SHENANDOAH - The afternoon was filled with fun, music and pierogies Sunday at the eighth annual Mrs. T's Community Picnic.
Ateeco Inc., manufacturer of Mrs. T's Pierogies, hosted the annual event in the parking lot behind the company plant on Herald Road.
"We got a beautiful day and a nice turnout," company President Tom Twardzik said. "We have been in Shenandoah for 61 years now and we want to be able to reach out and say thank you. We get a lot of thank yous and it's just a nice feeling to be appreciated."
Twardzik said the company gets a lot of help from the employees who volunteer every year for the event.
"The employees have fun because they are together and see the appreciation of the community," he said. "They enjoy spending the time to do something nice for people."
While the event was free, tickets were required for admission. Tickets were available at local businesses prior to the event.
"It's a good opportunity for them to get new customers," Wayne Holben, Ateeco public relations manager, said.
About 1,500 tickets were available this year. Holben said they decided to increase the number of tickets from about 1,200 last year because of the high turnout.
"It's a great way to do something with the family and it's free," Holben said.
The Mrs. T's Photo Booth, an old-style boardwalk photo booth, returned from last year. There were also plenty of activities and games. The Games2U van from Port Carbon was also there with video games and an Angry Birds sling-shot game for the children. DJ RC also provided entertainment.
More than 20 company employees volunteered for the event.
"A lot of them are local and they like to see good things happen in their community," Holben said. "They are always involved and I think they are just good-hearted people."
Donna Baker and Therese Rakus were just two of the employees who volunteer every year.
Baker said they just want to give back to the company and community.
"They're good to us so this is just a way to give back to them," Baker said.
Baker and Rakus are also members of the community relations team for the company that organizes and participates in many events throughout the year.
"They really are a caring company and they really do care about the community," Rakus said.