40 Years of Little Balkans Days
From August 25-31, Pittsburg, Kansas, celebrates the 40th anniversary of Little Balkans Days, a festival honoring the region's Balkan immigrant heritage through a week of cultural events featuring food, music, and arts. The festival offers activities for the whole family, with special events accessible via a $5 passport.
By Angela Meyer and Allison Riechman-Bennett
Little Balkans Days celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, taking place in Pittsburg, Kansas, from Aug. 25 to Aug. 31.
The festival will feature vibrant cultural heritage, including food, fine arts and crafts, a car show, dog show, cooking school and music throughout the weekend. The event marks a long-held tradition, tracing back to its immigrant heritage. In Pittsburg, heritage isn’t just history during this weekend, but something you can taste, hear and enjoy with your entire family.
Little Balkans Days is rooted in the immigrant communities of people from the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. The festival is a testament and tribute to the traditions and culture that shaped Southeast Kansas. Immigrants from Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and other Balkan countries moved to the area for coal mining jobs in the late 1800s and early 1900s, thus establishing towns such as Frontenac and Arma, which was originally known as Rust.
When the festival began in 1985, organizers emphasized and celebrated the ethnic heritage, folk traditions, music, dancing, homemade foods and traditional craft, which is still the focus today.
Angela Meyer, the festival president for the past 11 years, grew up going to Little Balkans Days. She reflected on her time as a child attending the festival and noted the ties to Southeast Kansas history, which drew her into the magic of the festival.
“This festival truly makes me stop and celebrate the community I was raised in and really makes me appreciate the community that raised and encouraged me,” Angela said. “It helps me remember our past and heritage and celebrate who we are as a community today. I’m so proud to be from this community.”
The festival kicks off Monday, Aug. 25, with the Little Balkans Cooking School and continues into the Labor Day weekend. Special events can only be attended with the purchase of a passport, which is $5. These special events include, but are not limited to, the cooking school, Quilt Guild sewing class, quilt show, pasta class, car show, chicken dinner and polka dance, Cox Community Concert and many more you can find listed on their website.
Passports are sold at TOAST, Ron’s Supermarket, Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce and Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium.
One-hour scenic train rides are available Saturday, Aug. 30, but seating is limited. Train tickets are $5 per person and train rides run at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Full details are available on the festival website.
To sign up for events and to purchase train tickets and passports, visit www.littlebalkansfestival.com for all of your festival needs. And be sure to follow Little Balkans Days on Facebook to stay up to date on all the festival events.
Come experience living history Aug. 25-31!
