Polish Day events call for best pirogi eaters, makers

Staff report

BOARDMAN

The seventh annual Polish American Heritage Day Festival will take place at noon Aug. 29 for Poker and Pirogi and 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 30 for Polish Day at St. Luke Church and hall, 5235 South Ave. Polish Day admission is $5.

Organizers are inviting the public to help with some of the best features.

This is the second year to celebrate Youngstown’s passion for pirogi with the Best Pirogi contest. Organizers want the best pinchers in town to show off their stuff.

The competition is open to all amateur cooks and businesses. It will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Get an entry form online or by request by emailing info@polishytoungstown.org or by calling 330-333-9724.

Applicants will be judged on four categories:

Homemade traditional: Boiled or fried pirogi filled with cheese, cheese-potato or kapusta (pickled or fresh cabbage) with or without mushrooms, carrots, etc.

Homemade nontraditional: Open to entrant’s creativity, keeping in mind that a pirogi is a stuffed pocket of dough.

Commercial: Open to any business using a traditional recipe

Dessert: Made as a dessert open to entrant’s creativity

Judges will determine the winners in each category, who will receive prizes and the title of Youngstown’s Best Pirogi Maker.

In another pirogi-related feature, the annual pirogi-eating contest is open to anyone 18 and older. The goal is to see how many of the dumplings you can eat in three minutes. The entry fee is $10, and each contestant will receive a pirogi T-shirt.

First-, second- and third-place prizes will be awarded. The contest will take place at 6 p.m. Sunday. Get an entry form online or at the ticket booth before the contest.

For information on any of the events and the full schedule, visit www.polishyoungstown.org.

Polish Youngstown is a nonprofit corporation created to inspire and educate area residents on all things Polish. The mission is to promote Polish culture and ethnic awareness in the Mahoning Valley. The goal is to celebrate Polish customs with accuracy and liveliness.