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<p>SWOYERSVILLE &#8212; At St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, the pierogie makers mean business.</p><p>You realize that as soon as you see their rolling pin with eight metal circles, sharp as cookie cutters, attached.</p><p>With one sweeping motion, George Barilla rolled the custom-made tool over a swath of dough, creating dozens of perfectly round pieces for a team of teenage runners to carry to the 37 adult pinchers.</p><p>&#8220;Look at all the young people we have helping us,&#8221; Barillas says, his wide smile taking in runners 11-year-old Jillian Del Balso of Plains, 16-year-old Devin Dougherty of Shavertown and 14-year-old Carly Cavanaugh of Dallas.</p><p>Cavanaugh, for one, isn&#8217;t even a member of the parish. Nor is she related to one. She pitched in with the food preparations for St. Elizabeth&#8217;s annual bazaar &#8212; helping make about 2,000 dozen pierogies in three days &#8212; as a buddy to her friend Annie Bagnall, 14, of West Wyoming.</p><p>Since the pinchers were so efficient about putting a scoop of mashed potatoes into each dough circle and pinching it shut with their fingers, the runners scurried to keep them supplied.</p><p>Still, Bagnall found time to pivot like a basketball player as she handed a stack of circles to pincher Mary Ann Martinsky, of Forty Fort.</p><p>&#8220;She has technique,&#8221; Martinsky said with a laugh, adding Bagnall is her granddaughter.</p><p>With about 60 volunteers each doing his or her part on a recent Wednesday, Kate Clemente of Kingston said the place was running like a well-oiled machine. She and several other workers pointed to Rich Nemetz as the person in charge.</p><p>But Nemetz wanted no special credit.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a group effort,&#8221; Nemetz said, adding &#8220;Put duct tape over his mouth,&#8221; as Barilla tried to praise him.</p><p>Of course, it&#8217;s all right to praise the pierogies.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re delicious,&#8221; said volunteer pincher Arlene Straub of Forty Fort.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re excellent, even without butter and onions,&#8221; said Norene Kubasko of Wyoming.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re even good cold,&#8221; said Margaret Shulo of Forty Fort.</p><p>At 92, Shulo was probably the oldest volunteer in the hall, and when she gave a reporter a cold pierogie to eat, well, there&#8217;s no denying it was good.</p><p>The pierogies will be frozen in a cavernous freezer until the bazaar, which opens July 14. And, as the workers finished making them, they knew other tasks lay ahead.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll make piggies next,&#8221; Nemetz said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Donna Gustave and Paula Matthews, who are sisters, scoop balls of potato filling for the pierogies at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070616Pierogies1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Donna Gustave and Paula Matthews, who are sisters, scoop balls of potato filling for the pierogies at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070616Pierogies2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mary Keating and Theresa Yurko are two of 37 pierogie pinchers who volunteered on a recent Wednesday to pinch the little pasta pockets shut. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070616Pierogies2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Mary Keating and Theresa Yurko are two of 37 pierogie pinchers who volunteered on a recent Wednesday to pinch the little pasta pockets shut. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070616Pierogies3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">George Barilla uses a special tool, custom-made for the church, to cut out circles of dough for the pierogies. The tool has eight circles, sharp as cookie cutters, attached to a rolling pin. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070616Pierogies3.jpg</photo2><caption2>George Barilla uses a special tool, custom-made for the church, to cut out circles of dough for the pierogies. The tool has eight circles, sharp as cookie cutters, attached to a rolling pin. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070616Pierogies4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Rich Nemetz, shown putting dough through a rolling machine, is in charge of the pierogie-making at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, but credits all the volunteers for contributing to a group effort. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070616Pierogies4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Rich Nemetz, shown putting dough through a rolling machine, is in charge of the pierogie-making at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, but credits all the volunteers for contributing to a group effort. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070616Pierogies5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The finished pierogies will be placed in water to boil and then frozen until the annual picnic at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, set for July 14-16 on the parish grounds, Hughes Street, Swoyersville. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070616Pierogies5.jpg</photo4><caption4>The finished pierogies will be placed in water to boil and then frozen until the annual picnic at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, set for July 14-16 on the parish grounds, Hughes Street, Swoyersville. </caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Volunteers at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton work &#8216;like well-oiled machine.&#8217;</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Pierogie makers prepare for Seton bazaar in Swoyersville