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Chamber looking ahead to next Independence Day

By Erin Hayes for The 4 min read

BROWNSVILLE — The recent Independence Day festivities sparked discussion at the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce’s meeting Tuesday about how to improve the celebration next year.

While this year’s celebration went well, chamber President Frank Ricco asked members for suggestions.

“It was a good turnout — not quite as big as last year, but all in all, it was a successful affair,” Ricco said of the festivities Thursday at Patsy Hillman Park in Luzerne Township that began with musical performances at 5 p.m. and culminated with a fireworks display at dark. “I received not one complaint, but I didn’t receive any compliments, either.”

The chamber spent $4,000 on fireworks this year and donated $300 toward the cost of entertainment.

Ricco said the new restrooms at the park were a “fabulous” addition to this year’s festivities, adding the Brownsville/Luzerne Park Board is still working on securing a caretaker to ensure the facilities are kept clean for public use, and opened and closed on schedule.

He also suggested moving the flag-raising segment of the event from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. next year so that more people could be in attendance. He also recommended purchasing a refrigerator for the park concession stand, which cleared $585 after expenses this year.

Chamber Vice President Carl DellaPenna suggested the purchase of a freezer for the concession stand.

“We could load it up with ice cream bars and Popsicles,” he said.

Also at the meeting, the chamber voted to move forward with a design idea presented by chamber member Connie Gore for use on this year’s collectable Christmas tree ornaments, the sale of which are part of the chamber’s annual fundraising efforts.

Ricco said the sale of the collectable ornaments had declined over the last few years, with just 150 being sold last year. In past years, the chamber has sold as many as 500.

“In the past, we couldn’t get enough,” he said. “It might have something to do with the subject matter.”

Gore said that, based upon her research, the Sons of Italy Lodge on Race Street never had been featured on an ornament, while another suggestion presented last month to use the Monongahela River had been used six times.

“The Sons of Italy has never been featured,” Gore said of the community icon that began in 1917. “It will be a seller. If you make them, you will sell them.”

Chamber member Fred Lapisarda agreed that the lodge was “a big part of the community”, having hosted many wedding receptions and other events in the borough.

Chamber member Scott Brown suggested that perhaps orders could be taken ahead of time so the chamber could better determine the demand for the 2014 design and order accordingly.

DellaPenna said that pre-orders could be taken at the next meeting of the Sons of Italy, which currently consists of 350 male and 150 female members.

While the idea for the design was approved, the final design for the collectable ornament will be approved at a later date, members said.

Chamber members also agreed to build upon a new chamber logo, still in its design phase after it became clear earlier in the year that logos currently in use had been copied and recopied so much over the years that the official image had become blurred. No originals to copy from could be located, Gore said.

Upon DellaPenna’s suggestion, the design will be reworked to include a steamboat instead of a barge, and possibly a locomotive, as suggested by Tami Sealy, board president of the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. (BARC). Otherwise, members agreed that the circular, color design trimmed in gold and featuring also Nemacolin Castle and the Monongahela River was acceptable for use.

Sealy also announced that BARC is gearing up for its 6th annual Mon Ducky Race, to be held on Saturday, Aug. 9, on the Monongahela River. Tickets to adopt a duck are $5, she said. Festivities will begin at 3:30 p.m. on the Brownsville Riverside Wharf, and the ducks will begin their race from the Inter-County Bridge at 5 p.m.

The first-place prize is a weekend getaway or $500 in cash, second place is a gift card package worth $100, and the third place prize is a BARC gift shop package valued at $50. Anyone needing tickets or more information can call the BARC office at 724-785-9331.

In other business, the chamber:

n Approved an annual donation of $1,000 to the Brownsville/Luzerne Park Board.

n Announced that the Sons of Italy will host its first car cruise event at noon Sunday, July 27.

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