Carmichaels to celebrate 250th anniversary with four-day birthday bash
CARMICHAELS – A four-day birthday bash celebrating Carmichaels Borough’s sestercentennial gets under way on Thursday, June 29 and will continue through July 2 with a variety of events planned at three of the municipality’s signature landmarks.
“We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Ann Bargerstock, who, along with 12 to 15 other “core” committee members, have been planning this 250th anniversary celebration for the past two years.
Carmichaels Borough was settled in 1767 and incorporated in 1855 from Cumberland Township. Carmichaels was laid out by James Carmichael, who was a scout and woodsman. He obtained the title of the land in a trade with Thomas Hughes who went to Jefferson.
Bargerstock said the involvement from community members and financial assistance from corporations, local businesses and government, has been remarkable.
“Community Bank made a very generous donation to help with a host of expenses,” she said. And in February, Greene County commissioners allocated $3,000 to the birthday celebration. On hand to accept the check and the commissioners’ good will was Bill Groves, a Cumberland Township supervisors and chairman of the Carmichaels Sestercentennial Committee.
“We believe it’s going to be a wonderful celebration,” Commissioner Blair Zimmerman said. “Carmichaels and its rich history are a huge part of Greene County.”
The celebration begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 29 at the Carmichaels Senior Center with a concert at 6 p.m. by the Americana Legion Post 400 band. A dinner follows at 7 p.m. The evening concludes with a special Carmichaels trivia game.
An around-the-town driving tour starts the activities on Friday, June 30 and as Bargerstock explained, “It will be at your own pace.” It will begin at the Greene Academy, one of those three focal points of activity, along with Carmichaels Town Square and Wana B Park.
And speaking of the park, a car cruise and car show will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. “Cars will be displayed by decade and prizes will be awarded,” she said.
The activity level picks up considerably on Saturday, beginning with a golf outing at the Carmichaels Golf Course at 9 a.m.
Wana B Park will feature Civil War and fur-trapping reenactments, handmade Indian pottery, food and crafts and beginning at 9 a.m. at Carmichaels Town Square, there will be face painting, clowns making balloon art, food and vendors, along with musical acts in the afternoon.
Greene Academy will not be outdone as an antique train display will be featured, along with a petting zoo, horse and buggy rides and a slide show of the Carmichaels community.
On Sunday, the final day of the birthday celebration, an “old time church service” with the Rev. Harold O. Kelley and featuring Heaven Bound Ministries, will be held at 10:30 a.m. at Wana B Park.
An old-timer baseball double header featuring the Addison Mountain All Stars and the Frosty Sons of Thunder will begin at 1 p.m.
Bargerstock also said tours will be available at the high school and elementary school for those wishing to see the renovations that have taken place. Moreover, she said shuttle buses will be available for visitors at all locations and activities will conclude between 5 and 6 p.m. Sunday.