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Fifth annual vatra planned for Saturday

Monday, August 21, 2017

BOARDMAN

The Youngstown-Warren chapter of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society will sponsor its fifth annual Carpatho-Rusyn Slovak bonfire picnic Saturday on the grounds of the Infant of Prague Byzantine Catholic Church, 7754 South Ave, in Boardman.

The kitchen will be open from noon to 8 p.m. and will offer homemade Slavic food, including slanina (smoked bacon) for roasting in the fire and eating with diced tomatoes and peppers on rye bread. Also on the menu will be holubki (stuffed cabbage); pirogi; haluski with dumplings; kolbasi; vinegar, cucumber and sweet onion salad; smoked ham and barley soup (krupi); and more.

This is a fall “vatra,” or bonfire, as celebrated by the Slavic people in the Carpathian Mountains that divide Slovakia and Ukraine. The event will include genealogy material, including village maps to trace family roots, and ethnic sales tables with items that reflect the Rusyn and Slovak heritage.

The bonfire will burn into the evening with music, singing and dancing. Slavic folk musicians Dean Poloka, Tom Katrenich and Company will perform. At 6 p.m. there will be a Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy service in the church. For more information, call Jim Basista, 330-544-0107, or Bob Demoko 330-719-4418.