What a Great 28th!

This year's Mount Pleasant Glass and Ethnic Festival had great weather, great entertainment, great food, and great fun.

We would like to thank our sponsors, our vendors, our volunteers, especially the student volunteers from the Mount Pleasant Area High School, and our residents.  Without you, the Mount Pleasant Glass and Ethnic Festival could never happen.

The Festival Committee would like to commend the high school student volunteers for their great job and hard work this entire weekend.

As an annual fundraiser, the Festival benefits the community in multiple ways.  See how we give.

If you took pictures during the Festival, enter to win our Take Your Pic contest.  The deadline to enter is Tuesday night (September 30th) at 11:59 pm.  The best picture in each of the four categories wins $50.  Submit your pic.

Share your festival experience with us.  Submit your story to Sparky's Storytellers.

Follow us on your favorite social media and stay up to date with what's happening with the Festival throughout the year.

Thanks for coming!  Join us next year!

Friday, September 25th
Saturday, September 26th
Sunday, September 27th

Thanks for Coming!

The 2013 Mount Pleasant Glass and Ethnic Festival closed with a spectacular fireworks display Sunday evening.  Our 27th year was the most successful yet, because of all of you.  We would like to thank all of our guests, sponsors, vendors, and volunteers.  And of course, the wonderful community of the Borough of Mount Pleasant for all of their support.

Check the website for contest winners.  If anyone would like to share their Festival experience with us, please submit via the Sparky’s Storytellers Submissions page.  We will share it with everyone on our blog.

To help make next year even better, we would like your input.  Tell us what you would like to see.  Email your suggestions or comments to mpgeaf (at) gmail (dot) com.

Follow our page on Google+ to keep up with our latest news and happenings.

We’ll return same place, same times, the last full weekend in September 2014.  See you next year!

2014 Dates:

Friday, September 26th  11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Saturday, September 27th 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Sunday, September 28th 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Sparky's Storytellers: Street Fair Traditions

Street Fair Traditions

By: IE Castellano

I remember Grandma’s Sunday dinner table from my childhood. The smells of her cooking her usual chicken, meatballs, sausage, pasta, and sides wafting through the house as we kids ran around, waiting to eat, stayed with me all these years. Although my grandmother has since passed, certain smells bring back those childhood Sundays.

The same rings true for adults who been coming to the Mount Pleasant Glass and Ethnic Festival since they were children. Now, these adults bring their children like their parents brought them. Strolling through the vendors to buy their favorite foods or to discover new favorites has become a late September tradition.

Every last full weekend in September, the aromas of all the different ethnic foods cooking permeate the neighborhoods in the small town of Mount Pleasant. Alongside the typical street fair foods of fried delicacies like corndogs and funnel cakes are many nontypical foods from which to choose.

Vegetarians and the health-conscious can find food without having to worry about straying from their diets. A healthier twist on french fries are sweet potato fries — the cinnamon sugar topping is optional. Loving artichokes (part of my ethnic heritage), I bought artichoke quarters sautéed in olive oil and garlic.  They were topped with grated Parmesan cheese and served with a slice of French bread. It was a tasty lunch that balanced the garlic and cheese well.   Much to my taste buds' dismay, this vendor (who also made the potato pancakes mentioned below) retired his apron after that year's festival season.

In my family, we adore artichokes all season long (early spring and fall).  One of our favorite family recipes include steaming the whole flower bud with olive oil, garlic and herbs.  We enjoy "scraping" the goodness off the backs of the leaves against our teeth as we pluck our way to the tender heart.

Fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside, the potato pancakes reminded me of one of the kinds Nana used to make, using mashed potatoes instead of raw grated potato (latkes, which we also made and still make especially at holiday time). Since Nana lived with us and loved to share her talents, the mashed potato cakes were a common dish in my house growing up when there were not enough leftover mash to make cole cannon or when we did not make gnocchi.  Nana would transform ordinary leftover mashed potatoes, flour and eggs into blini-sized pancakes. She would stand over the stove shallow frying batches in butter until golden brown and crispy. 

For those who did not try the ones that were available at the festival, the pancakes had a flavor reminiscent of potato pierogies sautéed in onion. These were served with the traditional accompaniments of applesauce and sour cream. More meatless options include handmade pasta, haluski (cabbage and noodles), pierogies, baked potatoes with a large choice of toppings, vegetable rice and lo mein noodles, crabcakes, and fish.

From traditional Gyros to Chinese food, meat lovers have plenty of choices. I watched people carry around gigantic sausage sandwiches smothered in onions and peppers. At the picnic tables, barbeque sauce covered chins as people devoured pulled pork and smoked chicken. For other stick-to-your-ribs goodness, check out the charcoal-rotisseried ham sandwiches, bean soup, chicken sticks, wings, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, cabbage rolls, and steak sandwiches. I really enjoy the Sparkyburgers sold at the Festival’s food booth. Between the melted slice of pepperjack cheese and the beef patty is a cream cheese mixture consisting of jalapeños, garlic and a secret blend of spices.

Satiate sweet cravings with a plethora of desserts. Stroll the stalls carrying hand dipped ice cream or chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick.  Many cannot wait to sink their teeth into the juicy chocolate covered strawberries.  Indulge in non-chocolate deviations such as the farm-made berry desserts, cupcakes or cream-filled gobs.  One year, I devoured a paper bag full of melt-in-your-mouth mini-doughnuts, which were made fresh at the festival and very addicting. Lighter side sweet options include freshly made lemonade and brain freeze inducing fruit smoothies.

Tradition at the Mount Pleasant Glass and Ethnic Festival has been going strong. I encourage all of you to start a new tradition and join me as I return to eat my way through Washington Street in September while listening to the bands and meandering the craft booths. It is always exciting to see what new foods await tasting.

IE Castellano is a local novelist and lover of all food. Find out more about her on her blog. She will also be volunteering once again at this year’s festival. Will she see you there?

Sparky’s Note: Come visit your old favorites and make some new favorites this September 27^th, 28^th, and 29^th. See how to share your festival experience.

Sparky’s Storytellers

We’re introducing a new feature on our blog called Sparky’s Storytellers. Guests will get to share their experiences of the Mount Pleasant Glass & Ethnic Festival.

Everyone has a story. You, your friends and your neighbors all have stories.

Share why you enjoy the Mount Pleasant Glass & Ethnic Festival. We’d love to publish your story on our blog.

What is your favorite part of the festival?

To what do you look forward the most each September?

How long have you been our guest?

If you wish to share your experience with us, email us at mpgaef (at) gmail (dot) com with the subject line Festival Experience. Place your story in the body of the email. No attachments please. Emails with attachments will not be opened.

Feel free to add a little information about yourself to follow your story.

We look forward to knowing your Mount Pleasant Glass & Ethnic Festival experience.

See you in September!