Large crowd enjoys fun, food and music at Saints Joachim and Anne Catholic Parish festival

The celebration at Saints Joachim and Anne Parish will continue today and Saturday.

Saints Joachim and Anne Catholic Parish kicked off its annual Community Festival Thursday with hundreds of parishioners and residents enjoying food, new games and fun.

The festival will continue through Saturday at St. Eugene Church Grounds at 3210 Liberty Way in Liberty Borough. There are a variety of food booths, a bingo tent, bake sale, flea market, specialty raffle baskets and various rides — including a giant slide, a car ride and swings. Food booths open at Jeff Helsel / Mon Valley Independent

5 p.m. and the games, rides, bingo and flea market start at 6 p.m.

Cathy Esack, the festival’s facilitator for 12 years, said the annual event has been going strong for more than 40 years and is the parish’s largest fundraiser.

“It’s a three-day event filled with food, fun, games, entertainment, a flea market, funnel cakes,” Esack said. “Just a good time for all. And so from and for me as a parishioner, and for being the facilitator of this, it’s very important for me, for all of us just to come together as a family, to have fun in a safe environment, to just enjoy each other and to eat lots of good food.”

Some specialty raffle baskets include a seven-foot Christmas tree with decorations, a patio set, a TV, a baby basket, Steelers and Pirates tickets and more. A $2,000 raffle took place Thursday and again today, and a $5,000 raffle is set for Saturday.

There is entertainment nightly by DJ Tim with the Mickey Dee Polka and Variety Band performing tonight and Tim Litvin and the Nature Boy Band taking the stage Saturday.

“Our flea market has expanded more,” Esack said. “It looks like a store inside the flea market. It’s all departmentalized. It’s just a great thing. We have our live entertainment all three nights.”

Jan Soltis and Fran Hvozdik of Liberty Borough brought their grandchild Sunnie Lazzaro, 3, of Port Vue to opening day to enjoy some of the rides.

“Since she’s been little, her dad always gets her every other weekend and it’s always the same day,” Soltis said. “And I said listen, I want to take her Thursday so I can bring her. She’s getting bigger, and she loves it. I wanted to come to take her.”

There will also be a dance contest for children Saturday, with prizes being awarded.

“When I see the children having fun, that to me is what makes it all worthwhile,” Esack said. “When I see those children smiling because they’re having fun on one of the rides, or if they’re just having fun playing a game or winning a little prize at the Gator Alley, it just makes it all worthwhile.

“It’s just a lot of fun for everybody. We just want everybody to come out and have a great time. Forget about everything that’s going on around them and just enjoy each other. Enjoy the festivities. And to just have fun. It’s summer. Let’s celebrate summer and just have fun. That’s the important thing for everybody to have fun.”

The festival serves some carnival foods, including snow cones, funnel cakes, fried Oreos and Twinkies, corn dogs, hot dogs and hamburgers — ranging from $3 to $18.

Fried pickles and boba teas/lemonades are new to the festival this year, with boba options including strawberry, mango and passion fruit.

The menu also includes some Polish favorites like kielbasa with kraut, homemade stuffed cabbage, pierogies, haluski and a “Polish Platter” consisting of stuffed cabbage, pierogies and haluski. “It’s a great opening night,” said the Rev. Tom Burke, who has served as pastor for about seven months for the churches within Saints Joachim and Anne Parish. “The line for the food started at 4:30 p.m. and opened at 5:30 p.m. It hasn’t stopped. They said the food line is going to be like that every night.”

Volunteers, parishioners and band moms Aimee Jackson of Elizabeth and Carrie Swiech of Liberty Borough were giving out “spell the word” bingo tickets Thursday and said the women cooking the Polish food had about eight roasters of haluski just for Thursday night.

“The way they are making the food,” Swiech said. “They were making all this haluski, and I was like what is going on. They brought them out back and I’m opening all the roasters. I mean, it’s a lot of haluski for one day. And they will run out. It’s like a mini version of the International Village in McKeesport. I couldn’t believe the production.”

Switch added that the festival is “the best one around.”

“It’s such a big community event. It’s not just for our parishioners, but it’s mainly for the community at large – just to bring everybody together, celebrate summer and celebrate community fun,” Burke said. “I’m the new guy on the block, but I’m really excited as the pastor here that we are able to pull this annual event for the parish and community.”

Burke agreed that the festival is “a lot of hard work,” and said the volunteers have been wonderful as well as the support from the community.

“To provide this for three days, and just to bring people together is great,” Burke said. “Great food, games, fun events for families just to celebrate. Celebrate summer. Celebrate the community, as the pastor to open up our door and have it on our parish campus for the community. It’s important for me as the pastor here.”

Mass will be conducted at 4 p.m. Saturday ahead of the start of the festival instead of the usual 6 p.m. Mass at St. Eugene, according to Burke, who opened the festival with a prayer.

“Heavenly Father, we thank you for this beautiful night to kick off this festival. Blessings to all that are here and all that make this special,” he said. “We ask for very good weather, and we ask this in Christ our Lord. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. Thanks everybody. Enjoy.”

Rebecca Matlos makes boba bubble tea drinks at a food stand.