Lithuanian Days - August 14, 2021

What a day! An hour+ drive to the Schuylkill County Coal Regions for a Lithuanian cousins reunion on one of the hottest days this August. Still, that did not deter our chatter around the open firepit, sans fire, on the grounds of Catalpa Grove at Lakewood Park  for most of the day. The link will drop you on their homepage to view several pictures of this modern rustic venue tucked neatly in the woods, including "our spot".

This day also represented an important date in my history...my birthday!  Though I didn't have a cake, I did enjoy a rendition of Happy Birthday sung to me in Lithuanian by Ken's friend who met up with us at the event; a treat equal to a cake! Since Ron and I were born in the same year, three days apart, he would be celebrating his birthday a few days later. 

Tony, Ken, Ron
Christina, Robin, Kristine

I arrived at noon, as did Ron & Ken, who were in from Michigan the day before. Christina, her mother Robin, and her Uncle Tony, in from Harrisburg PA, had arrived earlier along with her son and brother.  Today was the first time I met Christina and her family in person, another treat!  And that led to the next treat ahead...lunch.  

The event menu, sponsored by the Knights of Lithuania Council #144 Amber District, was true to our recollection of foods our families made during our childhood and beyond. So, during our lunch-around-the-firepit we discussed our grandmothers' recipes and how many we still make.  Missing from the menu, for me, was the potato pancake known as bleenies  (blynai), a favorite of mine that my grandmother made and thankfully taught my mother. I never heard of Bandukes, but was happy to find out they were meatballs... that went very well with my order of Pierogies!  For recipes of these goodies and more, click on                  A Coalcracker in the Kitchen. 

As festival events go, this one was pleasantly low-key on beautiful walkable grounds, complete with vendors of Amber handmade jewelry, souvenirs and crafts, ethnic displays and a local historical society. We also enjoyed ethnic music, roaming men and women in historic costumes and outdoor plays depicting lives of Lithuanians and historical stories told for generations. On a side note, Lithuanians are the great source of information about all things Amber, a fossil resin thousands of years old discovered in the Baltic area in the 1850s.  

My interest in genealogy drew me to the Mahanoy City Historical Society table, where I purchased a book, Lithuanians of Schuylkill County and spoke to Paul, one of the society's knowledgeable volunteers for many years. Paul helped me a few years ago trying to track down an address in Mahanoy City, listed on a ship manifest as a destination for my great grandmother Anna (Ambrazaviciute) Jamitis traveling to America as a single girl from Lithuania. Unfortunately, we could not confirm the address was located in Mahanoy City as stated on the document. Ahh, a day in the life of a family genealogist. 

Our day of family comradery ended with dinner at a favorite local restaurant that Christina and her family frequented when they lived in the area. During our meal, we vowed to meet again next year for as long as we can travel.  The day renewed my desire to jump back into my genealogy records, looking for missed clues or new information since my last research spurt. Using online archive sites, I can say with certainty I found several gems to share with my cousins and a few more to help confirm research questions stagnant on my family tree for a few years.

Fun stuff if you're me 😁!

Family Reunion (of a sort)

Since my last post, I'm confirmed to attend Lithuanian Days at Lakewood Park with my two cousins from Michigan, one from Harrisburg PA and my friend from bowling league who visited Lithuania several years ago looking for her family's Lithuanian village.  My Michigan cousin, Ken, is still trying to contact a few other family tree members to make the trip in August.  

I am hoping I hear the Lithuanian language at the August 2021 festival. It will remind me of my grandmother's conversations with her sisters when they came to visit her in the summer from Schuylkill and Columbia counties. It all sounded like gibberish back then, but there are great memories attached to those summer days when my brother and I would stay for a whole week without mom's supervision. 

My brother and I knew that meant all things good and plentiful, like fresh fruits and veggies from her garden, chicken with homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, staying up late, "camping out" overnight on the enclosed back porch and swimming in the above ground pool  everyday the weather permitted. From the looks of it, no one lost their breathe blowing up the pool, it was just a cage and a liner.  Wasn't I cute?

Kristine, 1957

Nanny, Charlie, Mom and me 1957
(neighbor's house in background)

For a few years, before we moved from Muhlenberg Township to Oakbrook section of Reading (also known as the 18th ward), we lived 3 houses away (called the Cherokee Ranch development) from Nanny and PopPop Goodman during preschool age, pre-1959. So it was great to spend a summer week between school years with them and see friends we grew up with. 

Russell & Edith Goodman (Nanny & PopPop)
in their tile-walled kitchen, circa 1959

I have been focused on my paternal side of my family tree, but I haven't forgotten about my maternal side. In my next post, I'll share some kid stories about the German/Irish grandparents. Hint, they ran a mom & pop grocery store in Pottsville PA.  Until then...

Hello Again & The Garden

After a long hiatus from blogging and genealogy in general, it seems time to get back to swinging among the family tree branches again. ⸙ ⸙ ⸙ ⸙ ⸙

During my absence, I pursued genealogy blogs and caught up on newsletters not read. I'm getting the itch to plan a research trip again, but the Lithuanian brick wall gives me pause as does wearing a mask in those facilities still requiring one to enter.  It would also be more fun traveling with a friend or meeting up with family for a common tree branch dive once again. Still on my to-do list, though.

This August there is an event called Lithuanian Days at Lakewood Park in eastern Pennsylvania. The link here Lithuanian Days will take you to Facebook event page with more info. It's just over an hour from my location and during my birthday weekend! Attending is on my list, perhaps with a friend and/or family from Michigan. Maybe there's a polka or two in my future. 🎶♬♫🎝

This past year I met a new friend at the bowling lanes. We are both in the summer Senior League and by happenstance began talking about family history. When I found we both had Lithuanian heritage and she already traveled to the motherland, I wanted to hear more. After a summer lunch served in my friend's cozy townhome, we spent an afternoon sharing memories and family histories. Maybe there's a polka in her future too. 

And I want to mention that my gardener, aka my husband Carl, is successfully tending to the plot located in the SE corner of our backyard. His green thumb gives us a chance to enjoy fresh vegetables all summer and to share the fruits of his labor with friends and neighbors. In abundance now are cucumbers and peppers. Soon we will have eggplant and tomatoes. Lastly, and new to the garden, is cantaloupe. One plant has taken over the garden, competing with the single cucumber plant for half the space! 

In fact, a current third picture would show almost no back fence from all the trails of vines from these two plants, much like a FAMILY TREE !

I'm personally looking forward to the tomato harvest to make as much pasta sauce as I can. Perhaps I should research recipes my Lithuanian "Nanny" Edith Jamitis Goodman made from her garden harvest in the 50s and 60s.  Like tomato jelly, cold tomato salad and pickles. Her entire pantry was full of many varieties of canned vegetables at summer's end each year. I can picture her garden and the pantry as clear as day.

Well, I've made myself hungry talking about the garden, so off to make lunch. If you got this far, thanks so much for hanging out with me. Talk to you soon!