Food choices, beach vibe draw large crowds to parish festival

The celebration will continue today at Epiphany of Our Lord.

Anyone seeking tasty food and beachy vibes found them Friday at the annual Epiphany of Our Lord Parish Festival in Monessen.

This year’s festival kicked off with a tropical oasis theme, featuring colorful decorations all around the Monessen church. Committee chair Robert Sassak said they’ve been setting up for the festival since Wednesday.

“Just a lot of preparation with the food stuff inside, and all the little details,” Sassak said. “And it’s great that people actually came to help and do stuff, it’s wonderful.”

The festival started at 4 p.m., and within a half hour, there was a long line inside the church for food. The festival also featured an outside food section, which also drew long lines of customers.

Evelyn Yatchyshyn, a longtime volunteer who leads the outside kitchen, was busy trying to keep up with the demand. She said they have a great time every year.

“It’s getting harder and harder because I’m getting older and older,” Yatchyshyn said. “But I mean it’s always a good time. Every year, we come up with different themes and just different ways to have fun and to bring fun to the Valley. It’s always a challenge, but we do it.”

Yatchyshyn has been volunteering at the festival since 2016. Along with helping to raise funds for the church, she said it provides a sense of camaraderie. She added that the food is delicious.

“If you want some good, homemade, ethnic food, you come inside. We have the pierogies, a little piece of sausage, everything is homemade out here,” Yatchyshyn said. “We have our street food. We have our hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza and burgers. It’s always good food made with love.”

The inside portion included a large pastry table with PARISH FESTIVAL •A2

“Every year, we come up with different themes and just different ways to have fun and to bring fun to the Valley.

It’s always a challenge, but we do it.”

EVELYN YATCHYSHYN a wide selection of cookies, different kinds of cakes and more. Inside, there were also various types of other food, including a Polish platter with pierogies, halupki and haluski.

The inside portion also offered an Italian platter, which included cheese-stuffed shells, meatballs, sausage and garlic toast. Multiple sandwiches were also available, along with individual sides such as pierogies, halupki, haluski and stuffed shells.

The outside kitchen focused on pizza, burgers, fries, hot dogs, pizza burgers, and a newly added Philly cheese steak sandwich.

Susan Polomoscanik, who was in charge of the bake sale inside, said all their baked goods were donated and made by parishioners. Polomoscanik has been helping at the festival for the past five years.

“We even have people that don’t go to church here that donate for us,” Polomoscanik said. “So this is all profit. So every little bit helps. Our bake sales always do really well during Lent. We have one every Friday during Lent, and we have our fish fries, and we have this for today and tomorrow.”

The festival had different types of children’s games such as ring toss, duck pond and instant bingo. Joannie Brown and her daughter, Deanna Brown, helped with a spinthe- wheel game offering prizes for children and adults.

Joannie Brown has been volunteering for the festival for around five years, and this year she came up with the idea for spin the wheel.

Joan and Bill Kilpatrick of Monongahela have been coming to the festival for several years, and Joan said the thing she truly loves are the pierogies.

“I think this is our fourth time, and we come for all the fish dinners too, because of the pierogies,” she said. “I don’t make them and I didn’t grow up with them. When I moved to Western Pennsylvania in 1975, I ate pierogies for the first time and now I’m addicted.”

The festival will continue today from 4 to 9:30 p.m. at 44 Pennsylvania Blvd., concluding with an outside Mass. A balloon artist will be on hand from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Uptown Classics provided musical entertainment Friday. Today, Mon Valley Push will perform from 5 to 9 p.m.

For more information on the festival’s food menu and its schedule, visit www.eolparish.com/festival- 2025.html.