Local News

For those who made it through the packed church hall to the table of homemade pierogi, a variety of selections awaited them. There were pierogi with blueberries, with cheese and potato, with meat and with sauerkraut. Five thousand pierogi were prepared, but with people coming from as far as Acworth and Fayetteville, they ran out 2.5 hours into the festival. (Photos by Michael Alexander)

A long line extends down the side of St. Marguerite d’Youville Church, Lawrence-ville, and into the parking lot as people wait to purchase food tickets for the Aug. 29 Polish Pierogi Festival.

Dressed in a native Polish costume, St. Marguerite d’Youville parishioner Barbara Lubczynska walks in the parish hall past the Polish information display.

Parish stewardship coordinator Carol Fitzpatrick, left, stands with Father Marek Ciesla, chaplain of the Polish Catholic Apostolate. Father Ciesla, who hails from Poland’s northwest city of Gryfice, brought the idea for St. Marguerite d’Youville’s first Polish Pierogi Festival from his previous parish in Toledo, Ohio. Father Ciesla said, “I’m overwhelmed by the turnout. I’m sorry we ran out of pierogi, but next year I’ll assist with the cooking if it helps meet the demand.”

Standing on the lawn outside the parish hall, 8-year-old Greg Loj, right, was spotted at the Polish Pierogi Festival with an older female companion, 9-year-old Izabella Hadula. All the proceeds from the festival went toward support of the Polish Catholic Apostolate in the Archdiocese of Atlanta (PCAAA).