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Ethnic food, dance keep heritage alive at Ukrainian fest
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Raven Fox, 9 of Canfield enjoys Ukrainian pirogies with her family at the Ukrainian Festival at St. Anne Ukrainian Church on Sunday.
By Bob Jackson
AUSTINTOWN
Paul Yasnowski and Alex Lischak both were born 16 years ago in Ukraine, and both left that country when they were 18 months old. They were brought to America as babies, adopted by American parents.
They have been lifelong friends ever since and live only a few miles apart.
“Our parents are best friends,” said Alex, who lives in Brookfield. “They wanted a child, so they went to Ukraine to adopt. His parents got him, and my parents got me.”
Both boys are members of the Youngstown Area Ukrainian Dancers, which was among the groups that performed Sunday during the Ukrainian Festival at St. Anne’s Church at Raccoon and Kirk roads.
Paul, who lives in Lordstown, said the reason the boys participate in the ethnic dance troupe is simple — the heritage.
“It’s my dad’s heritage, and his dad’s before him,” said Paul, who also plays soccer and tennis on his high school teams.
“We’ve been dancing for 10 years now,” said Alex, who also runs cross country in high school. “I’m very artistic, so I just love to dance. When I go to homecoming, I’m always dancing.”
Fred Yasnowski, choreographer for the YAUD, said the troupe features traditional Ukrainian dances that have been handed down for generations.
“It’s very energetic, very acrobatic,” said Yasnowski, who is assisted by Tanya Hankevich. “They do lots of flips and all sorts of things.”
That’s exactly why Paul and Alex said they enjoy that type of dancing.
“It’s lots of fun. I just like the feeling of moving around,” Paul said. “I don’t like to be still; I like to be moving all the time.”
Fred Yasnowski said the dance group began years ago as an extracurricular activity for students when the church also operated a parochial school. After the school was disbanded, the church continued to let him use its facility to keep the dance group going.
“We meet once a week to practice,” he said, noting that the group is open to all youths, not just those of Ukrainian heritage. Dancers range in age from 9 to early 20s, although most are between 14 and 16, he said.
Fred Yasnowski said youth interest in ethnic dancing isn’t as strong as it once was, which he attributes to the simple passage of time. As original immigrants age and die, younger generations who come behind them aren’t as interested in sustaining their heritage.
“I don’t think that’s necessarily limited to Ukrainian,” he said. “I think it’s mostly across the board. We are keeping it alive as best we can, but it’s not what it used to be. We’re still having fun doing it.”
Father Ignatius Kury, pastor of St. Anne’s, said the ethnic festival had been discontinued for the past four years, but parish members felt that this was the year to bring it back, particularly in light of recent unrest in Ukraine.
“We want to share with the greater Austintown community our heritage, our faith, and awareness of what’s going on in Ukraine right now,” the Rev. Father Kury said, noting that the church has been battling a perception in the area that it was shut down. “We want people to know that we are still here, we are still active and vibrant, and we are alive with Jesus Christ.”
Besides performances by the YAUD and the Kiev Ukrainian Dancers from Carnegie, Pa., visitors to the festival could enjoy authentic Ukrainian cuisine that included pirogi, stuffed cabbage, haluski (noodles and cabbage), kielbasa and saurkraut, and borscht (red beet soup).
That’s what brought Helen Lesigonich, 87, and Marian Goske, 84, to the festival from Youngstown. The ladies said they attend Holy Trinity Church in Youngstown.
“We thought we’d come out and support them here,” said Goske.
“And we thought we’d eat some of the good food and listen to the music,” said Lesigonich, who had her eye on the haluski and stuffed cabbage.
The line of people waiting to be served was long, which organizers said was a good indicator that people were ready for the festival’s return.
“I’m Italian, so this isn’t necessarily my cuisine,” said 78-year-old Paul Rimedio of Austintown, who was watching his 2-year-old grandson, Joseph Rimedio, dance to Ukrainian music being played in the background. “But I like this food now and then, so this is good.”
Also available for visitors were a slew of baked goods, raffle baskets, artwork for display and sale and a bar that included Obolon, a beer that was imported from Ukraine.