A "new and improved" Nationality Days debuted Thursday, May 12 through Saturday May 14, 1983. Among the 18th annual festival's "new" features was a new name, "Nationality Arts Festival." In additional to the traditional ethnic food and entertainment, the event added musical, theatrical, and dance performances, plus artists and craftsmen who offered demonstrations as well as items for sale. The festival site on Merchant St. ran from 4th St. to 8th St.
Here's the entertainment lineup listed in the May 8, 1983, Beaver County Times:
 |
| Nationality Arts Festival's list of scheduled events Beaver County Times, May 8, 1983 |
Despite the new arts and crafts, really, the event was, as usual, about the food.
 |
| 18th Annual Nationality Arts Festival Merchant Street May 1983 Laughlin Memorial Library archives used with permission |
 |
| 18th Annual Nationality Arts Festival Merchant Street May 1983 Laughlin Memorial Library archives used with permission |
 |
| 18th Annual Nationality Arts Festival Merchant Street May 1983 Laughlin Memorial Library archives used with permission |
 |
| 18th Annual Nationality Arts Festival Merchant Street May 1983 Laughlin Memorial Library archives used with permission |
 |
| 18th Annual Nationality Arts Festival Merchant Street May 1983 Laughlin Memorial Library archives used with permission |
 |
| 18th Annual Nationality Arts Festival Merchant Street May 1983 Laughlin Memorial Library archives used with permission |
The May 16 Beaver County Times reported on the sales of some of the ethnic food booths:
- Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox: 3,800 pounds of gyro and 1,200 pounds of shish kabob;
- Christ the King: 3,500 Italian meatballs on 1,750 sandwiches, 400 pounds of hot sausage, 400 pounds of shells, and 600 calzones;
- St. Vladimir Ukrainian Church: 44,500 pirogi, 3,744 stuffed cabbages, 100 nutrolls, and enough haluski to use 350 pounds of cabbage;
- Holy Trinity Catholic: 3,600 stuffed cabbages, 350 pounds of kolbassi, 1,400 apple strudel strips, 440 dozen donuts, and used 250 pounds of noodles for cabbage and noodles;
- Scottish White Heather band: 400 pounds of fish and a half ton of potatoes for fish and chips, plus 500 meat pies.
Not listed on the Times' events schedule was the women's body building contest featuring young women who obviously did not partake much at the food booths. Cultural diversity event? Art? Craft?
None of the women are identified in these photos from the Laughlin Memorial Library's Bowan Collection. Are you in the photo? Or do you perhaps recognize your mother? Or your grandmother?
 |
| Women's body building contest 18th Annual Nationality Arts Festival Merchant Street May 1983 Laughlin Memorial Library archives used with permission |
 |
| Women's body building contest 18th Annual Nationality Arts Festival Merchant Street May 1983 Laughlin Memorial Library archives used with permission |
 |
| Women's body building contest 18th Annual Nationality Arts Festival Merchant Street May 1983 Laughlin Memorial Library archives used with permission |
 |
| Women's body building contest 18th Annual Nationality Arts Festival Merchant Street May 1983 Laughlin Memorial Library archives used with permission |
 |
| Women's body building contest 18th Annual Nationality Arts Festival Merchant Street May 1983 Laughlin Memorial Library archives used with permission |
If you'd like to read about 1966's first Nationality Days Festival, I wrote about it on May 14 and May 15, 2014.
jd aka john domansky
ReplyDeleteit is a real shame that no one knows the names of any of those beauties, is there not an old boy friend, brother or dad that would stand up & say she is my whatever & i knew & loved her for many years.
the real nationality days began up in ambridge boro park in the 1930s or when?? I still went up there in the 1950s, every week end, saturday starting when the food was hot & the drinks were cold, noon maybe. the big band stand under the large covered dance floor was great, a 200 person capacity about, every week was a new nationality, each one was as good as the last one. slovaks, polish, greeks, serbs, italians etc, i was always slovak- greek or what nationality was there, but slovak 1st, the best bands, & dancers, the food was outstanding , you could eat whatever you felt like, but good. they had rolling rock beer in pony bottles & beer tapped & whiskey & wine poured. a lot of sunday masses were missed due to oh my head. mom would always got me a 7up to calm my sore stomach. don't know how she put up w/me at times. i was always her johnecki & her sunshine, true czech love for sure.
the walk up to boro park was tough, no buses & cars had to park below or drive up & drop people off, then down to park.