long way, but for some reason it is not happening.

Some of this year’s highlights include having 17 food trailers and a new baking challenge. At 2 p.m. Saturday, the event will host the Great Poland Bakeoff, featuring chocolate chip cookies. For the 18-and-under crowd, there will be a contest for the best decorated cookie.

The cookies will replace the pie-baking competition, which will be moved to Celebrate Poland’s new fall festival Oct. 8.

One big change this year will be moving the parade to Saturday evening at 6 p.m.

Best added the popular Poland Idol will be back at center stage with contestants being able to sign up until noon Saturday.

Here is a schedule:

Friday

5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Strawberry festival, Poland Presbyterian Church, 2 Poland Manor

6:00 p.m., Poland Historical Society, 2 Poland Manor

Food vendors, Cortland Lot near village hall

Kids World, Cortland Field, behind village hall. Sponsored by (Inflatables and bounces) Armstrong

6:30 p.m., Tour village graveyard, Poland Presbyterian Church

7:30 to 10 p.m., Live music by Disco Inferno at the Cortland Field Stage, sponsored by Brokers Realty

Saturday

8:30 to 10 a.m., Registration, Chalk The Walks for Poland, village hall at corner of Cortland and South Main streets

8:30 to 11 a.m., Chalk The Walks For Poland, sidewalks near village hall, sponsored by Walgreens

9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Local author/artist event, Poland Library across from village hall, Route 170

10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Book sale, Poland Library across from Friends of Poland, village hall

10 a.m.to 12 p.m., Marketplace set-up, front lawn of village hall

10:30 a.m. Poland Idol Contest registration, gazebo, front lawn of village hall, sponsored in part by the Aurini and Perry Families

Noon to 7: p.m. Marketplace, front lawn of village hall

Noon to 8: p.m. Lion’s Club mini golf, front lawn of village hall

11 a.m. to 4 p.m, Free family activities, Cortland Field, behind village hall

11 a.m. to 3 p.m, Petting zoo, lawn of village hall, co-sponsored by Aqua and Bodine & Co. CPA

11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Kids World, Cortland Field, sponsored (Inflatables and bounces) by Armstrong.

Noon, Poland Idol Competition, gazebo, sponsored in part by The Aurini and Perry Families

Noon, Chalk the Walk, gazebo, winners announced

Noon to 3 p.m., Brittney Marie stilts and hoops, lawn of village hall, sponsored by the Ricchiuti families

1 p.m., Walking tour of South Main Street, meet at historical society tent

2 to 2:50 p.m, Great Poland Bake Off, Celebrate Poland’s tent, 18 and over, Drop off chocolate chip cookies. Sponsored by Cindy Best, Brokers Realty

2 to-2:50 p.m.,Great Poland Bake Off junior (cookie decorations) . Drop off cookie of choice, Celebrate Poland’s tent, age 17 and under. Sponsored by Cindy Best, Brokers Realty

3 p.m., Cookie contest judging (adult and junior entries), sponsored by Cindy Best, Brokers Realty

5 to 10 p.m., Live DJ Jeff Dunn, Cortland Field stage, sponsored in memory of Donna Simon

6 p.m., Firefighters’ parade, Main Street, sponsored by the Western Reserve Joint Fire District

6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Porgie the Funny Balloon Guy, Cortland Field, sponsored by Dave and Joan Smith

10 p.m., Fireworks by American Fireworks, Baird Mitchell Field, multiple sponsors