Youngwood railroad museum couples history, tradition during fish fry season

It’s fish fry season and some aficionados of the Lenten tradition got an early start Feb. 17 at the Station Cafe in Youngwood.

Glenn Smeltzer made his annual pilgrimage to the borough’s old train station for lunch. He said he has been getting fish there for as long as the fundraiser has been in operation, about 10 years.

“I want to support the museum, but I also want to eat,” he said.

The annual fish fry helps pay the bills for the Youngwood Historical & Railroad Museum, said secretary Pat Alincic.

“It’s important to keep things going,” she said. “The museum has so much history and so much information.”

It’s been a rough few years for the fire departments, churches and other groups that rely on income from the springtime rite that typically generates thousands of dollars. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic hit in the middle of Lent, shutting down the events.

The following year, some organizers found ways to keep them going. In 2022, many contended with supply chain issues that resulted in raised prices, menu changes and cancellations altogether.

Some of that is still impacting the Station Cafe’s event, Alincic said. Some organizations started their fundraisers on Ash Wednesday while others got underway two days later for the first Friday of Lent. Good Friday is April 7, though some fish fries might end a week earlier.

Large fries in the area that had to cancel last year are back for 2023 — Norvelt and Claridge fire departments both announced they planned to resume their respective fundraisers.

It can be a fast-paced day, Alincic said. There’s typically six volunteers in the kitchen and taking orders in the Depot Street building.

“I will credit our volunteers, they do a fantastic job, they keep it going,” she said.

She and husband Ray Alincic, president of the group, are concerned about the impact new curbs and a sidewalk, installed by the borough last year, will have on parking during the fry and future tours. The curb and sidewalk eliminated the building’s parking for people with mobility issues and tour buses.

“That’s going to hurt us,” Ray Alincic said.