This story courtesy of the Foundry Town Times-Gazette
Miss Kazak’s kindergarten students at Magarac Elementary took time out today to celebrate the folklore hero that the school was named for – Joe Magarac. While Joe’s story originated with eastern European immigrants in Pittsburgh steel mills, he was adopted by our town when the first mill was built and awarded a town holiday that is recognized every year.
The kids celebrated with a hot lunch featuring tomato soup and fish sticks. Miss Kazak explained “We chose the menu because he allegedly ate hot steel like soup and cold steel ingots like meat.”
When asked where his hero came from, Kenny Bowls, age 5, claimed he was “born in an iron ore mine and raised in a furnace.” This reporter witnessed some youthful exaggeration when the class began to argue about how tall he was. Answers ranged from “seven feet” to “tall as a smokestack!”
Even some adults claim amazing feats for the legendary folk-hero “Why, he could do the work of 29 men – he never slept, worked 24 hours a day and 365 days a year”, says Arvin Krendall. The elderly John Nilsson, who moved here from Pittsburgh, claims to have known Magarac about 70 years ago. “Joe and me walked into the bar one evening and Joe asked for a beer and a shot. He took the whiskey, dumped it into the beer, raised up his glass and yelled out ‘Here’s to us boilermakers’ – thus inventing the drink that we all enjoy on Friday’s down at Gus’ Tavern.”
Kids and adults alike are looking forward to Saturday’s Joe Magarac Parade down Main Street. The event starts at 10:00AM at the corner of Main and Elm. Mayor Jimmy Nobbs will be the Grand Marshal and ride in a Cadillac convertible provided by Ed’s Good Used Cars. He will be accompanied by Virginia Wayler, 16, this year’s reigning Mill Queen.
Get there early for good seats!