Summer, 1999
You may have noticed the full, blazing, red, white and
blue ribbons and bows adorning City Hall, Memorial Park, and countless
homes and businesses in the Hazleton area. You may have looked twice at the
tri-colored stars painted on area roads while on your way to work or on
your neighborhood streets. And you may have admired a festive ribbon-
and flower-lined Broad Street decked out in patriotic colors. You may
have even wondered what the occasion was, but decided not to question a
good thing.
The "Paint Our Towns Red, White and Blue" campaign is part
of the Greater Hazleton Area Civic Partnership's Top of the Mountain
project. In an effort to unite local government, businesses,
administration and area residents in a common goal, and to instill in
them a sense of community pride, the Partnership had begun the Red,
White and Blue campaign. Ribbons, paint, and flowers for the project were donated by a number of area businesses and organizations.
These materials were used to deck Hazleton and surrounding
communities out in a festive display of civic pride.
The program
officially kicked off in May (1999) with the decoration of City Hall
and Memorial Park on Church Street in time for Memorial Day. According
to Lena Kotansky, Executive Director of the Civic Partnership, about
eight committee members have volunteered and are very active. The
number of volunteers for this initiative is countless, however.
Members
of organizations such as the Greater Hazleton Senior Citizens Center,
the Our Choices program, HAHS Key Club, Keystone Job Corps Center, the
Boy and Girl Scouts of America and others all helped to make bows,
paint signs, and plant flowers. "As a matter of fact," says Kotansky,
"anyone who participates in any capacity may be classified as a 'volunteer'."
The ribbon was donated by Berwick Industries, while red,
white and blue flowers were donated by a number of area florists
and stores including Bob Smith's, Smilak's and Wal-Mart. Ellie
Whittaker, Chairman of the Hazleton Shade Tree Commission, is
representing that organization in the project and said the Commission
bought and planted the flowers that line Broad Street, and adds that
Councilman Lou Barletta painted the stars along that road.
Whittaker
also rattled off names of more than a dozen local merchants who made
ribbon and have displayed the bows. On May 22nd, a number of local
organizations helped plant flowers in Memorial Park. These groups
included members of the Job Corps, and the Boy and Girl Scouts.
The
decorations are intended to commemorate national holidays like the
Fourth of July, and wrapped up in September during FunFest. Kotansky
notes that the project is garnering so much support that although not
intended as a fundraiser, the Red, White and Blue project has raised
nearly $150 in donations from people who would like to lend their
support.
Whittaker says she is very proud of the effort and the good it
seems to have done the community. "My whole neighborhood is done with
the red, white and blue bows," she said. Whittaker said a group of
volunteers, including herself and Kotansky, check on the decorations in
Memorial Park on a weekly basis, watering plants and replacing faded
ribbons as necessary. She adds that not much upkeep is necessary,
however.
"The ribbons are holding up well, and while we're hoping for
some rain for the flowers, they seem to be doing alright," Whittaker
said.
"The main thing I'm proud of though, is that while so many
businesses have become involved in the project, none of the decorations
have been vandalized. That really says to me that 'Well, we can do
something.' "
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