Saints Joachim and Anne Parish summer festival a ‘labor of love’

By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com

It’s a big year for the Saints Joachim and Anne Community Festival.
Not only has the festival made its return after being canceled last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s the first year the newly formed Saints Joachim and Anne Parish is having a summertime festival under the new moniker.
The parishes of Saint Mark (Liberty Borough/Port Vue), Saint Michael (Elizabeth) and Queen of the Rosary (Glassport), which were already in a grouping, merged in January of this year, forming Saints Joachim and Anne.
The festival has been a tradition in the communities comprising South Allegheny School District for around four decades, according to the festival’s planner, Cathy Esack.
But up until this year, it was known as the Saint Mark’s Community Festival.
The three day event, which kicked off Thursday night, is being held where it traditionally is, at Saint Eugene Church (formerly Saint Mark Parish) on Liberty Way in Liberty Borough.
Father Thomas Wagner on Thursday said he’s delighted his parishioners, and members of the communities of Elizabeth, Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln and Port Vue are able to join for food, fellowship, fun and games, entertainment and more at the Catholic parish’s summer festival this year.
He said the merger of the churches has “gone fairly well,” and that the festival is providing a chance for bonding and fellowship.
“Considering what we’ve been through in the last 18 months, I think it’s going along fairly well,” he said of the merger. “With the restrictions of the last 18 months, it’s really taken a toll on a lot of parish activities, but we’re finally now starting to get back into the swing of things.
“I’m looking to a very active fall as we continue to move forward with the opening and getting further and further away from the pandemic shutdown.”
Wagner said he and the parish’s members were having a good time Thursday, and invite people from the Mon Valley to stop by tonight and tomorrow.
The priest said it’s great “to be together, have some fellowship and some food and entertainment and see the friends that we haven’t been able to see for months.”
“It’s a great big open-air area so it’s great,” he said. “It’s a real nice event. It’s a real family oriented event.”
The festival continues from 6 to 11 p.m. tonight and 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday.
The food booth features haluski, stuffed cabbage, pierogies, hot sausage, funnel cakes with toppings available, fried Oreos, funnel cake fries, fried Twinkies and other delicious surprises.
The Festival also features games, rides, cash prize drawings, wheelbarrow of cheer drawings, nightly prizes, specialty baskets, 3-night super stars basket raffles, bingo, instant bingo, a flea market, a bake sale, a children’s area, nightly entertainment, craft baskets and more.
DJ Tim is spinning tunes all three evenings. Tonight, the crowds can enjoy live country music by Tim Litvin & the Nature Boy Band from 7 to 9 p.m.
Only service animals permitted on grounds. The festival is a tobacco-free event.
Liberty Borough Councilwoman Janice Matyasovsky volunteered to sell gift basket raffle tickets Thursday. She said she volunteers for the church festival each year, and is glad it’s back in action this year.
“I think it’s come back better,” she said of this year’s festival, pointing out a large crowd in attendance. “This is like the first time this year people have really been able to get together, and it’s nice.”
At age 96, Evelyn Esack of Liberty Borough volunteered to sell raffle tickets Thursday alongside her dear friend Mary Jane Portner of Port Vue.
The two have been volunteering together at the festival for the past five years or so, but Evelyn Esack has a history with volunteering at the festival. In fact, she was one of the volunteers who worked the festival when it began all those decades ago.
“I love being back because I can see some of my old friends, and I’m working with my good, good friend Mary Jane,” she said. “That’s why I come. Because of Mary Jane.”
“And I come because of Evelyn,” Portner said as the two embraced.
Cathy Esack said it was a lot of work planning the festival and wanted to thank her team who she said “does a phenomenal job.”
“They’re fantastic” she said of those who helped her plan and set up the festival, and those who are working over the course of the three days.
As she looked out over a large crowd, Cathy Esack became emotional.
She said that’s because putting the festival together was a labor of love and was meant to draw the community together.
Her efforts and the efforts of her team have already been a success.
“We just officially opened five minutes ago and it’s already packed,” she said.
She said the festival provides a chance for people of all walks of life, the young and the old, to come together for fun and fellowship.
For more information about the community festival, go to joachimandannediopitt.org/festival or follow Saints Joachim and Anne Parish on Facebook.
The parish is a part of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Jeff Stitt / Mon Valley Independent
Alivia Grimm, Aiden Grimes, Nate Grimm and Bryce McLaughlin helped operate the games at the Saints Joachim and Anne Community Festival on Liberty Way Thursday.