Visiting Mon Valley towns through the eyes of ‘tourists’

Editor’s note: For the next few weeks, Ralph Stone will be writing about an imaginary family from Omaha, Neb., touring the Mon Valley on a summer vacation.

It had been two years since the Higgins family of Omaha, Neb., last visited the banks of our Monongahela River Valley. Each member of the family could recall, with fondness, that wonderful summer of 2046 when they explored the treasures upon the fabulous Mon.

Mrs. Higgins’s favorite memory was their visit to the ethnic villages that lined the downtown streets of Monessen where nearly 100 years ago there stood such businesses as a Murphy’s 5 and 10, a Thrift Drug Store, several shoe stores, clothing stores and pharmacies.

The ethnic villages, which consisted of shops, cafes, and showplaces, were housed and maintained by the many different churches and nationality clubs that showcased the city as a mini melting pot within a larger melting pot.

The idea for these permanent nationality villages originated back in the 20th century when Monessen hosted a yearly nationality fair. The remembrance of those early ethnic ventures led some keen-minded entrepreneurs into imagining the permanent villages that exist today. They include such treasures as the Irish, Italian, Greek, Ukrainian, Croatian, Mexican, Syrian, Israeli, Polish and Afro-American cultures. Portions of the villages even highlighted ethnic elements from the other side of the river as Charleroi sent over tastes of Belgium, Nigeria and Haiti, while Donora added a Spanish flavor to this ethnic stew.

Mrs. Higgins could not wait to add to her beautiful collection of hand-painted Ukrainian Easter eggs, nor could she wait to visit the Greek village and another serving of those wonderfully stuffed grape leaves, not to mention the tasty moussaka. For a tasty dessert, she would skip over to the Afro-American village for a piece of its delicious sweet potato pie, and while there they would watch and listen to the dramatic production of African music coupled with sounds from the ill begotten past of the slave culture.

There was so much to see and do throughout the ethnic villages that it took more than one day to see and experience it all. The entire family agreed however that one of their vacation meals would include the halupki from the Croatian village.

Mrs. Higgins had always called them stuffed cabbage, but they never tasted that good. She bought several of the Mon Valley cookbooks, one of which had the genuine Croatian recipes, which she could now reproduce back at their home in Omaha.

Although Mr. Higgins also loved each of the ethnic dishes, his favorites remained with the Italian ravioli and lasagna, which were the best he had ever tasted!

Of course, a huge American flag proudly flew over the entire congregation of these nationalities, as this country was celebrating its 272nd year since declaring its independence from England.

At the same time as part of this Fourth of July celebration, Monessen was celebrating its own sesquicentennial with its 125th birthday.

Before leaving the ethnic villages, 13-year-old Sally Higgins absolutely had to add to her own collection of the Mon’s nationality dolls. She began her collection two years ago with the Israeli, Polish and Nigerian dolls. Now, she wanted to add the Pennsylvania Dutch, Italian and Irish to her collection. Maybe at Christmastime, her parents would surprise her with the Ukrainian and Afro-American dolls.

Speaking of the Christmas season, the Higgins family was told the Monongahela area was also an amazing sight to visit over the winter months. The ethnic villages all centered upon the ways in which each culture celebrated and observed the Savior’s birth.

In addition to the tender touches of Christmases around the globe, the Mon’s several bridges and river areas were also lit with dazzling lights! The light up features originated way back in 1989 when one of the Valley’s most popular restaurants, The Back Porch, took the advice of an old time Charleroi booster, Ron Monack, to light up the giant Sycamore tree, which was rooted upon the restaurant’s grounds. That same tree has now been lit for 60 years. About 15 years ago other businesses and attractions followed the Back Porch’s lead, and the idea spread to the six bridges spanning the Mon, which began at Brownsville and ended at the Elizabeth bridge.

During the Christmas season all these attractions were lit up and what a dazzling sight it was.

Visitors as well as the local population had a choice of viewing these attractions from either a guided bus trip or a gentle cruise up and down the Mon river. As the Higgins family drifted gently down the Monongahela River, they were overwhelmed with the display along both sides of the river of lighthouses that will be described in next week’s column.

It’s not yet “Etched in Stone” but it could be!

Columnist Ralph E. Stone is a Monessen High School Class of 1951 graduate. A retired educator for 32 years, he resides in North Charleroi with his wife Marilynne. He is available for speaking engagements for church groups and social organizations by phoning him at 724-483-2132.