18th annual Plymouth Alive Kielbasa Festival set for Friday and Saturday

Aug. 10—PLYMOUTH — Sometime early Friday morning, the aroma of garlic should begin to permeate the air, emanating from Plymouth Borough where the 18th annual Plymouth Alive Kielbasa Festival will once again be held.

Vendors selling food, crafts and more will line Main Street for two days, Friday and Saturday Aug. 12-13, and bands will be playing at two locations and the commemorative tee shirts will be for sale.

"The Kielbasa Festival is something that the town of Plymouth looks forward to each year," said Alexis Eroh, who takes over as chair of the event. "The bars and restaurants along Main Street prepare accordingly, ordering weeks in advance to get ready for the crowds that come for the festival. The manager of the Press Box told me that it is 'by far' his biggest weekend of the year."

Eroh and her fellow officers — John Thomas, vice chair; Adam Morehart, treasure; and Janet Dixon, secretary — and the entire committee and volunteers have been working hard to get the town ready for another successful event.

"The proceeds that we in Plymouth Alive receive from vendor fees and t-shirt sales go toward paying for the festival itself, but also allow us as an organization to donate to the fire companies, the police department, sponsor the summer reading program at the library, support the Plymouth Shawnee Indians and the Historical Society on a regular basis."

Eroh added that this year, Plymouth Alive was able to replace the planters along Main Street and plant the flowers in summer, which helps beautify the town.

And we can bring Santa and Rudolph to town during the holiday season," Eroh said. "The impact of a two-day festival is a year-long benefit."

And there is much more that the Kielbasa Festival means to the town and its organizations and its people.

"The sense of pride and community that results from the festival is tangible," Eroh said. "We all come together to make it happen because residents of all ages enjoy it — from kids who come for the games and face painting to the senior citizens who walk over from Dan Flood Towers in the afternoon to enjoy the polka music. Kielbasa Festival is iconically Plymouth and showcases the best of what we have to offer."

Mayor Frank Coughlin agrees, noting that almost every storefront along Plymouth's Main Street is filled with viable, successful businesses that visitors will see and patronize during the Kielbasa Festival and beyond.

"To me, the Kielbasa Festival is when old friends come home — friends who haven't seen each other in years and they share stories and enjoy good food and music. Visitors come in and enjoy

our Main Street businesses and they can experience a great festival in a safe environment."

And Coughlin echoed Eroh's comment that all proceeds are returned to the town's organizations and programs to help them continue to provide services to the town.

"Any organization in town that needs help, we help them," Coughlin said. "And Plymouth Alive is constantly doing things to benefit the town,": the Mayor said. "This is the biggest event in Plymouth all year. We invite everyone to come out for great food, lots of fun and for a good cause."

Eroh, Coughlin and Morehart noted that the Kielbasa Festival emotes a feeling of small town life — the feeling of true community spirit being espoused by descendants of that Greatest Generation.

Plymouth Alive has new leadership — Eroh, Thomas and Adam Morehart serve on Plymouth Borough Council and they have a genuine concern for the town and its people.

The Kielbasa Festival and the upcoming Pittston Tomato Festival and the recently held Edwardsville Pierogi Festival are awesome community events that are not only vital to the towns that host them, but for the community spirit each brings, as thousands of people attend and enjoy great food, crafts and, most importantly, great fun.

In 2002, Plymouth Alive was formed to try to help — and it sure has helped.

Eroh recognizes the importance of continuing the annual Kielbasa Festival. Eroh succeeds Terry Womelsdorf, who was president of Plymouth Alive for 17 years. He succeeded Ed Vnuk, who helped establish the organization. Jaynan Temarantz also stepped down, but she and Womelsdorf remain members of Plymouth Alive and will continue to volunteer for the group.

Eroh said she hopes to return the popular festival to its pre-pandemic form. The Kielbasa Festival was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic and last year it was scaled down a bit, Eroh said.

"We will continue to support the community," Eroh said. "We have and will continue to support the town's fire and police departments, the Shawnee Indians mini football organization, the Plymouth Public Library and the Plymouth Historical Society, and more."

And Eroh said that's why it's so important to continue the Kielbasa Festival. In these days of dwindling state and federal support and the burden that is on taxpayers, Eroh said events like the Kielbasa Festival are vital to the community.

