BINGHAMTON - This town's spiedies are tasty, but the kobasy at Sunday's Carpathian Festival was out of this world.
The variety of ethnic food served at the annual festival last weekend was the main attraction for over a thousand people at St. Michael's Church, who spent the afternoon socializing, singing, dancing - and eating.
"The food's my favorite part, and the fellowship's a close second," said Dave Gdovin, the president of the St. Michael's Church Council. "It waffles back and forth, depending on if I'm full or not."
While this columnist fell in love with the kobasy - a synonym of kielbasa, a zesty Polish sausage - the freshly made pirohi were undoubtedly the day's main attraction. Over 900 dozen pirohi were packed for the one-day festival, and Gdovin said he anticipated a sellout.
In the early evening, as hundreds of those pirohi were being devoured, Binghamton Mayor Matthew T. Ryan made a proclamation, officially declaring Msgr. Stephan Dutko the town's new Pirohi King.
While such a decree might seem frivolous, the pirohi business is a big deal in town. A promotion being run by prime pirohi producer Mrs. T's will soon declare the "Pirohi Capital of the World," and Binghamton will compete with cities like Buffalo, Pittsburgh and New York City, said Gdovin.
"They might have more people, but when it comes down to it, we've got more pirohi per person," he said.
That's thanks, in large part, to the hundreds of locals of Eastern
European descent who patronized the annual celebration this weekend. The festival has run for over 60 years, with the last 50 years held in the church's gymnasium, said Gdovin. Most of the families at the festival knew each other, he said, as several young children and elderly gentlemen came up to say hello to him.
And while temperatures outside neared record highs, the cozy nature of the gym provided a very friendly atmosphere, with culture spilling in from all sides of the room.
While volunteers served food along the gym's near side, raffles and children's games lined the far side of the room. And as dancers from as far as New York City took the main stage, musical acts prepared to perform on the balcony in the rear.
The festival is named after the Carpathian Mountains, a region that runs through Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine and Poland. Many families from Holland Street to the Oakdale Mall, said Gdovin, moved from the region to Binghamton, especially during the Endicott-Johnson era.
"I like the tradition of the whole thing," said Bobbi Gorman, one of a group of five friendly women sitting and admiring the atmosphere. "You'd never know the other cultures if you didn't come."
Gorman and her friends, Jane Griffith, Peggy Liberati, Stephanie Greblick and Josie Walling, said they frequent many different ethnic festivals throughout the year. Gorman referred to herself as a "roamer," a member of several different churches.
The group enjoys heading to festivals at St. Mary's, St. Andrew's and St. Cyril's, among others, and were enjoying the Carpathian Festival, with it being one of the last of the year.
"I love the music and the food," said Walling, smiling. "All we need are some men to dance with."
Strub is a senior at Binghamton University, a part-time copy editor at the Press & Sun-Bulletin and a new resident of Binghamton's West Side. His column appears Thursdays.
cstrub@pressconnects.com
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