Start Your Engines!
The Indianapolis 500 may not be an event in Lexington, KY, but one family is aiming to change that. Kentuckians love for racing is in their blood, and while that enthusiasm may usually be held in reserve for horse racing, we’re betting the combination of race excitement, good food, and a homemade trophy will have you waving your flags while you sing Happy Birthday at this unique hybrid annual event.
Enjoy a taste of Midwest hospitality, sure to please even the pickiest Southerner, showcasing community values like the importance of children, a focus on locally produced meat and dairy products, and a respect for hard work and traditional techniques.
Come on over to the Zielinskioplis 500!!
The Occasion
The Indianapolis 500 is an annual race held in Indianapolis over the Memorial Day weekend. According to Wikipedia, it is considered one of the top three events in car racing, with the other two being the Monaco Grand Prix and the Le Mans 24 Hour race. The first race was held in 1911 on a track paved with bricks, and the start/finish line still has 1 yard of exposed brick to reference that start.
The Indy 500 is a big day for racing fans, but outside of that sports market, it isn’t a big holiday. However, in 1982, the family were dealing with a new baby boy that was taking a lot of attention from their 6 year old daughter. She was told that since she was born on Memorial Day, then the Indianapolis 500 was her special race, and the celebration grew from there.
Folklorists would describe The Zielinksiopolis 500 as an example of a calendar custom that “can often appear in institutional forms that are celebrated in folk ways (a family’s Fourth of July BBQ tradition while observing the city’s fireworks display overhead).” (McNeill (2013:47). Now, thanks to the generosity of the family, you can experience this unique annual event!
The yearly birthday of the oldest daughter and the annual race have meshed together to become a special tradition that has included family, friends, and now you!
Setting The Scene
2019 Official Wreath of Zielinskiopolis 500
You’ll know you’re in the right place for the Zielinskiopolis 500 as soon as you approach the house. Checkered flags fly on the mailbox and a special wreath takes pride of place on the door for that one weekend. After years of use, the wreath was finally replaced in 2019 with a new creation that will be the standard for years to come.
Yes, I bought checkerboard material and made a tablecloth, we put up banners and photos of the cars and racers. We even decorated the cake with cars and a racetrack.” – DZ
Themed decorations make for a great party atmosphere, and check patterns rule the day at this party – everything from tablecloths to small checkered flags for attendees to wave are scattered throughout the house.
While the main food table is a buffet in the kitchen, and most people eat in the living room, a small table is usually set up on the back porch for anyone needing a quieter moment.
The decorations add to the party atmosphere, and are another part of what makes this such a unique event. As Jones says (1988: 242) “People experience food directly and in interaction with selected others. Compelling influences, then, would seem to be found in the qualities that make eating unique and that inhere in specific situations of food preparation, service, and consumption”. The combination of party atmosphere, fun decorations and favors, a buffet service, and casual eating around the TV really create an interaction that isn’t found at many family events.
It’s really an excuse for everyone to spend a ton of time together and sometimes board games or card games happen in little groups during the race but not monopoly because it’s been banned for reasons of keeping the peace – MZ”
Races, Food and Trophies
The key to a good party is in the people, but the key to creating a tradition is a more complex combination – and as with so many other facets of our lives, food is often a key component. Add in an event like the Indianapolis 500, a birthday party, a homemade trophy won purely by chance, and generally good weather, and you’ve got the makings of something that will last.
The Main Event
A buffet style meal is served usually about 30 minutes before the race starts so that everyone can get their plate. The majority of the food is made by the family matriarch, although in recent years she has started to allow her daughter and her wife help with the preparation. Some of the foods, especially the “nibbles” table, come from specific regional companies that have that special “homemade” taste. These local specialties are just as important to Wisconsin families as burgoo or mutton BBQ is to Kentuckians. As Herman says (2019:229) “The literal consumption of place nourishes our understandings of who we are”. These locally produced pickles, sausages and cheeses are a taste of Wisconsin and carry links to the local community. The family celebration becomes a reflection of common midwest values such as thriftiness and community self-sufficiency – these food items are produced locally, from local ingredients. Cured and pickled foods extend the lifespan of fresh ingredients and help ensure food stores outside the traditional growing periods.
Some of the common foods that may be at any given party are:
- Chips and dips
- Milwaukee Pickles
- Rye with liverwurst spread
- Usinger’s sausages and cheeses
- Cheesecurds
- Fruit salad
- Potato salad
- Coleslaw
- Deviled Eggs
- Hamburgers
- Hotdogs
- Beef and veggie kabobs
- Cookies
- Fruit Pies
- JZ’s Birthday cake
“JZ’s birthday cake is really the one thing that is specific to the race – when she was little my parents told her that they ran the race just for her birthday and to this day she still loves that so the race and her birthday celebration are really entwined for us.” – MZ
The Kabobs
One particular favorite part of the food spread at the Zielinskiopolis 500 is Mom’s Kabobs. Even when the weather is bad and the usual cookout staples of hamburgers and hotdogs get swapped for giant sub sandwiches or pizzas, the kabobs are a staple. They come from “The Cookbook” that has recipes pasted from magazines or copied from someone else. It contains recipies dating back to her great-grandmother, although the kabob recipe isn’t that old, and changed many times to get to its final perfection.
Large Beef Tenderloin
Cherry Tomatoes
Button Mushrooms
Red Bell Peppers
Red or White Onion
McCormick Grill Mates Mesquite Marinade
McCormick Grill Mates Tomato Garlic & Basil Marinade
McCormick Grill Mates Brown Sugar Bourbon Marinade
1. Cut up the beef tenderloin into chunks appropriately sized for kabob skewer
2. In a large container, mix together all three marinade mixes, then add the tenderloin and leave to marinate in the fridge (turning to coat every few hours) for 24 hours
3. Cut up the onions and peppers into appropriately sized pieces
4. Assemble the skewers, alternating between the beef and the vegetables
5. Grill
6. ENJOY!
Sources
Lynne McNeill. 2013. Folklore Rules. Boulder: University Press of Colorado
Jack Santino. 1994. “Introduction”, “Holidays in America: Ritual, Festival, and Celebration”, and “Homemade Holidays: Making Symbols, Making Meaning”. All Around the Year, xii-46. Urbana, IL: U. of Illinois Press.
Michael Owen Jones. 1988. “Afterword: Discovering the Symbolism of Food Customs and Events”. We Gather Together: Food and Festivals in American Life, Theodore and Lin C. Humphrey, eds, 235-245. Ann Arbor, MI: U. of Michigan Press.
Bernard L. Herman. 2019. Selections from A South You Never Ate. Chapel Hill, NC: U. of North Carolina
