The organizers raved about the success of this year’s event

The International Village at Renziehausen Park in McKeesport concluded Thursday evening with another program of ethnic entertainment and, of course, more food.

The three-day festival attracted thousands from across the region for a multicultural celebration. The final night featured dance and music traditions from Croatia, Serbia, Poland and the Philippines on the main stage at Stephen Barry Field.

“It was absolutely incredible. It was one of the best events we’ve had in a long time,” said Mayor Michael Cherepko. “Attendance was consistently good, everyone had fun. The vendors are all doing well. It’s always nice to have an event like this where Mc-Keesport has a chance to show off a little bit.”

Mikey Dee, master of ceremonies of the International Village, once again introduced the individual acts of the evening and gave an opening speech.

“Welcome to my beautiful hometown of McKeesport, Pennsylvania,” Dee said to the crowd gathered in front of the main stage. “Here at Renzie Park, we celebrate our culture and also our heritage.”

We’re having a pretty good time out here.”

Gypsy Stringz were the first to take the stage, along with Dee, who played guitar and sang. They played a mix of folk songs of European origin.

“The rest of the evening will be just heavy metal and rap music,” joked Dee after the first song.

The Neighborhood Kolo Dancers, a group founded by Dee after the pandemic, performed a series of circle dances originating from Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Macedonia.

“The first year we returned to the International Village, we had very little stage entertainment because of the pandemic,” Dee said. “So my idea was to demonstrate how much fun and social you can have while dancing Kolos.”

Dee invited anyone who could dance Kolo to join the group on stage.

“You are welcome to come here because I call these people the friendly neighborhood kolo dancers,” Dee told the crowd. “If you go to different events in the tri-state area, whether it’s a Serbian picnic, a Croatian picnic or a kolo event, you’ll see these familiar faces here.”

The dancers of the Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh and the Lajkoniki Polish Dancers rounded off the evening program.

Patrick Fisher, the longest-serving member of the International Village Committee, returned to the event as stage manager after missing it last year.

Fisher and Dee have become best friends over the years at International Village and regularly compare themselves to comedy duo Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

“We have the same personality; we always tease everyone,” Fisher said with a smile.

Fisher served as emcee on the main stage Wednesday night, while Dee performed at the Andrew J. Jakomas Blue Top Pavilion.

Fisher’s enthusiasm for International Village has not waned in the 24 years he has worked with the event.

“I just love it here,” he said. “I love the village and what it stands for. It’s a beautiful event. I go to a lot of festivals, but I don’t think you can compete with International Village.”