{"id":237000,"date":"2026-07-06T21:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T21:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/237000\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T21:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T21:32:13","slug":"south-hills-celebrates-america-with-parades-and-fanfare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/237000\/","title":{"rendered":"South Hills celebrates America with parades and fanfare"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Decked out in a patriotic hat as well as dress and accessories, Charlotte Lux waits for beads and candy to be thrown from vehicles and marching units as the parade passes during Fourth of July festivities in Brentwood. <\/p>\n

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Flag bearers carry a flag marking the 250th anniversary of the United States during the Brentwood Fourth Of July parade.<\/p>\n

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Michele Capaccio helps her son Charlie fill his bucket with candy and goodies tossed out of vehicles and floats during the Brentwood Fourth of July parade. The Capaccios attended the celebration with their nephews, Xander, Elliott and Josie. <\/p>\n

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The Allegheny County color guard carried the United States flag as well as the Pennsylvania standard during the Brentwood Fourth of July parade.\n<\/p>\n

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Brandon Lorkovic dressed as a hot dog to compete in the Brentwood Firecracker 5K run.\n<\/p>\n

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The Pirates Parrot waves to spectators from a fire truck during the Brentwood Fourth of July parade. The Parrot was among several mascots featured in the cavalcade.\n<\/p>\n

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Popsicles helped runners and spectators cool down from the heat during Fourth of July festivities in Brentwood. Enjoying their icy treats from left are: Annabelle Herrle, Jonus Ruvolo, Gabe Herrle and Leila Usanovic. <\/p>\n

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Claire Glenn and Paige Kulasa watched the race and parade action along Brownsville Road during the Brentwood Fourth of July celebration with Julie Kienzle of Baldwin. <\/p>\n

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Debbie Campbell hands out a free hot dog to a spectator during Brentwood Fourth of July festivities. For more than 10 years, the Brentwood Presbyterian Church has served hot dogs and hamburgers as well as cold drinks during the celebration as an outreach to the community. The church participates in the parade and helps with the food pantry float and collections. <\/p>\n

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Korean War veterans ride in vintage jeeps during the Brentwood Fourth of July parade.<\/p>\n

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Tina Miller used a portable fan to cool herself as she viewed the parade with Justin Harsany. Miller used to watch her daughter perform in the parade. Now her three grandchildren march with Technique by Toni, one of the dance groups entered in the parade. \u201cThis is probably the hottest parade (I\u2019ve attended),\u201d Miller said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I brought the fan.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Brownsville Road not only was lined with chairs to save spots to view the parade but homes along the route set up tents and tables for gatherings among family and friends. Michelle Bittel of Peters Township attended a party at her brother\u2019s house. The 63-year-old has lived in the borough for 63 years, including nearly two decades on Brownsville Road.<\/p>\n

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The Battle of the Barrel was fought between neighboring fire companies during part of the Brentwood Fourth of July celebration. <\/p>\n

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Children frolic in a stream of water caused by the runoff of hoses used during the Battle of the Barrel event, which was part of the Brentwood Fourth of July festivities. <\/p>\n

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Alexis Conway of Peters Township pours syrup onto a frozen treat at the Wu\u2019s Shaved Ice stand set up along the Brentwood parade route. Business was very busy on the 88-degree day that snapped a weeklong heatwave of temperatures exceeding 90 and \u201cblue raspberry\u201d Conway said was the most popular flavor. <\/p>\n

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The Rev. John Skirtich, left, enjoyed a reunion with Dave Bickel and Dawn Davic during the Brentwood Fourth of July celebration. Skirtich all grew up in the borough with Bickel and Davic\u2019s husband, Jim. <\/p>\n

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Members of the Brentwood Presbyterian Church served up free hot dogs and hamburgers during the Battle of the Barrel, which was part of activities during the Brentwood Fourth of July weekend celebration. Pictured from left are: Pat Campbell, Max Brown, John Crowder, Debbie Campbell and Michael Sheehan. <\/p>\n

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Carly Moore, 9, right, shares snacks with her sister, Heidi, 12, after completing the Firecracker 5K run. <\/p>\n

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Piper, a yellow lab, poses for a post-race photo with her owners Lisa and Bob Sheehan. While Lisa said the race was hot but doable, Piper watched from the sidelines with Bob. \u201cShe is doing well in these conditions,\u201d Lisa said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been giving her water and keeping her in the shade. Plus, she enjoys going through all these water tents.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Parade marshals for the Brentwood Fourth of July event recognized the future as the country celebrated its 250th birthday. Young citizens and families of the borough were encouraged to sign up and be part of this year\u2019s event.<\/p>\n

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Red, white and blue and a hot dog too. All that peppered the celebration of America\u2019s 250th birthday during the recent Fourth of July weekend.<\/p>\n

In Brentwood the festivities kicked off with a Battle of the Barrel between neighboring fire companies. Sprinkled between a 3.1-mile road race that attracted 2,507 registered runners and a spectacular fireworks display was the borough\u2019s parade. Started in 1912, the route snaked 1.6 miles through the community along its main artery, Brownsville Road.<\/p>\n

In addition to the usual fire trucks, antique cars, marching bands, dance units, floats and dignitaries, this year\u2019s cavalcade featured mascots such as the Pirate Parrot and Beary H. Bonds from the Pittsburgh-based media outlet oneBURGH as well as weatherman Jeff Verszyla, formerly of WTAE-TV. <\/p>\n

