Banquet will honor Father Balasko & Dr. Beelen

YOUNGSTOWN

The third annual Ethnic Heritage awards banquet will be at 5 p.m. Oct. 25 at A La Cart Catering, 429 Lisbon St., Canfield. The EHS is dedicated to supporting local ethnic communities and helping preserve their heritage.

The honorees will include the Rev. George Balasko, recipient of its leadership award, and Dr. George Beelen, who will receive the visionary award.

The master of ceremonies will be the Rev. Joseph Rudjak, president of EHS. Richard S. Scarsella, president of the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society, will chair the event.

Father Balasko, often hailed as the originator of the polka Mass, is well-known for his efforts in the area of interfaith dialogue. In the fall of 2009 he was honored by Temple El Emeth in conjunction with the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation for his lifetime commitment to interfaith relations and for the decades-old Jewish/Christian dialogue programs.

Dr. Beelen is founding president of the Ohio Cultural Alliance, an organization that assisted the development of the EHS. Over the years he has led cultural exchanges involving Youngstown State University and institutions such as the University of Guadalajara. He is co-editor of “An Ethnic Encyclopedia: The Peopling of the Mahoning Valley,” a resource for those seeking information on local immigrant and migrant groups. He has served more than five decades as a civic leader and has been a professor at YSU for more than 40 years.

Tickets, which must be bought in advance, are available for $20 and include a meal and entertainment. Social hour will begin at 5 p.m. and the buffet dinner will begin at 6 p.m.

For information call Scarsella at 330-726-8277 or EHS directors Tom Welsh at 330-792-7936 or Sandra Cika at 202-297-0362.