The picnic - on June 30 from noon to 9 p.m. - will feature Polish specialties including pierogi, golumbki, kapusta and kielbasa, as well as an "American" foods such as hot dogs, hamburgers, fried dough, French fries, grinders and barbecued chicken.
Parishioners of Christ the King Church in Ludlow make pierogi in the church's kitchen in preparation for a recent annual picnic. LUDLOW - One of the things people like about the annual Christ the King Church picnic is that it is the same year after year.
People come for the traditional Polish food and the polka music, said picnic chairman Thomas T. Pichey.
This year's 28th annual family picnic will be held on June 30 from noon to 9 p.m. on the church grounds on Warsaw Avenue.
“If we didn’t have the Polish food, they wouldn’t come,” Pichey said.
This year’s picnic will feature the traditional “Polish Kitchen,” with homemade pierogi, golumbki, kapusta and kielbasa, as well as an “American Kitchen,” featuring hot dogs, hamburgers, fried dough, French fries, grinders and tasty barbecued chicken, said Rick Burkot, one of the organizers.
Besides the food, there will be raffles, games of chance, a craft and jewelry booth, a bake sale and an ice cream sundae booth.
Many people come for the Polish bands.
This year, music will be provided by John Stevens' Doubleshot from noon until 4 p.m. and by Lenny Gomulka & Chicago Push from 5 to 9 p.m.
Attendees come from as far away as Connecticut, New York and New Jersey to hear Lenny Gomulka & Chicago Push, a nationally recognized band, Pichey said.
The picnic usually draws about 1,000 people.
Beginning around 5 p.m., the picnic gets busier as people come for the food and the entertainment around the dinner hour and spend the evening.
Volunteers have been gathering for several months to make the Polish food, which is labor intensive.
Pichey said that although some of the workers are elderly, they enjoy gathering together to pinch the dough and socialize.
He said younger members of the parish are learning to make the Polish food so that the tradition will continue.
Available at the picnic will be pierogi, a dough stuffed with cabbage or other fillings, and golumbki, cabbage stuffed with ground meat and rice. Kielbasa and kapusta - a braised, seasoned sauerkraut with other ingredients such as bacon, mushrooms, onion or garlic - also will be available.
The picnic is open to the public with free admission and free parking.
For those who can’t stay, take-out orders will be available on all food starting at noon.