Good temperatures, partly sunny skies and all-around good vibes helped shape another successful McCandless Community Day celebration, the town’s 25th to be exact, as folks near and far enjoyed a parade, rides, live music and a flawless fireworks show at the end.
The celebration was extra meaningful this year because it took place during the town’s 175 anniversary year.
McCandless residents Hannah and Daniel August have attended the event for the past three years, ever since their son, Kyle, 3, was born. He was smile-deep in an ice cream cone while his baby brother, Oscar, 7 months, played on a blanket at the baseball field adjacent to Town Hall off Grubbs Road.
“We enjoy all of the free activities. We love the bounce house, and the parade was wonderful,” Hannah August said.
She joined a steady stream of visitors to Devlin Memorial Park, where food and beverage vendors, informational booths, live music and wagon rides were on-hand. All were a short stroll away from a handful of rides at the nearby Lorrain Rogers Soccer Field.
A parade kicked off at 3:15 p.m. Participants included the town’s volunteer fire departments, McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority, other local fire departments, military service members and the North Allegheny Marching Bands.
Even Smokey Bear showed up, standing vigilant in the back of a pickup and holding his signature shovel.
Two skydivers dropped by in the late afternoon onto a marked area at the baseball field.
Everything went as planned, according to Lizz Venanzi, who was hired as the town’s new community engagement manager earlier this year.
For her first McCandless Community Day, Venanzi said she enjoyed the festivities as much as the rest of the crowd, including listening to North Allegheny’s Hosack and Ingomar fifth grade choir students sing the national anthem, watching the parade and enjoying a front-row view at Devlin Fields as the skydivers made their landing.
Venanzi said the children she encountered were excited as they discovered each new activity.
The moments that seemed to stand out included the “return of the parade, the live music and, of course, the fireworks,” she said.
“From the opening performance to the final celebration, the day unfolded in a way that kept the energy and excitement going from start to finish,” Venanzi said.
Next up for McCandless is the town’s Winterfest, scheduled for Dec. 5.