MAHONING TOWNSHIP, CARBON COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The war in Ukraine was on the minds of people gathering this weekend for a local ethnic festival.
28/22 News went to the first day of the annual Ukranian Folk Festival near Lehighton, just one day after President Trump met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at a peace summit in Alaska.
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Ukrainian Homestead drew people by the dozens to celebrate independence, pride, and culture.
"We have vendors that sell Ukrainian t-shirts, different flags, we have Ukrainian food, Ukrainian sweets, and we also have Ukrainian beer," said Ulana Prociuk, an administrator with Ukrainian Homestead.
While people at the festival were enjoying the upbeat environment, many were also reflecting on the current state of affairs in eastern Europe.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is now three and a half years long, and despite Friday's Trump-Putin summit, there is still no ceasefire.
"Do I support the Ukrainian people? Yes, I do. I support Slavic people. It makes me sick to observe that Slavic people kill each other. That makes me very, very unhappy," said Lana Darlington from Palmerton.
Festival organizers say they've collected a lot of humanitarian aid for Ukraine, and the amount is still growing thanks to the local community.
The non-profit United Ukrainian American Relief Committee helps send that aid overseas.
"It means that they are supporting us. They are supporting Ukraine, and they are supporting the Ukrainian community here in Carbon County and Lehighton," Prociuk explained.
That positive spirit is what makes this event so special for everybody who attends. "I'm enjoying the dancing, I'm enjoying the food, I'm enjoying the crafts," Darlington commented.
Darlington is already looking forward to the next folk festival, "I will be enjoying next year, and the next year, and the year after that. I really like to support culture--any culture."
