Kevin Sosnoski Chosen As This Year’s July 4 Parade Grand Marshal

Kevin Sosnoski usually misses the Severna Park Fourth of July parade because he is working at Goska’s Liquors, the family-owned red store on Leelyn Drive. This year, he has a good excuse to skip a few hours of work: he’s the parade grand marshal.

The Fourth of July parade theme this year is “Celebrating Our Rich History,” something Kevin knows a bit about; with 92 years in Severna Park, Goska’s has become an important piece of the town’s history.

Kevin’s memories of Goska’s go back to childhood.

“This used to be my bus stop when I was at St. John, us and the Barrancos,” Kevin said, referring to another family that has called Severna Park home for decades. “I’d always come to the store after school.”

Brothers Walter and Alex Goska bought the building from the Kleiss family in 1930 when it was a general store specializing in fresh cut meats and groceries. Goska Brothers Store also sold kerosene, gasoline, feed and featured an ice house on the property.

With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the brothers started selling beer and liquor.

“The country store market was falling out of fashion with the addition of commercial grocery stores like A&P and Giant,” Kevin said. “They decided to focus more on beer, wine and spirit sales as so much competition came into town.”

When Walter Goska died in 1957, his wife, Helen, continued to run the shop with the help of her sister, Eva Schwartz.

Kevin’s father, Walter Sosnoski, nephew to Helen and Eva, relocated to Severna Park from Arbutus in 1959 and helped run the store. Walter brought some much-needed insight to the financial side of operations.

“Basically, they never had a checking account before then and everything was paid for with cash,” Kevin said. “That was during the ‘70s and early ‘80s. You have to grow up with the times, so with the suppliers doing business a different way, you had to follow suit.”

Walter also worked full-time at Bon Secours Hospital as a pharmacist. Kevin remembers his father being mild-mannered, never seeking praise.

“He was named Pharmacist of the Year,” Kevin said. “That was back when pharmacists were making pills, not just taking them out of a bottle and counting them. He worked seven days a week and kept our family together.”

Now, Kevin runs the store with the help of several employees and family members including his mom, Emilie; sister, Carol; and his brother-in-law, Tim Mullen. Kevin’s brother, Michael, and Michael’s wife, Debbie, have retired.

“We’re very fortunate to maintain a good employee base,” Kevin said. “Being an established family business, we work every bit as hard as our employees as opposed to being a silent partner.”

New beverages have come and gone, but Goska’s focus on customer service has never changed.

“We greet customers and let them know they are appreciated,” Kevin said. “There’s competition, so they could choose to go somewhere else, but they come here.”

Throughout the years, his family has persevered as have so many others.

“We’re very fortunate that we have a number of families who have been here: the Diehls, Clements, Barrancos, Corwells, Winkelmeyers, Listmans,” Kevin said. “There is also Kim Lawson and her daughter at Fishpaws Marketplace and Side Street Framers. You have Danny and Nick at Dawson’s [carrying on the business] for Ed Polk. There is a camaraderie. Even though we’re competition, we get along and I think we’re friendly in a genuine way. It makes our Severna Park town a little more special than most and they see the importance of donating to charity.

“And then you have Magothy River Association president Paul Spadaro and the Black families who have been important to this area: the Whites, Coates, Jennings, Johnsons, Smiths, to name a few. Many people have been so important to this community.”

With the parade approaching, Kevin feels thankful for the grand marshal honor bestowed upon him by the Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce.

“I thought ‘why me,’ but in a good way,” Kevin said. “A lot of people could have gotten this honor. My family has been in Severna Park for 92 years, so it’s a privilege and an honor. As long as you maintain your family’s name, that’s very important.”