Verona celebrates 150-year anniversary with full weekend of events
Share this post:
The town of Verona celebrated its 150-year anniversary over the weekend of Sept. 18-19 with a full slate of events for the community sponsored by the Verona Community Group and the Lower Valley Athletic Foundation.
The borough’s birthday party kicked off Sept. 18 with Community Day, a festival taking place at Railroad Park. The weekend’s excitement extended into Sept. 19, which featured a festive parade through town in addition to a community picnic held at Cribbs Field on Second Street.
When things got started, Railroad Park had a full lineup of family-friendly activities. The park was loaded with 25 booths, including food and crafts vendors, and numerous local organizations.
In addition, three local Verona Breweries — Inner Groove, Acclamation Brewery, and Stonewall Cider House and Meadery — were there serving libations to the 21-and-older crowd.
The first day also featured a pet parade that was open to anyone in the community and a stage area featuring live performances. The most notable were the School of Rock, who are a group of youngsters who perform mostly classic rock songs; CirqOvation, a circus-themed entertainment group that features fire dancing; juggling; unicyclists; stilt walkers; and The Starry Messenger, who put on a children’s-themed performance centered around STEAM education.
The kids were also able to take part in a Touch-A-Truck event in front of the Verona Borough building featuring tow trucks, fire trucks and other special vehicles available for the young ones to walk up to and experience first-hand.
Jessica Varone, the event coordinator and chair of the Verona Community Group said there was a concerted effort to make the Community Day as big as possible.
“The stage was full all day long, and we had a big set up with lights,” she said. “It was great.”
The town has put on similar community events in years past, but the 150-year celebration combined with neighborhoods just now starting to rebound from the covid-19 pandemic really brought new meaning to this year’s festivities.
“One hundred and fifty years is a big deal,” Varone said. “It’s important to give the community something to celebrate, especially after a rough year. It’s just so important to build connections with your neighbors and to spend some time socializing with your friends and family.”
Marguerite Rafalko of the Verona Garden Club, which was at the weekend’s events selling fall mums, said the Saturday was her favorite part of the weekend’s celebration.
“It was very festive and had a great sense of community,” she said. “It really was a sweet day.”
Kim Roller, the vice president of the garden club, echoed that sentiment.
“It was great just seeing everyone out with smiles on their faces,” Roller said. “Everyone’s kids had fun. The 150 was a great celebration. Kudos to the Verona Community Group.”
There was also a unique celebration happening at Community Day this year as well. Joe and Marianne Larkin (Poppish), who met at this very same community event in 1971, spent Sept. 18 at the festival celebrating their 42nd wedding anniversary. They were married in 1979 after a chance encounter at the Verona fair 50 years ago.
But Saturday wasn’t the end of the party, as Sunday featured a full slate as well, starting with a parade at 12:30 p.m. that started at St. Joseph Church on Second Street and continued down Center Avenue and into town.
The parade included the Riverview cheerleaders and marching band, the Syria Shriners Highlander Bagpipers, fire engines, a motorcycle group, and a car cruise featuring classic automobiles and some late-model muscle cars.
Following the parade, the Lower Valley Athletic Foundation (LVAF) hosted a community picnic at Cribbs Field from 2 to 6 p.m. in which everyone from the local area was invited to spend the day in the sunshine eating food and connecting with neighbors.
Vince Flotta Jr., president of the LVAF, vice president of Verona Parks and Rec, and council candidate, spearheaded the day, helping to provide cheeseburgers and hot dogs for the grill and water and sodas for drinking. Anyone who attended the day was asked to bring a side dish for sharing.
“We’re just trying to have an old-fashioned community picnic where everyone contributes a side,” Flotta said. “This is just much needed. There’s a lot of division in the world right now, and this is meant to unite people, especially your neighbors. People remember that these are your neighbors, your friends, and that’s what’s important.”
The community picnic also featured a pie-baking contest’ an old-fashioned egg toss and egg race; a 50/50 drawing; and a live band, Family Joules, playing rock covers.
There was also a playground available for the young children to enjoy.
The picnic is one of many events the LVAF puts on throughout the year in order to cultivate a sense of community. Earlier this year, they sponsored a co-ed volleyball tournament and a co-ed kickball tournament.
Starting in October, they will be putting on a holiday toy and clothing drive with collection boxes throughout the borough. They will also do a Dungeons and Dragons-themed event at Chelsea Grille in Oakmont on Oct. 24 and are holding a Puppet Workshop event featuring local artist Dave English on Feb. 5 at the Verona United Methodist Church.
All of these events, including this weekend’s community picnic, hit on similar themes of connectedness.
“A lot of times, people don’t even know their neighbors’ names. But you can come to one of these events, see someone you’ve seen on your block, learn their name, and now you have a friend,” Flotta said.
To learn more about the Verona Community Group, visit veronacommunity.org. For more information on the LVAF, visit lowervalleyfootball.com.