Thousands crowd downtown for combined Kielbasi Fest and Heritage Day
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - A dancer in the Mexico contingent of the Shenandoah Heritage Day Parade performs on May 20, 2023.
SHENANDOAH – At least a thousand people crowded North Main Street for Shenandoah’s largest event of the year, the combined Kielbasi Festival and Heritage Day event.
The festivities began with the Parade of Nations. Contingents in the parade represented the diverse ethnic, cultural, and civic landscape of the borough and northern Schuylkill County.
Put on by Downtown Shenandoah, Inc., Heritage Day has been held since 1998, and Kielbasi Fest since 2007.
This year, the combined event saw vendors line Main Street from Centre to Washington Street.
The Parade of Nations processed through the festival as it kicked off.
Serving as grand marshals for the parade were Shenandoah’s youth athletic volunteers, who Anne Taylor, of DSI, said have “stood on the shoulders of giants,” referring to the many volunteers who had been integral in starting and running each youth sports league.
Those grand marshals were:
- JP Dombrosky and Al Matakonis, representing Jr. Blue Devils Football;
- Sandra Dombrosky, representing Jr. Blue Devils Cheer;
- Vince and Melissa Troutman, representing Shenandoah Girls Softball;
- John and Megan Burke, representing Shenandoah Soccer;
- David Bench, representing Shenandoah Little League;
- Frank McCole, representing Shenandoah Teener Baseball;
- and Amanda and Scott Karenda, representing Shenandoah Girls Biddy Basketball.
McCole and Bench led the parade, while the other marshals marched with their respective organizations.
Behind those two was the combination of our three local high school bands — Shenandoah Valley, Mahanoy Area, and North Schuylkill.
As usual, the Mexico contingent entertained the crowd with their traditional dances, while various contingents represented the countries from which Shenandoah residents trace their heritage — Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, India, Lithuania, and more.
In the festival, ethnic foods, traditional American foods, crafts, and more were served up, with long lines for Kowalonek’s Kielbasi and the Rescue Hook and Ladder’s bleenies.
Jackie Bubnis performed the national anthem at the start of the festival, followed by an invocation from Marcus Alvarez.
The Shenandoah All-Star Polka Band provided musical entertainment for the first half of the festival, while the M&J Big Band took over with a tribute to Shenandoah’s own big band legends, the Dorsey Brothers.
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