Bethel Park attracts attention at Brentwood Fourth of July celebration
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Doug Pack from Brentwood Bank places beads around the neck of Jack Warner, 4. During every Brentwood Fourth of July parade, the bank, which has five locations including branches in Bethel Park, South Fayette and South Park, passes out red, white and blue beads to spectators.
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Tickles the clown fist bumps with spectators along the Brentwood parade route.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Isabel Rodgers, 3, races out to the street to pick up a lollipop while her sister, Sarah, 2, enjoys a piece of candy tossed out by a passing float during the Brentwood Fourth of July parade.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Isabel Rodgers, 3, displays her patriotic spirit on the Fourth of July during the annual Brentwood parade.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Sarah Rodgers, 2, is not at all interested in the decorative flags being passed out along the Brentwood parade route. She wanted candy.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
On the sunny side of the street, spectators used patriotic umbrellas to shield themselves from the heat and glare as the Brentwood Fourth of July parade passed along Brownsville Road.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Cheerleaders perform a routine along the Brentwood parade route.
Technique by Toni was among the many dance ensembles participating in the Brentwood Fourth of July parade.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
The USAF Reserve 911th Airlift Wing provided fly-overs of some of its craft to mark the start of the Brentwood Fourth of July parade.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Star War characters were among the movie figures marching in the Brentwood Fourth of July parade.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Spectators marked their spots along Brownsville Road by placing chairs on the curbs days before the annual Brentwood Fourth of July parade.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
David Kessler hoists the PIAA trophy for parade spectators to see during the Brentwood Fourth of July celebration as his teammates enjoy participating in the annual event.
Clowns, candy and characters, mainly movie figures, were abundant at the Brentwood Fourth of July celebration, but the main attraction in the annual parade was the Bethel Park High School baseball team.
The Black Hawks had been invited to participate after winning a second straight state championship title by virtue of a 5-0 shutout against Selinsgrove on June 17 at Penn State University’s Medlar Park.
“I think it’s wonderful another community recognizing the Bethel Park boys,” said Michele Vargo. Her son, Nathan, started at first base and was the team’s No. 2 pitcher. During the summer months, he plays for Team Ohio, a select AAU baseball club.
For Vargo, it was the first time she had attended the parade. She was impressed with the community’s enthusiasm for the event. Warned she had to reserve her curbside viewing spot, she set up her folding canvas chairs two days in advance of the cavalcade that travels Brownsville Road.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said. “This is nuts. It’s also awesome,” she added.
For Michelle Conrad, it was homecoming. A Brentwood native, she is better known as Shelly Tresch. She met so many people on the parade route as she attempted to meet up with the other group of BP parents that she was only able to make it as far as Klein’s Floral Shop, less than a quarter of a mile from where she parked.
Her son, Bo, kept her away from the local Fourth of July celebration because of his baseball prowess. In addition to excelling at second base for the Black Hawks, he played for U.S. Elite and All-American teams, traveling throughout the summer months across the country. He will play baseball at Marietta in the fall.
“Sometimes (baseball’s) killed a lot of things,” she said, “but this has been fabulous.
“The parade has been everything I had hoped it would be, from the Columbus Brothers float with the outhouse and when they grab you and dance in the street. I love it. I thought growing up here was fabulous. They put on a great parade and the fact that our boys could be part of it was even more fantastic.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything more. This is the greatest thing ever. Talk about a way to end your high school career. Two state championships. Back-to-back,” she said. “You couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
All Jack Warner, 4, wanted were more red, white and blue colored beads. He attended the parade with his parents, Cathy and Ryan. They hail from Baldwin, which was one of only four teams to beat BP this season.
For Warner, it was his second parade.
“We looked forward to this because the last time we were here, he was a little baby,” said Cathy. “Just experiencing it with him is enough.
Ryan added he was fine with including the rival Hawks in the parade. “The more the merrier,” he said.
Elle Duda was happy to see the Hawks honored. A rising junior, she plays tennis, though her father, Allen, excelled as a soccer player at Peters Township High School. She said she aspires instead to be like Mia Gorman, who won two WPIAL titles at Bethel Park and two state medals.
Regardless, she enjoyed the parade. She couldn’t wait for the baseball team to pass.
“I like the parade. It’s fun and it’s really exciting. I think it’s really amazing what they have accomplished and good that they are being recognized for something so impressive. We are really proud of them.”
Brooke Kessler is most proud of her brother. David Kessler was a standout at shortstop on two state championship teams. He also graduated as a highest honor student and accumulated academic scholarships to go along with his stipend to continue his athletic career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
“I definitely look up to him because when I go to class everybody knows him and tells me how good he is as a person. It’s like a lot to live up to,” said Brooke, who plays club volleyball for Renaissance and for the high school squad.
“I’ll probably never be a state champion like him so I have to prove for myself what I can do. But, I think it’s really good that he and the team get to be in this parade and show everybody what they did. I’m excited for him because it’s a great accomplishment.”
Chris Futrick understands the achievement. A Brentwood resident, he played in back-to-back WPIAL and state championship games in 1987 and 1988 for Bethel Park High School. A two-year starter at third base as well as a pitcher, he has a state gold medal from that 1988 club.
“I came up to see the parade,” Futrick said. “I didn’t even know about the team being here, but I think it’s fantastic. It’s nice for them to be honored this way and the entire South Hills community certainly applauds them for what they accomplished this year.”
Futrick said his teams were just the first wave. The current teams are now “perpetuating” that success.
“To me, it’s about building up a program and culture for excellence. It’s creating something meaningful for the future. This program has a tremendous amount of talent and there is no reason why they shouldn’t continue to be competitive.”
With Evan Holewinski on the mound, the Hawks should be competitive in 2023. He was 10-0 with a 0.60 ERA this spring and tossed a three-hit shutout in the state final. In his two-year career, he is 16-1 with a 0.55 ERA.
“The team has the potential to do this again,” said Holewinski’s father, Tim. “They have amazing pitching and have had it for the last two years. We are so proud of Evan and the whole team,” he added.
Holewinski and his wife, Gretchen, agreed that all the accolades, including the parade, have been “awesome” experiences for the players. They said they had not been to a parade in a long time because of Evan’s pitching escapades, which extend well into the fall.
“We thought it was really cool that Brentwood let in the Bethel Park team,” they said. “That’s really special.”
Kessler added the exclamation point.
“This was amazing,” he said. “We got a ton of love from everyone. It was great to be out there around all the other families on this great holiday.”