History was celebrated with food, fun and music at Sunday’s 37th annual Tamaqua Heritage Festival.

The free, family-oriented event drew crowds to downtown to take in the sights and get an early peek of fall foliage.

For some, the theme carried special meaning.

“My grandfather was a coal miner. He worked up by Delano. But he got hurt in the mines,” said Chris Hirsch of Tamaqua, who said he enjoys exploring his coalcracker ancestry.

Hirsch, 52, donned typical mining regalia, even carrying a miner’s lunch pail and lantern, as he strolled the downtown with wife Jamie.

Like many of the miners, his grandfather, Joseph Hentosh, had ethnic roots.

“He was Ukrainian. He passed away in 2007.”

Hirsch said Hentosh was able to pull away from mining after his injuries and instead made a living in the field of carpentry.

Some said they came to the event to patronize local volunteers.

“I’m looking to support groups like the Boy Scouts and the American Legion,” said Patricia Rinkenberg Berk of Tamaqua.

Another was looking for lunch.

“I’m after the food and hope I can find halushki or halupki,” said Cindy Krieger of McAdoo.

The event is sponsored by the Tamaqua Historical Society.

President Dale Freudenberger said his group was on the receiving end of a nice surprise.

Bill Krause of Canton drove into town to present the society with a donation of local artifacts, such as a boxload of drill bits that were once part of the town’s early wagon works industry.

“The society owns a lot of their original equipment,” said Freudenberger.

The society’s museum wasn’t open for visits due to repairs associated with water damage from the recent storm.

However, many other free attractions were available, including the Jukebox Cruisers Car Show, the 1848 Hegarty Blacksmith Shop, a live radio remote with Polka Joe Manjack, DJ Shawn, the Faculty Brass Band, old-time calliope music, and photo opportunities with the Tamaqua Heritage Players, a re-enactment group of living historians dressed in period costume.

Many enjoyed horse-drawn carriage rides pulled by Leiby’s Belgian Draft Horses. The rides took visitors through the Tamaqua National Historic District.

A Tangley Calliaphone, similar to an old-fashioned calliope, was set up at the M&T Bank parking lot and played old-time music throughout the day.

Some merchants set up tents to offer samples of their products.

Jack-Azz Distillery of Spring Glen was on hand to provide free samples of spirits and blends.

The business offers flavored moonshine, whiskeys and rums.

Paul Foster of Tamaqua sampled “Rise and Shine” whiskey, 88 percent proof, and said it was tasty.

Owner Clervin Zimmerman placed a message board near his tent advertising a variety of special cocktails.

At St. Luke’s Medical Center, Tamaqua, members of Tamaqua Primary Care offered free flu shots provided by Hailey Harvilla, Sharon Rehatchek, Kathy Devlin and Annette Nowacki.

The team began at 10 a.m. and had administered 25 shots within the first hour.