Kathy Podsednick has spent her Labor Day weekend at Westfest "basically since it began" 50 years ago.
Now 72, she helps organize the Miss Czech-Slovak pageants across the state and invites the winners to be a part of the annual Parade of Costumes at Westfest.
About 70 participants, ranging in age from 5 to 80, showed off traditional kroj — colorful dresses and suits representing the Czech, Slovak and other Eastern European communities that helped shape West.
"We love to show it and say, "Come embrace it with us," and I think that's what's fun," she said.
The three-day festival, which began as a fundraiser in 1976, has grown as a way to celebrate the Czech heritage of West's earliest settlers. Throughout the weekend, visitors saw dance performances from the West Junior Historians, Hungarian dancers and the Czech Heritage Society of Texas. Other traditions included a Polka Mass, the Kolache 5k and the annual horseshoe tournament.
And keeping those traditions alive was especially important this year, as Westfest celebrates its 50th anniversary.
"We wanted to make sure we did things that would reflect back to 1976," said Ryan Kolar, Vice President of Media, Bands and Entertainment.
That meant bringing back some of the festival history – including a photo display and original board members as parade grand marshals.
"You can look back and say, “hey, yes, we’ve evolved, but we haven’t gotten away from what we are," Kolar said.
And for some West residents, Westfest isn’t just a tradition they’ve watched grow.
"It’s always been a part of my life in a deep, profound way," Katherine Maler said.
Maler and her husband were one of the about a dozen couples married in West in 1976.
"We were young married couples and we enjoyed it then as young married couples," Maler said of the festival. "Now, 50 years later, we’re all grandparents and are sharing it with our kids and grandkids."
Maler’s grandparents immigrated to Texas from what is now the Czech Republic. She says the annual festival has been a way for her to share her culture with her own family.
And you don’t have to be from West – or even have Czech heritage - to feel that pull.
Clorinda Zawacki travels to Czech and German festivals around Texas to dance polka. This year she made her first trip to Westfest.
"We love to dance, we love to polka and we love celebrating different heritages," Zawacki said.
That sense of connection, Kathy Podsednick says, is what keeps Westfest going.
"It’s a beautiful community that shares that rich heritage," Podsednick explained. "I feel that we can spread the love and the heritage to each other."
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