This year I had the privilege of working as the head of the Entertainment Committee for Ambridge Nationality Days.
Nationality Days is a local tradition, a celebration of our area’s history and diverse cultures. It’s the biggest festival in Beaver County, attracting between 40,000-50,000 people during the third weekend in May.
The festival means 3 days of sausage sandwiches, shish kabob, lemonade, nut roll, pierogies, baklava – and gyros!
And then there’s the ethnic dancing, martial arts, crafts, children’s games, and music – LOTS of music. All weekend long.
I want to thank Debbie and Jim Tobin, who served on the committee along with me, as well as Jenifer Watkins, Director of the Ambridge Area Chamber of Commerce. We had very little time to pull this together, yet we got a great deal of work done in a very short time – and everyone was an absolute pleasure to work with!
I also want to thank the many bands and performance groups who donated their time and talents to help us grow Nationality Days to 2 full stages for the entire 3 days. We got many, many compliments on the level of talent and professionalism displayed by the entertainers. Feedback was fantastic.
I’m especially grateful to Ray Leech of III Software for his donation toward a stipend to offset the performers’ expenses, as well as well as to Gold Level sponsor Haydee Luciano. We raised enough money to give each group approx. $100.
Our goal was to set the stage for amazing celebrations for the 49th and 50th anniversaries of Nationality Days. Thanks to the performers, my fellow committee members, and our sponsors, I’d say we are off to a great start!
Beaver County rocks and so do YOU!
Communication Breakdown, Tyrants of Tolerance, Sidewinder Band, Ambridge Steel Drums, Michaels Christopher Band, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center Jazz Group, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center Steel Drums, Arnie Steinberg, James Tobin, Alvin Zaleweski, Hellenic Dancers, Beaver County’s Got Talent, Billy the Kid & the Regulators, Twelve Inch Tom, Dave Iglar Band, David Shingler, Edenlight, Leanne Regalla and The Lost Marbles, For Those About To Rock Academy, River Valley Tang Soo Do Academy, Doris Singer Dance Studio, Celtic Spirit Highland Dancers, The River Black Water Band, Ambridge Area High School Choir, Blaming Murphy, Greater Dominion Church of the Millenium, Holly Mathias