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There's something new hanging on the library wall, just above my office door. Area resident Carol Saylor won First Prize in the "Events and Attractions" category of the 2024 GO Laurel Highlands Photo Contest for her photo of the Appalachian Wagon Train coming through Meyersdale in June. She was kind enough to donate the photo on canvas to the library. It reminds us of the excitement and celebration throughout our town's 150th year.
2024 was a year to remember for the people of Meyersdale. There were many special events celebrating the borough's 150th Anniversary. We are grateful for all who planned and participated in the Sesquicentennial celebration!
It all started with the ringing of bells -- originally planned as just the ringing of church bells, but folks also gathered uptown with handbells. The bells rang out on February 19, the 150th anniversary of the day our borough was chartered. State Representative Carl Walker Metzgar visited and delivered a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives honoring our borough's 150th Anniversary. (Yours Truly got to hold it for the photo!)
Throughout the year, our library played an important role in events. All the planning meetings were held here. We also presented a variety of historical programs which fit the Sesquicentennial theme. You can find recordings of these on the library's YouTube channel.
Remembering Our Town: Meyersdale 1939, presented by Samantha Schardt
Meyersdale at 150: The Story of a Small Town, presented by Kyle Davis and Jennifer Hurl
Cheers to the Meyersdale Brewing Company, presented by Lee Porter
Drawing an Opinion: The Editorial Cartoons of George Menser, presented by the artist himself
Library Archivist Jennifer Hurl also created a 104-page photo book presenting some Meyersdale history, featuring images acquired upon the closure of The New Republic newspaper and digitized by our The Way We Were Club. The printing was funded by our Friends of the Library group, and sale proceeds benefit the library.
Meanwhile, the library continued to build digital collections in the PA Photos and Documents archive featuring Meyersdale history, including this one:
As the year progressed, there were special 150th-themed contests as part of the Pennsylvania Maple Festival. Our window display and our Library/Historical Society joint effort won prizes in the 150th Anniversary categories for window displays and parade floats. A small storefront was set up near the Doughboy serve as 150th Anniversary Central during Maple Festival and the Memorial Day weekend.
In May, there was a lovely banquet at the Elks Lodge, featuring music from the Meyersdale Area High School Jazz Band.
In June, the Appalachian Wagon Train visited, coming through town, which was an amazing sight. That's when Carol's prize-winning photo was taken. During the summer, a 150th Anniversary commemorative marker created by local Lens Creek Studios was dedicated in the uptown park by the gazebo.
And there were fireworks! The town's annual Independence Day celebration featured an extra-special fireworks display -- and there was an extra fireworks display this year, following Meyersdale's Light-up Night.
October 19 was, most agree, the biggest day of celebration. A 150th Anniversary time capsule was buried. A celebratory church service was held with a community choir. There were historical tours of local churches. 4-Guys company celebrated their 50th anniversary with a huge open house. A dinner featuring a concert by Meyersdale native Keith Buterbaugh (whose voice has been heard on Broadway and beyond!) capped off the day. That event was held at the Meyersdale Volunteer Fire Department's social hall. The Fire Department had a major anniversary in 2024, too -- 125 years of service to the community!
The capstone of it all, planned as Christmas at the Manor and Light-Up Night, ran into some hiccups. Christmas at the Manor had to be cancelled due to some Problems at the Manor. Frigid weather drove many of the Light-Up night festivities indoors. However, the Small Business Saturday scavenger hunt had good participation, Santa still arrived, and the fireworks went off without a hitch.
Many of us have some mementos of the celebration -- besides the 150th book, there was an assortment of commemorative t-shirts, cups, ornaments, and a Cat's Meow collectible of the 150th logo. But the memories are most precious of all!
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