For the past several years, a large blue and white tent has covered the grandstand at the Robertsdale, Wood & Broad Top (RW&BT) Volunteer Fire Co. picnic grounds at Broad Top City during the fire company’s annual Labor Day Homecoming celebration. That will soon change.
Broad Top City resident Dennis “Butch” Rourke, who has been involved with the maintenance of the picnic grounds and adjoining baseball field, announced that the fire company is the recipient of a $13,000 state Department of Economic & Development (DCED) grant it applied for in 2005. Members of the Maple Grove Mennonite Church of Three Springs, R.R. (Shore Valley) will soon be erecting a 38-ft. by 80-ft. amphitheater over the grandstand following the four-day homecoming celebration.
“This improvement will allow for events to be held at the park without the threat of rain. The fire company is very fortunate to be the recipient of this grant that will allow them to hold more events at the park that is a tremendous asset to the community,” added Rourke.
The large tent that has been rented by the fire company in the past from Steve Price of Monroe Valley has been used for Labor Day activities, for the Broad Top City Sesquicentennial celebration in 2004 and community days by the Greater Broad Top Area Park & Recreation Association in 2005 and last week.
For the past several weeks, Rourke, Ron Diehl, Lew Winfield, Don Guthridge, Bill Thomas, Jerry Sipes, Paul Lucas and George Horton have been working at the park preparing it for the upcoming festivities. A number of noticeable improvements have been made at the park that patrons will no doubt see. The park was purchased by the fire company in 2005 from the East Broad Top Railroad & Coal Co.
Along with the promise of a new amphitheater at park, Rourke said a number of new park benches have been purchased by families in the Broad Top area both in honor and in memory of family members. He said over $10,000 in benches have been purchased and will be placed in locations throughout the park.
A total of 16 new benches were added to those purchased the previous year and another eight will be purchased in coming weeks. The cost of the smaller benches is $217 each.
Another noticeable change at the park made during the past year was the renovation of a pavilion located on the property used by the fire company for bingo games. The nearly 40-year-old pavilion, constructed in 1967, was renovated in October 2005 in tribute to the late Judy DeLuca by her former co-workers at the Seton Leather Manufacturing Plant at Saxton.
DeLuca passed away during 2005 Labor Day festivities at the park. Renovations to the pavilion included the painting and sealing of its roof and closing in of the upper portions of the pavilion as well as installing new electrical wiring.
“The renovations made to the pavilion by these people added 50 years of life to the pavilion,” added Rourke. As an active member of the fire company following its chartering in 1964, Rourke said he was instrumental in securing some of the materials for the construction of the pavilion at the time.
Rourke said the fire company is planning future renovations at the park including the possible installation of new electrical service there. Other objectives include the construction of permanent restroom facilities at the park.
