Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
PRIDE OF UKRAINE
Ukrainian Folk Festival to return amid war against Russia
HORSHAM » Thousands of miles from the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian-Americans across the region will come together to celebrate their heritage.
The Ukrainian Folk Festival 2022 will take place from noon to 8 p.m. on Aug. 28 at the Ukrainian American Sport Center at the intersection of County Line and Lower State roads in Horsham.
“A festival such as this is extremely important despite the fact that we have this situation in Ukraine,” said festival organizer Eugene Luciw. “First and foremost, when we celebrate, the festival was designed to celebrate Ukraine’s freedom and its independence from the Soviet Union, which was declared Aug. 24.”
The longstanding tradition of the Ukrainian Folk Festival spans nearly three decades, according to Luciw. Area residents and visitors alike will be treated to traditional Ukrainian culinary delights and live entertainment.
“In this particular time we do this celebration … through a veil of tears because we celebrate our culture and our independence and freedom and yet we have this war that’s going on in Ukraine,” he said.
Admission costs $15 per person, of which $5 will be donated to the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee.
“It’s going to be a tremendous, tremendous fundraiser for humanitarian relief,” Luciw said.
Importance amid turmoil
Luciw stressed the importance of the festival amid the turmoil taking place in his Eastern Europe ancestral homeland. Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, causing devastating destruction and forcing millions to
flee as refugees.
“We’re going to tell them about how we are a separate people,” he said. “We’re going to tell them about how this attack is genocidal, barbaric, brutal, unjustified, and one that is designed to obliterate Ukrainians, take over their land and turn the entire situation into a Russian-owned imperial essence, and … Ukraine is defending not only its own freedom, but the freedom of all of Europe, and the freedom of the United States, ultimately, and also is a bulwark for peace in Europe.”
When asked what people could expect from this year’s event, Luciw said that the events taking place on the world stage will be acknowledged here in Montgomery County.
“There will be moments where there will be somber tones, especially at the beginning,” he said. “We are going to have a prayer service and a moment of silence. We will mention things that are happening in Ukraine and maybe will have occasional … somber songs.
“So there will be reminders of it, but we will not step away from the fact that this is supposed to be a fun experience because our cultural identity is one that evokes fun. It’s brilliant, it’s vibrant, it’s colorful,” he continued. “We believe our culture for celebrating independence is the equivalent of setting off fireworks.” In-person return after
COVID
Planning for the annual event typically begins a year in advance, according to Luciw, director of external relations of the Ukrainian American Sports Club, who will serve as an emcee. There are 12 people on the organizing committee, Luciw said, and upwards of 75 volunteers will assist in putting on the August festival.
Around 3,000 people typically attended the Ukrainian Folk Festival, Luciw estimated. This year there’s a sense of added excitement and anticipation as the event is making an in-person return after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Given the fact that people have been anxious to come to this festival now for over two years with cancellations, and the tremendous interest in Ukraine, and understanding of what and who Ukrainians are — the broader issue of what it means to be a Ukrainian — I think we’re going to completely crack through 3,000,” he said. “I expect we’re going to have 4,000 if not more people.”
Large community
Luciw emphasized the importance of establishing relationships with nearby tourism bureaus in Bucks and Montgomery counties as the event draws crowds from near and far.
Luciw noted there is a “high concentration of Ukrainians” in Montgomery County, with approximately 70,000 others residing in the Delaware Valley region. Along with the area’s southeastern Pennsylvania
and New Jersey contingent, Luciw said people from Connecticut, Virginia and western Pennsylvania will make the journey to attend the Ukrainian Folk Festival.
Attendees can witness a myriad of live entertainment at this year’s Ukrainian Folk Festival.
Several dance troupes will be featured at the festival including the Iskra Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and Carpathia Folk Dance Ensemble. Singer-Songwriter Iryna Lonchyna and Singer Yuliya Stupen will perform. Violinist Innesa Tymochko Dekajlo, as well as Alex Lagoda and Cold Ravine Band, will play during the event’s concert portion.
Luciw said he’s especially looking forward to sampling festival “staples” including pierogis, kielbasa sausage and cabbage rolls.
Along with food, Luciw said that attendees can enjoy the vendors’ grove, which will host booths for vendors to display their arts and crafts, embroidered fabrics and “gerdan,” or Ukrainian jewelry.
“You bring your Christmas list for this one,” he said.
Luciw aims to balance enjoyment and action as the 2022 Ukrainian Folk Festival approaches.
“We expect people are going to have fun, but we will remind them of the bitterness of the situation so they have a good grasp of what’s going on in Ukraine, and we will ask them to advocate (for) Ukraine in a positive way,” he said.