web1_Clint-Frazier.jpg

International League: Clint Frazier powers SWB RailRiders past Lehigh Valley IronPigs

Engineering contract next for Wilkes-Barre’s Solomon Creek wall project

<p>EDWARDSVILLE &#8212; The fourth annual Edwardsville Pierogi Festival kicked off in grand style Friday &#8212; the sun was shining, the smell of Northeastern Pennsylvania food staples filled the air, and, of course, Pierogi Joe was there too.</p><p>&#8220;I love it,&#8221; said Joe &#8220;Pierogi Joe&#8221; Stanavage. His stand &#8212; Joe&#8217;s Homemade Pierogi&#8217;s &#8212; has won awards in the festival&#8217;s contest the past three years, but never the top prize.</p><p>He boasted: &#8220;We&#8217;re going for first (this year).&#8221;</p><p>Stanavage has been making pierogies since 1987. He uses his mother and grandmother&#8217;s recipes.</p><p>&#8220;I just talk to them,&#8221; he said, as he looked to the heavens. &#8220;I hope they&#8217;re proud of me.&#8221;</p><p>The best-selling variety at his stand is the potato and cheese, with extra butter and extra onions. But, as Stanavage notes: &#8220;I like them all.&#8221;</p><p>Vendors such as LulaRoe and Scentsy will also be selling their wares on Main Street as part of the festival. But there&#8217;s no doubt the highlight is the pierogies, plus the rest of the food offerings.</p><p>&#8220;So many different kinds of foods,&#8221; said Jackie Moran, president of the Edwardsville Hometown Committee.</p><p>Lou Sapolis, of Lou&#8217;s Concessions, has &#8220;everything under the sun,&#8221; including deep-fried pierogies. And special for this year, he&#8217;s added a creation known as buffalo wing fries &#8212; wing bites with fries and a heavy dose of cheese and sauce. The Duryea-based merchant said he&#8217;s been at the festival since the beginning.</p><p>&#8220;The food is the draw,&#8221; he said, standing inside his orange-and-yellow vendor cart.</p><p>Heather Schwab, 15, Larksville, was enjoying ice cream from Bernardo&#8217;s.</p><p>&#8220;So good,&#8221; she said, trying to eat the treat before it melted. Heather said she was &#8220;full of goodies&#8221; from making her way up and down both sides of the street. &#8220;I can&#8217;t eat another thing.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;My favorite is the popcorn,&#8221; Lisa Martin added.</p><p>Lisa, also 15 and from Larksville, was eating dessert before dinner like her friend, Heather. &#8220;I like the homemade doughnuts, too.&#8221;</p><p>Jenna Brody was entertaining children as Ms. Pierogi, the mascot of the festival. She enjoyed the chance to meet new people.</p><p>&#8220;I like to make the kids smile,&#8221; said Jenna, 15, of Glen Lyon.</p><p>Wearing the bulky mascot costume wasn&#8217;t bothering her too much, even though it was quite warm Friday night. She said the costume allows for plenty of air circulation to keep her cool.</p><p>The Edwardsville Pierogi Festival is the only fundraiser for the hometown committee, Moran said. She believes close to 20,000 people will join in the fun throughout the two-day event.</p><p>&#8220;It helps us give back,&#8221; said Moran, mentioning children&#8217;s acitivities in the fall and for Easter. &#8220;We better our community.&#8221;</p><p>The festival runs through 10 p.m. Saturday. A pierogi cook off will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Konefal&#8217;s, with awards distributed at 3 p.m.</p><p>A parade will travel down Main Street at 11 a.m. Saturday.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL061017Pierogi1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bentley Powell, 2, feeds the animals at the kids zone at the Edwardsville Pierogi Festival on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL061017Pierogi1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bentley Powell, 2, feeds the animals at the kids zone at the Edwardsville Pierogi Festival on Friday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL061017Pierogi2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">&#8216;Pierogi Joe&#8217; Stanavage holds up smothered doughnuts Friday at his stand at the pierogi festival. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL061017Pierogi2.jpg</photo1><caption1>&#8216;Pierogi Joe&#8217; Stanavage holds up smothered doughnuts Friday at his stand at the pierogi festival. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL061017Pierogi3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Nathan Malek serves a dish of pierogies at Konefal&#8217;s, another food vendor at the Edwardsville Pierogi Festival. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL061017Pierogi3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Nathan Malek serves a dish of pierogies at Konefal&#8217;s, another food vendor at the Edwardsville Pierogi Festival. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Edwardsville festival makes pierogies the star