However, the citizens of the community were the main attraction. As part of the nation\u2019s anniversary celebration, the next generation of the borough, its youth and families, carried the mantle as parade marshals. Decked in specially designed T-shirts for the event, hundreds led the way after the Allegheny County sheriff\u2019s department carried the colors of the American flag and Pennsylvania state banner.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmotional,\u201d said Julie Kienzle of the celebration. \u201cI\u2019m so proud (to be an American) and hope for good things for our country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kienzle was one of the estimated 30,000 visitors who descended upon the Brentwood community for its annual Fourth of July celebration. Kienzle arrived early because relatives participated in the 43rd annual Firecracker 5K Run and watched from the curbside with Claire Glenn and Paige Kulasa from Mt. Lebanon.<\/p>\n

While Kienzle spent the rest of the day nursing her husband, who recently had hip surgery, she suggested the girls still had fun things to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike watching the parade,\u201d Paige said. \u201cThe best part is the candy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite being saddled with a foot cast because she broke her ankle inside her bouncy house at home, Claire added she was going to watch the fireworks in the evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re great,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Hot dogs made the event even better and more complete.<\/p>\n

During the Brentwood Fourth of July festivities, Debbie Campbell and her crew from the Presbyterian Church served up free hot dogs and hamburgers as well as cold drinks. For more than 10 years, the church has offered these treats as an \u201coutreach\u201d to the community. The church also participates in the parade and helps with a float that collects canned goods and donations for the local food pantry.<\/p>\n

Campbell is another proud American.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great country. I love it,\u201d she said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to live anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nowhere else would one see a hot dog running on Brownsville Road but save for the Fourth of July. Brandon Lorkovic did just that.<\/p>\n

Despite temperatures at race time in the 80s, Lorkovic donned a hot dog costume and the 22-year-old harrier covered the 3.1-mile course in 23.44.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince it was the 250th anniversary (of the country\u2019s birthday), I thought I might as well do something fun. I had the costume so I decided to wear it. Plus, I told people I would. So I had to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lorkovic admitted it was a tad warm. \u201cReally hot,\u201d he said. \u201cThe first half of the race wasn\u2019t too bad, and then turning around, that was the hard part.\u201d<\/p>\n

The easy part was picking the costume for obvious reasons. \u201cA hot dog is an American thing,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Plus, Lorkovic said, \u201cThey have that hot dog eating contest every year. I absolutely loved that guy who wins every year,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Joey Chestnut, indeed, won again. He captured his 18th career title at the Nathan\u2019s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. He consumed 66 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes during the competition held July 4 in Coney Island, N.Y.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t even eat a fraction of what he can,\u201d Lorkovic said. \u201cI\u2019d probably get down a good seven or eight if I tried really hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for condiments, Lorkovic picks ketchup. \u201cHeinz especially,\u201d he said. \u201cIt has to be Heinz.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Michelle Bittel of Peters Township, the Fourth of July must be celebrated in Brentwood. Her brother, Jeff Healy and his wife, Karen, have owned a home on Brownsville Road since 2011. <\/p>\n

Healy, 63, is a lifelong Brentwood resident. He annually hosts a Fourth of July gathering that attracts upwards of 50 guests from Jefferson and Pleasant Hills to Greensburg and beyond Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Bittel lived in the borough until she was 28 then relocated to Washington County where she raised her family. Her three children, Mike, Jack and Stephanie, competed in baseball and basketball at Peters Township High School and all are currently living in the Bridgeville area.<\/p>\n

Coming back home to Brentwood to celebrate the Fourth of July is so special for Bittel that tears well up in her eyes. <\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I could cry,\u201d she said, waving her hand close to her face. \u201cAll the memories of growing up on Brentwood Avenue where the fire trucks lined up on our street for the parade. The running races at the stadium and the swimming races at the pool. It\u2019s just such a strong sense of tradition. You come here and you feel like you\u2019re home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of what birthday it is for the United States, America is home too for Bittel. <\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely, absolutely,\u201d she emphasized. \u201cI\u2019m proud to be American. I love our country. God bless the USA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, the Rev. John Skirtich believes God is an integral part of America\u2019s history. He is a Catholic priest serving as pastor at Our Lady of Hope Parish, which operates four churches, two of them located in Bethel Park.<\/p>\n

Skirtich grew up in Brentwood and the Fourth of July is considered Reunion Day for former residents. \u201cWe all reconnect on the Fourth. So it\u2019s kind of all things mixed in one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because it was the 250th birthday of the country, Skirtich said he\u2019d been reading and reflecting upon the nation\u2019s history. For him, it\u2019s become clear how important Pittsburgh was in pre-war times.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew to a certain extent how things like Washington\u2019s trips here, the changing of the fort\u2019s at The Point and how pivotal Pittsburgh really played a part in the history of the birth of our country. That makes me proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a Catholic priest he said that he\u2019s always praying for unity for everybody and that he remembers on this anniversary that \u201cwe are one nation under God\u201d and recalled that religious freedom was one of the basic reasons why people first came to these shores. \u201cIt\u2019s enshrined in our Constitution, and I think sometimes that\u2019s under threat these days, or at least misunderstood. <\/p>\n

\u201cEven though people have different religious backgrounds, and some have no religion at all, we respect everybody\u2019s faith and everybody\u2019s point of view. But to say one nation under God helps us remind us that we have a creator and that we owe all of our ultimate freedom and our ultimate liberty to Him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria Visconti was one of the youngest to take advantage of the freedoms the country affords its citizens. She walked the entire 3.1-mile course waving an American flag to spectators during the running race.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to finish strong and I wanted to be brave when I finished,\u201d she said. \u201cFor freedom and because I love America, I did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denise and Tom Visconit reiterated their daughter\u2019s pride upon completing her first race.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so proud of Maria and we love America. Land of the free. Home of the brave,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n


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