The Forest City News takes another look at the legend of the Pierogi Man.

The Legend of the Pierogi Man: An Expose in Two Parts

Part Two: Sightings, Hearsay, and a Glimmer of Hope

After the initial reports of the Pierogi Man’s appearance in the 1860s, sporadic sightings continued through the turn of the century. In the 1880s, as coal replaced lumber as the chief export of a fledgling Forest City, various historical accounts report that the Pierogi Man would pick up occasional shifts, pro bono, at the local mines to assist workers in times of duress. A performance report, dated October 10, 1899, filed by the owner of old Mine Shaft No. 2 claims, “[the] Pierogi Man can do the work of two, maybe even three non-pierogi men. What’s more – the workers claim he provides savory pieorgi every day at lunch break, baby sits miners’ children on weekends, and has graciously provided singing lessons to all the maidens of the town.”

Appearances by the Pierogi Man (see artist’s rendering), although rare, purportedly continued through the 1930s, at which point the being seemingly vanished. A vocal minority of historians claims that he lost the will to continue his good deeds and simply walked away; other more prominent voices state that the Pierogi Man went into seclusion after suffering horrific injuries while protecting a dozen men in a mine collapse. Regardless, zero sightings of the Pierogi Man were documented between 1931 and 1964.

As Forest City celebrated it’s Centennial in 1964, townsfolk spoke in whispers of a miraculous resurfacing of the Pierogi Man. Local legend has it that in addition to the Pierogi Man delivering a hot basket of pierogi to every citizen of Forest City on the first of August that year, he also appeared, fully bearded, at the Brother of the Brush pageant.

Since then sightings have been consistent, although sporadic, with the Pierogi Man accomplishing acts of kindness from the fantastic (rescuing an infant from the bottom of a well; wrestling, bare handed, a rampaging rabid black bear) to the mundane (helping a local elderly woman replace a flat tire; making change for a twenty dollar bill for a child wishing to purchase penny candy from Coolies).

Last year, in an attempt to pay proper public respect to this local legend, the First Annual Old Home Week Pierogi Eating Contest was held. Although no verified documentation exists, many in attendance claimed to have seen him in the shadows of the Showmobile, silently applauding the efforts of the brave men and women who valiantly imbibed dozens upon dozens of delicious Plumpy’s pierogi.

As Forest City prepares for the 2008 edition of the Pierogi Eating Contest, Mayor Nick Cost delivers a final, heartfelt plea to our champion, the Pierogi Man:

“When I ran for mayor, I made some firm promises to the good, hard-working people of Forest City. First and foremost, I promised to pay homage to the Pierogi Man and bring him out of hiding. What better way to appease this strange, beautiful being than to have him appear during Old Home Week. Please Pierogi Man, if you’re out there: join us on August 2nd in celebrating all you’ve done for the people of this town.”

The 2008 Old Home Week Pierogi Eating Contest, sponsored by NEP Telephone Co. and Plumpy’s, will take place Saturday August 2 at 3:00 p.m. at the Showmobile. For more information on the contest, as well as the Pierogi Man, visit http://oldhomeweek.info.

The Forest City news dives into the mystery of the Piergogi man…

The Legend of the Pierogi Man: An Expose in Two Parts

Part One: Pierogi Man or Pierogi Myth?

Idols. Urban Legends. Fantasies. They’ve been around as long as man himself, oftentimes acting as a surrogate for humanity’s hopes, fears, dreams, and aspirations. From the classical gods of the Greeks and Romans, who interacted with the very mortals whose lives they oversaw, to the more geocentric contemporary myths such as the Sasquatch in the Pacific Northwest, Scotland’s Loch Ness monster, and El Chupacabra of the Americas, legends have for centuries been part of the greater cultural fabric. It’s odd, then, that the citizens of Forest City rarely, if at all, speak of their own important piece of folklore: The Pierogi Man.

It’s difficult to pinpoint the origins of the Pierogi Man. Some outright refute his existence. Others claim that he has always been and will forever be. The truth may lie somewhere in the middle.

In the 1860s, as William Pentecost was in the midst of establishing what would eventually become Forest City, the first sightings of the Pierogi Man were transcribed. In a recently unearthed journal belonging to one of the early settlers of Forest City, the Pierogi Man is described;

“It had been the bleakest of winters. The sun hadn’t shown itself in a fortnight, the snow clung to the land like a ghost blanket, and we hadn’t had a morsel of food in weeks. Our party had come to terms with the inevitability of our demise; we had made our peace with the Creator and were prepared to expire. Alas, a magnificent creature appeared from the wooded area. He was a bear’s length, with a large doughy head and eyes as black as anthracite. And his aroma – Sweet Icarus, the aroma! That man, that darling…Pierogi Man…taught us to make pierogi for ourselves. Potatoes, dough, butter, and onions; never again would we be plagued by the pangs of hunger. We were saved!”

Early accounts such as these lay out a template for the dozens of Pierogi Man sightings that have occurred since. In virtually every reported appearance, the Pierogi Man has seemingly manifested himself from nowhere and has helped a Forest City resident in need. Unrelated eyewitness reports also paint a remarkably consistent picture of the Pierogi Man’s physical attributes; a head that looks like a giant pierogi, two large black eyes, and an odor consisting of fried potatoes, butter, and onions.

Next week: An artist’s rendering of the Pierogi Man, modern sightings, and speculation surrounding a possible appearance by the Pierogi Man at the 2008 Old Home Week Pierogi Eating Contest.