Ukrainian Festival

(more photos)

Varenyky! That was my main thought any time the Ukrainian Festival came to mind this summer. Potato- and cheese-filled dumplings covered with melted butter and, for 25 cents extra, sauteed onions. Yes, please!

Within a couple minutes of arriving at the festival on Sunday, we were already ordering dinner. I went for the varenyky (of course), and Clem chose the combination plate (varenyky, holubets, kovbasa, kapusta, sauteed onions, and rye bread). We ate our delicious dinner while watching the end of one of the dance performances.

Afterward, we grabbed a couple of drinks and wandered around the festival, mostly looking through the booths. Vendors sold jewelry, hand-decorated eggs and other crafts, CDs, icons, wooden roses, and clothing (ranging from the traditional to T-shirts proclaiming the wearer "ukielicious"). The dessert area offered pastries and ice cream, and several Blackjack tables were set up across from the arts and crafts area. If we'd arrived earlier in the day, we could have watched embroidery and egg-decorating demonstrations inside the church.

After we'd looked around, it was almost time for the next performance, so we sat down by the stage to wait for Stephania Romaniuk to take the stage. A soprano studying at Eastman, she sang traditional folk songs and Ukrainian pop songs from the '50s.

We had been eyeing the desserts for sale, but it was such a perfect day for ice cream (i.e. really hot), I managed to convince Clem to go to Bruster's afterward.

TIP: Ignore the outdoor stands with typical festival food, like hamburgers, onion rings, and fried dough -- eat a Ukrainian meal instead!

NEARBY: Ice-cream-wise, Abbott's and Bruster's.