16th Annual ‘Egg Eggstravaganza’ –March 25 in Uniontown

The 16th annual ‘EGG EGGSTRAVAGANZA’ will be held at the St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church Social Hall, located at 201 E. Main Street Uniontown, PA on Sunday, March 26, 2023, from 12:00 noon – 4:00 PM. This year’s event is being sponsored by GCU Lodge #81, local egg artists, and the St. John’s Ethnic Craft Club.

Various egg artists will be demonstrating, displaying, and selling their particular art which will include Eastern European pysanky, Polish drop-and-pull wax relief eggs, Hungarian-style eggs, onion-skindyed etched or scratch type goose eggs, vinegar-etched emu eggs, tie dyed eggs, wood burned eggs, and other collectable Tiffany-style eggs.

In addition to the egg artists, there will be an Egg Bazaar featuring vendors selling egg dyes, beeswax, tools, books, videos, and pysanky kits for sale. Traditional items used in ethnic Easter baskets will also be available, such as embroidered covers, candles, lamb butter molds, egg wraps, parish cookbooks, and much more. There will also be Easter crafts for sale made by the St. John’s Ethnic Craft Club. Traditional Easter basket covers will also be on display. There will also be information for Easter basket blessing foods such as hrutka/sirets (Easter Cheese), braided long rolls, horseradish/beets, and Paska Bread design making.

An extensive parish bake sale will include long rolls (nut, apricot, poppyseed, cottage cheese), paska bread, decorated medovniki, small nut rolls, cookies, homemade candy, and many more delicious goodies. A Lenten Luncheon Menu, including St. John’s “famous” pirohi, halushki, pagach pockets, pirohi pizza, and soups and more will be available for purchase.

Visitors can try a hands-on workshop to learn how to decorate eggs. There will be a Children’s Corner featuring egg-related crafts, storytelling, cookie decorating, and a jigsaw puzzle area. There will be many raffles and a Basket Raffle. Church tours will take place.

There is no admission fee. Handicapped accessible. For further information, please contact the church office 724-438-1382 (Leave message). Check parish website for any updates:http://www.stjohnbaptist-byzcathuniontown.org/

‘Soles for Songs’ 5K Set for April 1

Carpathian Cookery Cookbooks Available

By Lois Thomson

According to Jennie Nolan, the South Hills Children's Choir experienced a "little freak snowstorm" when it held a 5K fundraiser in March last year, but that hasn't deterred them from doing it again. "We did run; people turned out and had a lot of fun, and we were surprised that we were still able to have a race."

Nolan is the founder and artistic director of the choir, which comprises youngsters 8 to 18 from the South Hills and Mon Valley areas. This year's 5K, Soles for Songs, is set for April 1 at Panhandle Trail in Collier Township, and Nolan said, "It's flat, it's easy, and it's very pretty; there's a beautiful rock quarry and gorge right there. The money we raise will help support the different things we're trying to do with our program, including supporting some students with disabilities." This year one of the students is vision impaired so the choir acquired music in Braille.

In addition, because wanting her kids to have a broad understanding of music is important to Nolan, she said she "always finds a way to invite local musicians who are professionals to come and play with us" – whether a local flute teacher, a percussion and violin duo from West Virginia, or a local banjo player. During the pandemic, Stacey Gibbs, a composer from the Detroit area, worked via Zoom with the choir on one of his pieces, Walk Together Children, and that piece is going to be included in the choir's 10th anniversary concert.

"We're always trying to find ways to broaden our kids' horizons. I want them to see there's so many opportunities out there, and if they love to sing they can find ways to make music or pick up an instrument and learn."

The choir is planning a 10th Anniversary Celebration Concert May 6, at 5:30 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church in Upper St. Clair. Nolan said musicians who have played with the choir are invited to attend, along with alumni, who will join the choir and sing at the end. "We're planning a big birthday bash. (Gibbs) composes spirituals and gospel music, and his Walk Together Children is a fun, lively spiritual. The kids are really excited about it, so we're hoping to have a good turnout of alumni to join us."

The cost to register for the 5K is $30 until March 15, $40 after March 15. To register, visit shcchoir.org/events.html. For questions or to volunteer, send an email to solesdirector@gmail.com.

The Carpathian Cookery cookbook, has entered its 21st printing and is now available for sale. Having sold over 20,000 copies, this cookbook was requested by the Library of Congress to be in their ethnic cooking collection. The 330-page cookbook has a new look and features a protective plastic cover. The book includes sections on Christmas and Easter customs and recipes, traditional Rusyn and Slavic foods, other ethnic dishes, and many other tried-andtrue recipes of St. John’s parishioners. There is a variety of paska bread and kolachi (filled roll) recipes, as well as meatless dishes and Lenten recipes, suitable for the Great Fast, as well as the Pre-Christmas Fast. The cost of the cookbook is $14 plus $4 postage and handling ($19). If ordering from Canada, please send a $36 ($14 plus $22 postage) U.S. Postal money order payable in U.S. dollars to reflect the difference in the exchange rate and postage cost.

To order please send a check or money order to: Ethnic Craft Club, St. John Byzantine Catholic Church, 201 E. Main Street, Uniontown, PA 15401, or call (724) 438-1382 (M-F 9AM-3PM–Leave message) for more information. You may also contact us at: carpathiancookery@gmail.com.

Fish Fry at American Legion Post 760 in Bethel Park

American Legion Post 760 in Bethel Park will be holding a Fish Fry from 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM every Friday during Lent for TAKE OUT ONLY. The Menu includes: Baked or Fried Fish, Shrimp, Mac n Cheese, Homemade Coleslaw & Haluski, Lobster Bisque Soup, French Fries or Potato Chips.

American Legion Post 760 is located at 2409 Bethel Church Road in Bethel Park. For more information, call 412-835-9690 or please visit our website: www.bethelParklegion760.org

Clothes 4 U Ministry in Belle Vernon Open For 2 Days in March

The Clothes 4 U ministry of the First United Methodist Church in Belle Vernon will be open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Tuesday March 14 and Tuesday, March 28. All donations of clean gently used clothing is greatly appreciated so that we can continue this ministry to the people of the Mon Valley. We are strictly donations in and donations out. We do not charge for anything. Please call the church at 724-929-4696 for information and immediate need