Greensburg firefighters plan May alternative to canceled Community Days

Jeff Himler
Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023 7:00 a.m. | Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023 7:00 a.m.

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Courtesy of Kristi Steele

Firefighters compete in a battle of the barrel during a “Parking Lot Party” hosted by the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department on July 31, 2021 at Greensburg’s Lynch Field.

Greensburg Community Days festivities usually held at Lynch Field are canceled this year because of renovation work that will be underway at Kirk S. Nevin Arena.

But the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department is planning an alternative Memorial Day weekend event with free admission for the public — a “Party in the Park” on May 27 at St. Clair Park.

“The department still wanted to have a community event,” said Greensburg VFD President Rick Steele. He said the single-day celebration will be similar to a “Parking Lot Party” the firefighters hosted at the end of July 2021 at Lynch Field after Community Days was canceled that year because of covid-19 limitations on gatherings.

According to preliminary plans, the May 27 event will run from 1 to 9 p.m. with a lineup of bands playing at the Robert­shaw Amphitheater. There also will be food trucks, vendors and a firefighters’ battle of the barrel.

The battle of the barrel, bands, food and vendors were all part of last year’s three-day Community Days.

“We try to be involved in a lot of different things in the community,” Steele said. “We’re here for more than just fire protection.”

Boosting autism awareness

As they plan for the activities at St. Clair Park, the Greensburg firefighters are building upon an ongoing charitable effort to include a new mission.

Over the past five years, the department has raised more than $10,000 through sales of breast cancer awareness T-shirts. That money has gone to the Pink Angel Fund of Westmoreland Walks — a volunteer group dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness, funding research toward a cure and assisting local breast cancer patients, survivors and their families.

Now the Greensburg firefighters are selling T-shirts to promote autism awareness, with all proceeds to be donated to the Westmoreland County chapter of the Autism Society of America. The department is hoping to sell more than 200 of the blue “GVFD Autism Strong” shirts, which were designed by the department’s medical officer, Kristi Steele.

The shirts cost $20 for youth sizes, $22 for adult sizes and $27 for adult 2XL or larger.

Preorders will be accepted until Feb. 20 via the department’s website, gbgfire.com, or its Facebook page.

Party in the Park updates also will be posted online at those sites.