a day ago
Opening night for a festival celebrating a Polish delicacy
EDWARDSVILLE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— A traditional Polish dish becomes the star of the weekend in one Luzerne County community.
It's a summertime staple in NEPA, and 28/22's Rachel Malak stopped by to get a taste of all the excitement.
Crowded streets and buttered pierogis, that's exactly what you'll get in Edwardsville, at the hometown committee's 11th Pierogi Festival.
'I was supposed to get these all to-go, but I think I'm just gonna eat them all right now,' emphasized Cody Welgosh, Wilkes-Barre Township.
While many people can't wait to indulge, organizers like Jackie Moran have work hard before the reward pays off.
'Once we hit the new year, we really kick it into high gear,' expressed Moran.
For others like Pete Vattimo, who designs the pierogi cutouts, the magic happens in the eleventh hour.
'I delay and just postpone that until I panic, and then I come up with a design, and I work for like two weeks straight to get it done, and then we're good,' said Vattimo.
Either way, the lead-up to pierogi fest is crunch time, or should we say, pinch time! And it certainly works up an appetite.
For new vendors, like Poppy Ski's:
'Thin dough, amazing filling. Ah, just your traditional potato, cheese, and onion. Everything you want in a pierogi,' explained Laura Gronski, owner, Poppy Ski's Pierogi.
To old favorites like TNT's Pierogi Plus, who are debuting their brand new 'Polish kabob' this year.
Each June, the Edwardsville Pierogi Festival butters up the community and keeps everyone coming back.
Some for the Oh-So-NEPA merch:
'It started with, like, making t-shirts, and then every year, we go through revisions, and then getting into 3D printed stuff,' said Ryan Klug, pierogi enthusiast.
Some for the live entertainment and plenty for the school's-out summertime fun!
We'll leave you with some advice:
'Come hungry. And uh, and yeah, just enjoy the, enjoy the people watching, and the just the random enthusiasm people have for pierogis,' added Vattimo.
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