PITTSFIELD, Mass.— After a three-year hiatus from in-person celebrations, the Saint Joseph Polish Picnic is back this Sunday. 

 

From noon until 5 p.m. the lawn of the parish will once again be filled with music, dance, food, and children's festivities. 

 

All funds raised support the parish. 

 

The event has been going on for generations originating as a family community picnic at Holy Family Parish. 

 

When Holy Family closed St. Joseph took it over. Since it was established it has grown to be a beloved community tradition for all, volunteer John Arasimowicz said. 

 

"I remember as a kid in the 40s, the woman cooking and it was this little tiny kitchen. It was a stove, a refrigerator, and a sink. That was it. I mean they did all the work for that in this little tiny kitchen," volunteer Barbara Conway said.

 

"...I remember being a kid and they would look for donations and the thing my mom always did was buy the hotdog rolls and the hamburger rolls and send down cabbages from the garden." 

 

The making of the food is like a family reunion, the volunteers said. This year Barbara's family had four generations come down to the church to help make the pierogis. 

 

The making of the event and the food is a community effort that could not be done without the many volunteers that come in to make the food and assist during the event as vendors, Arasimowicz said. 

 

This is an opportunity for people to celebrate Polish culture and cuisine as there are not many Polish restaurants or masses in the area, Arasimowicz said. 

 

So, unless you come from a family that knows how to make homemade Polish food, this is one of the few opportunities for residents to enjoy homemade Polish cuisine, he added. 

 

At one point the event received over a thousand admissions, he said. 

 

Barbara said even when it was taking place at Holy Family it was incredible to see the number of people who supported the event rain or shine, 

 

Due to its limited availability, Arasimowicz expects that people will come out in "droves" to buy Polish food, especially in the morning when they sell homemade frozen Polish food. 

 

For those who can not make it to the event frozen Polish food will be available starting at 9 a.m.  

 

During the event they will be selling kielbasa, kapusta, golumbki, and pierogi. They will also have "American" food including hotdogs, hamburgers, and various desserts. 

 

"These are just old family recipes so it's really home cooking and people enjoy that. And I think the big thing is that it's so diversified. Even though it's Polish, there's an American kitchen that does hotdogs and hamburgers," Barbara said. 

 

"We've had from 20 up to 35 people preparing pierogis on Saturday and Wednesday. So, we have people off cooking, rolling, and folding and stuffing," Arasimowicz said. 

 

During and before the event they expect to have made over 4000 pierogis, he said.

 

An addition to the event is this year's Polish mass which will take place at 11:30 inside the church. 

 

"There is a saying that means ‘to be Polish is to be Catholic,'" volunteer Robert Conway said. "The Polish mass is lively." 

 

"It's a thorough mass. It has livelier music because of the orchestration, but it's still the meaningful religious expression of Sunday service," Barbara said.

 

Arasimowicz said The Eddie Forman Orchestra will also be at the picnic playing traditional Polish music.

 

The Polish community has carried on their traditions not only with the picnic but with their holidays as well, Arasimowicz said. 

 

"So it's important that we have this and that we can both say Polish is still alive in Pittsfield," Arasimowicz said.