
Artist Sue Hand painting a scene from the St. Mary's Homecoming Picnic, September 1999 |
Saint Mary's Annual Homecoming Picnic
Held every Labor Day weekend in Mocanaqua in
the heart of the coal mining region in Northeast Pennsylvania,
this two-day festival is the social highlight of the year for
the parishioners of Saint Mary's, Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Church. Sobieski Park has been the picnic site since 1933,
when the men of the parish cleared land donated by the West
End Coal Company and built a kitchen, dance hall, and large
outdoor fireplace on it. The church had first been completed
in 1904, but burned to the ground when a spark from a passing
locomotive landed on its roof and ignited the wooden
structure. The parishioners again raised funds for a new
church, which was dedicated in 1914 at its present site out of
the reach of flying sparks.
Beginning with Eastern European immigrants, the
parish grew over the years as the church embraced new Polish and
Italian immigrants. To strengthen the bonds between the church
members and to raise money for church functions, an annual
end-of-the-summer church celebration was established on a piece of
land "sold" (at a cost of $1) by the coal company, as company
management knew they needed to keep this enormous pool of cheap
labor content by providing a piece of land for the celebration of
their ethnic heritage. The men of the parish cleared boulders and
trees, leveled the land, and dug a well on the parcel of land
purchased from the coal company. The focal point of the park was a
cement fountain. The Sobieski Park was formally dedicated in 1933,
and has served as the site of the homecoming picnic -- a reunion,
of sorts -- for those who have moved out of town but always return
for the picnic.
Planning for the picnic begins in May, and in the next several
months parishioners donate designated items. In July and August,
the cooking (and freezing) begins in earnest by the women of St.
Mary's.
Kluski,
golabki (stuffed cabbage),
pierogies (dough filled with mashed potatoes, cheese or
sauerkraut), potato pancakes,
czarnina (duck blood soup),
ziti, as well as more traditional American foods such as hotdogs,
hamburgers, turkey, apple sauce are prepared. Men of the parish
also help to prepare the food, and others work at Sobieski Park to
mow grass, repair and paint the stands, transport benches, and
clean the kitchen areas.
On Labor Day weekend, the picnic festivities begin Saturday with
a Polka Mass, and polka bands and dancers in traditional Polish
costume provide entertainment throughout the event. The festivities
continue on Sunday, when ethnic music and dance groups perform,
attired in authentic Polish dress. The wide variety of ethnic foods
is served, including
pierogies, halushki, potato pancakes,
czarnina, ziti with meatballs, and a multitude of
desserts. For the 1999 picnic, Mussari-Loftus Associates of Dallas,
Pennsylvania, produced a video documentary which includes
highlights of the traditional outdoor Polka Mass, and a nostalgic
tribute to the founders of the parish. Also, an interview with the
last surviving child of one of the nine original founders of St.
Mary's Church provides viewers with a detailed history of the event
and how it has evolved over the past 85 years into a major, two-day
community-wide celebration. Artist Sue Hand captured the event by
painting two watercolors, and special postcards were available
noting the picnic as a designated Library of Congress Local
Legacy.
Project documentation includes a videotape, seven pages of text,
44 color photographs, newspaper clippings, church bulletins, and a
tee shirt.
Originally submitted by: Paul E. Kanjorski, Representative (11th District).
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