Ostatki, the Polish pre-Lent party, at B&O Station

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley’s Polish community will present Ostatki, the pre-Lenten carnival celebration, Feb. 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the B&O Station, 530 Mahoning Ave. Tickets are $40 for the party, which will have a Valentine’s Day theme. Call 330-333-9724 or go to polishyoungstown.org.

Ostatki will include tastings of Polish vodka, beer, wine and liquors, complemented by a food pairing buffet. Live music will start the evening as guests enjoy basket raffles, trivia games and desserts. The evening will climax with the presentation of paczki, special oversized donuts with a hidden surprise for one lucky person.

Directly translated as “the last,” Ostatki gives guests a final chance at merriment before the solemnity of Lent.

“This is a big event back in the villages where my ancestors came from in southern Poland,” said Agata Lyda Khoury, event chair. “People traditionally start their festivities a whole week before, and it doesn’t stop until late on Shrove Tuesday. We wanted to recreate the spirit of that time so Valley residents could enjoy it.”

Ostatki will also include the annual cocktail contest, sponsored by Y-Town Vodka. The professional category will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Boxcar Lounge, next to the B&O, and will be judged by Mayor John McNally, John Slanina and Ken Shirilla.

The amateur contest will be at the Ostatki event and will be judged by Ballet Western Reserve director Stas Kmiec, downtown events director Michael McGiffin, activist Phil Kidd, radio and TV personality Casey Malone and Becky Keck of SMARTS. Go to polishyoungstown.org.