Community days celebrate summer
Brandon Kelley, 5, Zachary Kelley, 7, and Cooper Scott, 8, took a rest on the park’s entryway fence during Community Day.
Accelerando Music Conservatory student Elise King, 15, opened Community Day festivities by singing our National Anthem.
Volunteer Ryan Julian stands on Hole #9 at the park’s disc golf course.
Summer had a great start this year. We were all so ready for the sunshine, longer days and the much-anticipated warm evening breeze which filled the first weekend. Picnics, swimming and leisure walks are here to stay, at least for a few months.
To enjoy the warm weather, local community days are planned each summer to offer one-stop fun days to entertain whole families.
Locally, North Strabane Township started the new season with its annual Community Day. Since I’ve lived in the township for decades, it was a short ride to the park on the hilltop off Route 519. Nearly a year has passed since the park had its public opening and dedication, and I was ready for another visit.
Men, women and children gathered early for this year’s family day, beginning with our National Anthem sung by Accelerando Music Conservatory student Elise King.
Teams of young women, including the Washington Wild Fire and Lady Bull Dogs, played softball on the ball diamonds, kids filled the basketball court aiming for the hoops and young boys and girls enjoyed the state-of-the art playground equipment, climbing, crawling, sliding and having an overall good time.
Picnic shelters and umbrella tables welcomed folks for an afternoon of outdoor relaxation as they enjoyed root beer floats, ice cream cones, apple dumplings, burgers and dogs, favorites among summer’s comfort foods
Entertainment was great with music filling the air throughout the day. Sounds of traditional jazz came from the New Orleans Riverside Band, country tunes by Chris Higbee and the always popular Four Townsmen gathered residents and friends with plenty of all-time favorites hits.
The cornhole tournament was impressive. A game so seemingly simple takes a little more agility than expected. Inflatables, arts and crafts, train rides, Kid Zone, community leaders, fitness and pet vendors filled the park. The day’s finale was the spectacular Zambelli fireworks that lit up the summer sky.
But the main reason I headed to the former tree-topped mound was to check out the newly-designed disc golf course. Much like regular golf, the object is to complete each hole in as few strokes as possible. Although flying disc golf became a formalized sport in the early ’70s, word spread about this new wave sport from folks in South Carolina who have enjoyed its popularity for a long time. I wanted to see for myself how the course fit around the park.
In a search for the first tee, I met Canonsburg resident Ryan Julian, a member of the Washington County Disc Golf Association and the sponsor of Hole #9. A fan of disc golf since living in Indiana and Michigan, Ryan has been a busy volunteer helping to clear the landscape and planning the course, the first permanent course in Washington County. Stop at the township building for available discs.
Community days offer opportunities for men, women, children and businesses to gather for a memorable day centered around local people.