SHENANDOAH — In the Lithuanian Heritage Museum, shortly before this weekend’s Lithuanian Days celebration, Paul Domalakes reflected on his ethnic heritage.
A second-generation Lithuanian-American, as a boy he spent a lot of time in a Frackville tailor shop run by his grandparents, Jonai (John) and Anastasia Domalakes, who emigrated from Lithuania early in the 20th century.
Decades later, he can still picture Jonai cutting material on large tables in the shop. He recalls how, when his aunt was getting married, Jonai made a suit for her husband.
“I cherish those childhood memories,” said Domalakes, a Frackville lawyer and spokesman for Lithuanian Days. “I still have my grandfather’s cutting tables in my house.”
Lithuanian Days, which concludes its 113th run Sunday, is all about remembering and preserving culture and tradition, Domalakes says.
Two Lithuanian priests, the Rev. Vincent Dargis and the Rev. Francis Augustaitis, said it best at the first Lithuanian Day in 1914.
“Let us unite at least once a year and enjoy the friendship of each other,” they said. “Let us sing songs of the hills and plains of Lithuania, and let us observe our ancient and honored customs.”
Looking back
In her book, “Lithuanians of Schuylkill County,” Anne Chiakowski La Voie Skirmantas devoted considerable attention to Lithuanian Day.
It began as a picnic with family and friends on Aug. 15, the Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The collieries would close and families traveled to Lakeside or Lakewood amusement parks in celebration of their ethnicity.
Special trains from Philadelphia and New York were chartered to Mahanoy City and Hometown. From there, people would walk miles to the parks, toting baskets and blankets. Crowds of 25,000 were not uncommon.
So coveted were spaces in the park, Skirmantas writes, that family members would sleep on a picnic table overnight, thereby claiming it for the next day.
Naturally, the festivities started with Mass. But eating, drinking, dancing, singing and even speeches from politicians were part of the celebration.
The spreads on picnic tables included the Anthracite Special — chicken, kielbasi, bundukies (Lithuanian meatballs) and a potato. Typical side dishes were bulviniai blynai (potato pancakes), kugelis (grated potato with onion and bacon) and saltibarsciai (cold red beet soup) with black bread.
The 1981 Lithuanian Day festivities at Lakewood Park were enlivened by the Ausrine folk dancers of Philadelphia, two of whom are being plied with delicious Lithuanian food by, from right, Helen Labatdis, Anna Carilitus and Margaret Zelonis. (FILE PHOTO)
A stained‑glass panel from St. George’s Lithuanian Catholic Church in Shenandoah, once the first and largest permanent Lithuanian parish in the United States, is displayed at the Lithuanian Heritage Museum. (AISHWARYA BEHL/STAFF PHOTO)
A display highlights the Hill of Crosses in Šiauliai, Lithuania, a 19th‑century site of mourning that grew into a symbol of hope and national identity. (AISHWARYA BEHL/STAFF PHOTO)
A display depicting a Lithuanian family stands beside a map of Lithuania, reflecting the first major wave of Lithuanian emigration between 1865 and 1915. The exhibit highlights the community’s early coal‑region settlement decades before the United States formally recognized Lithuania’s independence. (AISHWARYA BEHL/STAFF PHOTO)
Lithuanian‑themed items celebrate community pride within the museum’s cultural collection. (AISHWARYA BEHL/STAFF PHOTO)
A 19th‑century Lithuanian doll dressed in traditional attire is displayed at the Lithuanian Heritage Museum in Shenandoah. (AISHWARYA BEHL/STAFF PHOTO)
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The 1981 Lithuanian Day festivities at Lakewood Park were enlivened by the Ausrine folk dancers of Philadelphia, two of whom are being plied with delicious Lithuanian food by, from right, Helen Labatdis, Anna Carilitus and Margaret Zelonis. (FILE PHOTO)
The saga continues
Kristupas Vorobjovas brings a familiar story to Lithuanian Days.
A first-generation Lithuanian-American, his parents, Arturos and Ingrida, emigrated from Lithuania and currently live in Virginia.
“They came when they were 18, didn’t have a job and couldn’t speak English,” said Vorobjovas, 22, who holds a degree in biochemistry from Virginia Tech. “My father worked hard and, at one time, owned five restaurants in Washington, D.C.”
His parents instilled in him a deep respect for Lithuanian heritage.
Vorobjovas, who speaks fluent Lithuanian, spent the last week tending neglected Lithuanian cemeteries in Schuylkill and neighboring counties.
He’s part of Sakyns, or Roots, a Chicago-based program that has operated in the region for four years. Twenty-one people volunteered this year, and their visit ends at Lithuanian Days.
“It’s a passion of the heart,” said Vorobjovas. “They worked so hard to make a community in the coal region, and we owe them our respect so that they are not forgotten.”
Final day
Originally held on one day, Aug. 15, Lithuanian Day was expanded to two days and is held on the weekend closest to Aug. 15.
It was held at Lakewood Park for 62 years, until the park closed in 1984. For the last five or so years, it has been held at Catalpa Grove, which is on the site of the former Lakewood Park.
This year’s program includes an expanded menu of Lithuanian delicacies prepared by Linos Lithuanian Food in Elizabeth, N.J.
Gates open at noon Sunday, Aug. 16, with a closing ceremony at 5 p.m. Admission is $10.