St. Peter Roman Catholic Church, Coplay, bills its famous summer picnic as a homecoming. There was plenty of goodwill, food, music, fun and near-perfect weather Aug. 2 for the church’s 72nd annual picnic. The well-attended gathering touched all the bases for a successful, satisfying multi-generational social event.

Families and friends reconnected at the picnic, held on the grounds of the 4 S. Fifth St. church. Families staked out small areas they encircled with chairs, pop-up tents and blankets as they socialized all afternoon into the evening. Many fond stories of reconnection with friends and relatives are standard fare at the picnic.

Joseph and AnneMarie Sinkovits, who reside across the street from the church, and other former members of St. Peter’s Elementary School socialized with former school peers.

Karl Rambeck, formerly from Coplay, lived as a child on South Fifth Street, about a half-block from the church grounds. He has attended the picnic annually for the last 65 years. Rambeck noted he enjoys seeing all the people he knows who attend the event.

The Karl Korsak family of Coplay and the Dave Parvel family of Whitehall enjoyed their time at the picnic, especially the family ambience of the gathering.

The adult beverage stand offered a number of drinks. Bingo was held in the church social hall, and a large basket raffle offered quality baskets.

There were numerous kids games, such as a fish pond, chance wheel and more. Hattie Longenbach and Jaxon Kresge were happy fish pond winners. The popular kids train that ends its run through a bubble-making machine wore a flattened grass track in its wake.

Musical entertainment was provided by the popular Josef Kroboth Band, playing mostly polkas but also a variety of songs, and by Flirtin’ with the Mob, a local eclectic band. They performed in a portable band shell, creating a concert-like feeling.

Longtime picnic volunteers were present, such as Beverly Sobchak, Rick Hess and many more. Sobchak was selling tickets.

Many folks arrived by noon to order food to take home to support the church. Long lines for food grew rapidly after noon, with the lines swelling even more around dinnertime. The homemade pierogies were a top seller, both at the outside stand and in the social hall where uncooked, take-home bags by the dozen were sold.

Foods for sale included sausage sandwiches, hot dogs, cheesesteaks, barbecue, ice cream, cakes, popcorn, cotton candy, other desserts and more.

St. Peter’s pastor Monsignor David James was present and carried on with his typical calm demeanor. He was delighted with the success of the gathering. The beloved former pastor Monsignor John Martin attended and was greeted warmly by many of his former congregants.

An extraordinary amount of planning and coordinating by volunteers occurred to make the picnic a success. As an example of volunteer dedication, planning for next year’s picnic reportedly begins about a week or so after this picnic ends.

Smiles appeared everywhere — on kids, parents and grandparents alike. Goodwill and fellowship were abundant throughout the beautiful day.

Attendees had an enjoyable day reconnecting with friends and continuing a tradition that has endured for 72 years.