Zelienople Masons honor workers at Labor Day ox roast
ZELIENOPLE — It can take 10 to 12 hours to cook an ox over a spit, so Masons from Harmony Lodge 429 started early on Monday, Sept. 7.
Earl Goehring, a member of the Masons, said the group used to bring a dump truck full of slab wood to cook over and an electrician made spits for the roast, which would start at 11 p.m. the night before.
“It started out a long time ago. We’d have two or three big fires and it’d be turning all night to cook the beef up,” Goehring said. “The Masons help out in the community and the community helps each other out.”
Zelienople’s End of Summer Party, which coincides with Labor Day, has taken place for more than 50 years, members of the lodge said.
The outing was a pretty ordinary Labor Day at Zelienople Community Park. Residents took their children and dogs to the playground, while teenagers skateboarded and rode their scooters at the skate park. Others sunbathed and took a swim in at the pool before it closed for the season.
Enjoying a meal of roast ox, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, baked beans and coleslaw alongside friends and neighbors made for a pleasant day away from the usual grind at work, festivalgoers said.
“I think it’s important because I think we should honor all of our hardworking men and women. My husband is retired now, even though it seems he works more now than he did,” Sue Krysinski said jokingly.
Krysinski said her husband, a member of the Masons, was helping out with the roast.
“I thought it was a shame when not everybody could have the day off. I think it’s important to take the day off and enjoy each other,” she said.
Members of the Order of the Eastern Star’s Ellwood City chapter collected donations of desserts — cakes, cookies, pies, cobblers, baklava and more — to give out with the meals. The group has helped since its Zelienople chapter folded, said Darlene Patterson.
“We like to be helpful and help others. We like being here. Companionship is always important for the community,” Patterson, a service representative for 30 years with Verizon, said. “We had the AFL-CIO. We went and did our walk in Downtown Pittsburgh. We wore our red. Labor for me, it’s always been important. For other people, it’s just a day off.”
The workforce and community bases have changed over time, such as through declines in union membership and the presence of fraternal organizations. Even so, traditions like the Labor Day celebration have carried on, Masons said, with the ox roast bringing community members today in celebration of local labor.
“It’s changed a lot. Back then, we had a lot of members. There were a lot of Masons in the community,” said Wayne Frankenstein, a Mason. “And they would bring their kids. At one time, we served 1,100 people. It was really important back then. Even the neighbors that weren’t Masons, they would always be invited.”
