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Every summer Wednesday since 1969, members of the Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church Mens Club have hosted a Chicken Blast at the Serbian Picnic Grounds along Kings Creek outside of Weirton, West Virginia. They roast 300-400 chickens per week as a fundraiser for the maintenance of the picnic grounds. The spits, an industrial brick oven, and walk-in coolers were constructed in the 1960s out of material from Weirton Steel by Mens Club members, most of whom were Weirton Steel employees. Each week, the choir also sells pogacha (a type of Serbian bread), haluski or cabbage and noodles, corn on the cob, strudel and other desserts. The bar at the picnic grounds is also open, serving beer and Slivovitz.See the short video and audio documentary about the Chicken Blasts, produced by the West Virginia Folklife Program and West Virginia Public Broadcasting: https://wvfolklife.org/2020/01/27/weirtons-serbian-heritage-is-a-chicken-blast/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpGF-MFUlhYhttps://soundcloud.com/wvpublicnews/weirtons-serbian-heritage-is-a-chicken-blast

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Picnic pavilion at the Serbian Picnic Grounds in Weirton, 1 of 2

Identifier:
4224.SerbianChickenBlast.Photo.027.8.8.18
Title:
Picnic pavilion at the Serbian Picnic Grounds in Weirton, 1 of 2
Date:
2018-08-08
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Description:
Every summer Wednesday since 1969, members of the Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church Mens Club have hosted a Chicken Blast at the Serbian Picnic Grounds along Kings Creek outside of Weirton, West Virginia. They roast 300-400 chickens per week as a fundraiser for the maintenance of the picnic grounds. The spits, an industrial brick oven, and walk-in coolers were constructed in the 1960s out of material from Weirton Steel by Mens Club members, most of whom were Weirton Steel employees. Each week, the choir also sells pogacha (a type of Serbian bread), haluski or cabbage and noodles, corn on the cob, strudel and other desserts. The bar at the picnic grounds is also open, serving beer and Slivovitz.See the short video and audio documentary about the Chicken Blasts, produced by the West Virginia Folklife Program and West Virginia Public Broadcasting: https://wvfolklife.org/2020/01/27/weirtons-serbian-heritage-is-a-chicken-blast/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpGF-MFUlhYhttps://soundcloud.com/wvpublicnews/weirtons-serbian-heritage-is-a-chicken-blast
Subject:
Picnic grounds, Orthodox Eastern Church, foodways, Serbian Americans, Food habits, Cooking, Serbian
Rights:
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Location:
Weirton (W. Va.)
Format:
image/tiff
Source:
A&M 4224, West Virginia Folklife Program Collection