Park board plans old-fashioned community day
LUZERNE TWP. – The Patsy Hillman Park Board is planning an old-fashioned community day at the park on Aug. 22. Board member Nena Kaminsky proposed the event that will start with a catfish rodeo for children ages 5-12 at the Patsy Hillman Lake. The rest of the events are scheduled to start at 11 a.m. and run through 7 p.m. Kaminsky said she is looking for bands and other entertainment willing to perform for free throughout the day. “I’d like to have an old-fashion day like we used to do downtown,” Kaminsky said. “I’ve thought of having a watermelon-eating contest and a three-legged race, and maybe a 5K run.”
Kaminsky said the Brownsville Area High School cross-country team practices at the park and she has been working with some of the people involved with the team to organize a race at the park during the community festival.
Park board chairman Frank Ricco suggested a golf contest, seeing who could get closest to a designated area. Other activity suggestions are welcome, Kaminsky said. She also asked for volunteers to help get the event off the ground.
Kaminsky said booths are available for $10 each for crafters, flea market items, and other purposes, though electricity cannot be supplied to the booths. Kaminsky said she’d like to have a farmer’s market at the event and booths from local organizations.
Ricco noted that portable restrooms will be available for the event, but the park board needs to get ready for the possible installation of sewer lines to the park next year. Ricco suggested that the park board work with former board member Andrew French, who heads the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority, to seek a grant toward the sewer line installation and restroom construction. Ricco said French had looked at pre-cast tamper-proof restrooms in the past.
“We need to put an application in. If we have sewerage at the gate down there, we want to tap into it,” Ricco said.
Ricco said that with proper restrooms, the park board shouldn’t have any problem renting the picnic pavilions.
“I think just having the community days will help with the rentals. It will let people see what’s here and how nice it is,” said board member Dave Polvinale.
For information about the community day celebration, or to offer ideas or services, contact Kaminsky at 724-785-5041.