Hamtramck’s slogan of “The world in two square miles” is very accurate. The people who call Hamtramck home speak more than 20 different languages. Hamtramck offers art, delicious cuisine, and a wide array of cultures from around the world. The spotlight is always on Hamtramck for Paczki Day.  Hamtramck’s bakeries work overtime to keep up with the demand for authentic Polish paczki every year.  We always stop by New Palace Bakery to check out their latest paczki flavors.  Sometimes we get a glimpse of Pelvis, The Paczki Elvis from Big Jim’s House! Read on to find out more about Paczki Day, Hamtramck’s rock and roll roots, Disneyland, and more with our Hamtramck facts.  Congratulations, Hamtramck!  You are the WCSX City of the Week!

Hamtramck’s Rock and Roll Roots

Hamtramck is the birthplace of legendary Detroit Rocker, Mitch Ryder. Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels’ work includes the songs “Devil with a Blue Dress,” “Rock and Roll,” and “Jenny Take a Ride.” In 2005, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In 2009, Mitch was inducted as a solo artist.  Mitch still hits the road from time to time touring the U.S. and Europe.

Hamtramck’s next rock and roll connection is Volodymyr Palamarchuk. You may know him better as Wally Palmar, the founding member and lead singer of The Romantics. Palmar was born and raised in Hamtramck and he speaks Ukrainian fluently. Wally Palmar graduated from Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic High School in 1971.  Wally was 24 years old when The Romantics formed in 1977.

The Romantics: Red Carpet Lounge 1977 Photo courtesy of Frank Pettis

Hamtramck Facts and Events

• Paczki Day

  Many Michiganders celebrate Paczki Day.  Worldwide, it’s known as Fat Tuesday, but we prefer Paczki Day.  Paczki (pronounced “poonch-kee”) are Polish pastries. Paczki are made from everything that was forbidden during Lent: alcohol, butter, milk, lard, and eggs.

  Browneyedbaker.com describes the paczki as a “brioche donut.”  Traditional paczki are filled with prune jelly, but most people opt for strawberry, lemon, or apple.  New Palace Bakery has specialty paczki (my favorite) and they roll out a couple of new flavors every year.  Some of the specialty paczki aren’t filled with jelly.  Instead, the paczki are sliced.  Cream frosting fills the middle of these paczki.  Here’s a picture of the specialty paczki at New Palace Bakery.

  

  Hamtramck – City of the Week! THIS! I love getting the special box at New Palace. Flavors from back left to right: Butter cream, Strawberry Cheesecake, new! Orange Cream-ski, PBJ, and triple chocolate! YUM!!

• The Hamtramck Blowout Festival

  2024 marks the return of the Hamtramck Blowout music festival! March 1-2, an opening night party is set for Feb. 29 at the Fowling Warehouse in Detroit. The original “Hamtramck Blowout” music festival started in 1998 and was produced by the Metro Times. Organizers gathered 74 bands to play at six Hamtramck clubs over two nights. It was a way to highlight the city’s music scene and all its many genres and sub-genres.

  Some of the famous local acts that have played Hamtramck Blowout include: White Stripes and Eminem
  (pre-fame) and also the Detroit Cobras, the Dirtbombs, the Von Bondies, and the Go.

  Want to be a part of the show? Bands and performers interested in playing should submit their information to hamtramckblowout.com.

  Home - Hamtramck Blowout | 2024

  A 3 day winter music festival in Hamtramck held in 16 venues with over 150 acts between February 29 - March 2, 2024

• Detroit City Footbul Club

  Detroit City Footbul Club is a national-level soccer team that makes its home in Hamtramyck. The team was founded in 2010 by a group of young Detroiters and quickly became one of the most talked about soccer teams in North America. A Footbul match (not a game- it’s a match!) at Keyworth Stadium is a scene different from any other sporting event you have attended.  Attending a Detroit City FC match is a fun, exciting event in a positive environment! Thousands of Detroit City FC fans pack Keyworth stadium early and have a great time cheering and chanting on the team- with occasional smoke bombs in team colors, too! Fans are also known to pack local bars after the match for parties all over Hamtramck.

  Home - Detroit City FC

  Detroit City FC is Detroit's professional soccer team, playing at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, Michigan.

• Fowling Warehouse

  Football and Bowling in one sport! Play at the Fowling Warehouse in Hamramcyk! The object is to throw a football to knock down a set of 10 bowling pins! Get your team together and check out Fowling Warehouse.  Just one question- How do you get your fingers in the holes of the football?

  Home - Fowling Warehouse Hamtramck

  Football + Bowling + Bar = Fowling Warehouse. Fun and easy. Just throw a football at 10 bowling pins until someone knocks them all down. Come play!

• Hamtramck Disneyland

  “Hamtramck Disneyland” has been the subject of two documentaries and is one of the top tourist attractions in Hamtramck. It is one of Michigan’s most significant works of folk art. Created by Dmytro Szylak, a Ukranian immigrant who worked at GM for 30 years. After he retired, Dmytro spent the better part of the next 30 years building his backyard project. Thousands of visitors a year from all over the world have made “Hamtramck Disneyland” one of their stops. “Hamtramck Disneyland” is located at 12087 Klinger Street in Hamtramck. You can get the best view from the alleyway between Sobieski and Klinger north of Connor and south of Carpenter.

• Kowalski Kowality

  Kowalski Sausage has been part of Hamtramck for over 104 YEARS! It was started in 1920 and remained in the Kowalski Family the entire time. Today Micheal Kowalski serves as the President (aka The Sausage King of Detroit). Kowalski Sausage is located on Holbrook Avenue and still features its vintage neon sign!  Over 100 employees assist in the preparation of fifty-five varieties of Kowalski products, with Keilbasa, Hunter’s Sausage, and hot dogs being among their best-selling products!. They have used the same recipe for 104 years and still use hardwood chips to smoke their meats!  Check out some cool vintage Kowalski pics here:

  Kowalski Sausage Companies

  Kowalski sausage

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