"The organizations supported by the festival are vital to the health of the community,"Eroh said. " They all provide needed services to the town and its people.

"The Kielbasa Festival has become an institution for the town," Eroh said. "And Plymouth Alive remains strong in the community."

So for two days every August, Plymouth really does come "Alive."

Scott Cannon of Video Innovations, has been on the Kielbasa Festival and Plymouth Alive committees for years. He see the value the festival brings to the town.

"The Plymouth Kielbasa Festival is the only event that brings all the groups, organizations, and first responders together in town for one weekend each year," Cannon said. "We've had the pleasure of opening two restaurants this year and Kielbasa Week we'll help open an arts and crafts business, called Behold Something New, in what was an empty storefront. The Festival is a lot of work to organize, but the folks in Plymouth Alive make it an extremely fun and satisfying experience every year.

"During the year, we have a mile of great food options, but come this weekend, I dare you to find a wider variety of tasty treats anywhere on the East Coast."

Kickoff Friday at 1 p.m.

The 18th Annual Plymouth Kielbasa Festival will be held on August 12 & 13. The official kick-off will be at 1 p.m. on Friday Aug. 12, at the Susan Gryziec Main Stage located in the Municipal Parking lot on Main Street.

So far Eroh said more than 82 vendors have registered, including 10 new vendors this year.

" Our vendors include kielbasa, pierogi, potato pancakes and a wide variety of other food options from all over the state in addition to bounce houses for kids, games, clothing and accessories, community organizations and all three Plymouth Fire Departments," Eroh said.

The entertainment lineup for this year will feature the return of two stages. In addition to the Sue Gryziec Main Stage we will have the return of the Valley with a Heart Bandshell at the WVW High School. Both stages boast a full slate of bands, including multiple polka bands and the much-anticipated performance from The Great Rock Scare, currently on their reunion tour following a 2-decade hiatus. All of our entertainment is free and guests are encouraged to bring a chair to sit and enjoy the show.

Our annual Kielbasa Festival Parade will kick off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. This year's parade theme is "Hometown Heroes" and is dedicated to those who have served previously and currently in our Armed Forces, Fire, Police, and EMS companies, as showcased in the town's brand new Hometown Heroes banners which line Main Street.

"On a personal note, this has been my first year as president of Plymouth Alive and could not have done this with the assistance and guidance from the previous president of 15 years, Terry Wolmelsdorf," Eroh said. "Terry has been with me every step of the way, along with Jaynan Temarantz (our recently retired Treasurer who also put in nearly two decades of leadership). Terry and Jaynan built the Kielbasa Festival into the institution which it is today and the Borough of Plymouth owes them a tremendous debt of gratitude."

Kielbasa Contest

Eroh explained the Kielbasa Contest format:

"Upon purchasing a kielbasa product from a designated kielbasa vendor, the festival attendee will be provided with a ticket by that kielbasa vendor.

"The attendee will bring that ticket to the Plymouth Alive T-Shirt tent and place it in the box associated with the designated Kielbasa Vendor for whom they wish to vote.

"We will have one category for fresh kielbasa and one for smoked kielbasa. The top vote getter for each category will win."

Entertainment schedule

Friday Aug. 12 — Sue Gryziec Main Stage

1:30 — 3:30 Stevens Polka Band

4:00 — 6:00 Nobody's Fool

6:30 — 8:30 Eddie Day and the Starfires

9:00 — 11:00 The Great Rock Scare Reunion

WVW Valley With A Heart Bandshell

4:00 — 6:00 Reel in the Years

6:30 — 8:30 Shakey Ground w/Bob Gryziec

9:00 to 11:00 Kris & the Trainwrecks

Saturday Aug. 13 — Sue Gryziec Main Stage

1:30 — 3:30 Fuzzy Park Trio

4:00 — 6:00 Stanky and the Coalminers

6:30 — 8:30 $haken — Eddie Money Tribute Band

9:00 — 11:00 Fair Warning — Van Halen Tribute Band

WVW Valley With A Heart Bandshell

1:30 — 3:30 Eddie Appnell Duo

4:00 — 6:00 Chris London Band

6:30 — 8:30 Swing Masters Polka Band

9:00 to 11:00 Mother Nature's Sons

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.