Every summer local musicians and performers have taken the main stage during the Arts, Crafts, and Food Festival to display their talents and entertain the thousands of people in attendance. Various local and national musicians from a multitude of genres have played at the festival since it began and hundreds of area youth from a number of Dance Studios have taken the opportunity to showcase their skills for the festival-goers.
      The pictured class from Bette Baney Dance Studios performed at the 1991 festival. Dancers from the left in the front row are Jessica Loccisano, Gretchen Wolford, Rachel Massioni, and Stwfanie Scarf; Second row Melissa Snyder, Marcia Stabryla, Stacy Stefura, Marissa Lorusso and Gina Nardone; third row, Ericka Kissick, and Koren Amonette; and back row, Tonya Thompson, Leah Small, Brandi Sobeski, and Jennifer Wallace.

Picture Compliments of Caleb Cragle

      In July of 1981 Andrea Dombeck, playground director in Ellwood City, made arrangements with the owners of the Majestic Theater in town to host an event for area children. Mr. and Mrs. Tony Guerrera hosted a free movie for playground children in the Majestic Hall at no charge to the city or the Ellwood City Recreation Board. The free movie drew an overflow crowd of approximately 440 boys and girls and playground instructors who accompanied the children to attempt to supervise.
      Despite the rain the children had to stand in while waiting to enter the theater to see the Walt Disney film, “The Fox and the Hound”, the turnout was so great that many of the children had to stand to watch the movie in the theater that only held 300.
      Please share your memories below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

      The Ellwood City Ledger printed this picture that belonged to the late Henry Bazzichi of Park Gate. The picture was originally taken in 1897 in Ewing Park and read across the back “the uniformed rank of the K of P.”, but it was unknown as to what the K. of P. stood for. We have uncovered that it stood for the Knights of Pythias, who had a lodge here in Ellwood City. The question we have is where in Ewing Park was there such a formidable wall built?
      The Order of Knights of Pythias is an international fraternity which was founded in Washington, DC, after the Civil War February 19, 1864, by Justus H. Rathbone, which records today more than two thousand subordinate lodges in the United States and Canada. The primary object of fraternal organizations is to promote friendship among men and to relieve suffering. Each organization adopts some outstanding principle as its objective. The individuality of an order is determined by its ideal sentiment. The distinguishing principles of the Order of Knights of Pythias are “FRIENDSHIP, CHARITY and BENEVOLENCE”.
      Henry’s picture here originally was owned by Mrs. G.Y. Fike, but we are not sure if her husband or any relatives are pictured. If you recall the Ellwood City lodge of the K of P, we would enjoy hearing from you. Please leave a comment below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

     The former Ellwood City YMCA was located at the site of the former Hazel Dell School on the corner of the College Street and Line Avenue. Area residents enjoyed a number of organized activities that the “Y” offered including basketball leagues, volleyball leagues, soccer, hockey, and many others. The Ellwood City Ledger pictures here were advertisements for new leagues that were starting at the YMCA. The first was for a new floor hockey league for children in fourth grade through sixth grade (pictured from left to right are Erich Weyant, Jeff Boller, instructor Vic Rangel, and Adam Musse). The second picture was for pre-school soccer using a nerf ball. Pictured from left to right are Damien DeCaria, Michelle Rocco, Michael Rocco, Vic Rangel (instructor) and Paul Weingartner. 
     It was reported in the Beaver County Times in May of 1984 that the Ellwood City Council conducted a hearing to air public views on a YMCA request for the borough to create a municipal authority to handle financing of a proposed $1 million structure.
        “The new facility would have replaced the Ellwood YMCA at College Street and Line Avenue permitting it to expand programs with plans that included the installation of a health center with steam room, Nautilus, sauna, whirlpool, exercise room, and weight room that were not available at the old location. The new facility would also permit an Olympic size swimming pool to replace a 3 by 12 foot diameter children’s pool. Regulation size basketball and racquetball courts would have also been installed.
      The new authority would have been in charge of handling funds from private donations that were to be used to pay for the new facility.”
    It was later reported in August 1984, the Ellwood City Council announced approval of leasing land in Ewing Park to the Ellwood YMCA as a locale for the new YMCA. Building upon the site would cost about $500,000 less than previously planned sites including in the US Steel Industrial Park. Council granted the YMCA a ninety nine year lease on the property at a cost of one dollar a year. The double tennis courts would have to be removed to build the building, but would be replaced.

     After thirty five years at 724 Lawrence Avenue, the United Steelworkers Local 1220 closed their doors on October 31st, 1975. The original union was started in 1936 as Lodge 205 of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers. In 1937 the union was chartered under the Steel Workers Organizing Committee when it was located in the former First National Bank Building. Later the meetings were moved the second floor of the former Schweiger Building on the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Sixth Street.
    The first president of the SWOC Local 1220 was T. Louis Majors followed by Samuel Tooch in June of 1938. When SWOC Local 1220 ceased operations in 1975, the officers of the union included Nick Frisk, president; James Foley, vice president; Joseph Mancini, recording secretary; and Charles Maggi, financial secretary; and George Richards, treasurer.

     Ellwood City has always had good bowlers, in fact very good bowlers. The town has housed numerous bowling alleys and duck pin lanes all the way back to it’s earliest days. One team in particular was so good that they were invited to the A.B.C. Tournament in 1946 held in Buffalo, New York. The team consisted of Joe Beatrice, Ang Sanders, Chuck Cole, Frank Moskal, (front row, dark shirts) and Nick Bauer (standing, same shirt).
    We know there are many, many more bowling stories to be told of those from Ellwood City. Please leave any comments you might have below or email us any pictures or stories at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

    We were recently asked if we knew anything about the local teenage boys that would travel to Maine to pick tobacco each summer in the 40′s & 50′s. We had never heard about this tradition so we posted a little blurb under history’s mysteries and received a lot of feedback. Apparently this was an annual tradition, but no one else had ever heard about teenage boys going on the trip as everyone who emailed us had only heard about teenage girls going on this trip.
    First of all, we were told the workforce was shipped to Maine but actually the young women traveled to the tobacco fields of Westfield, Massachusetts close to Connecticut. The girls from Ellwood City area would meet at the Municipal building to meet the Trailways bus that also picked up girls from Beaver Falls and New Castle. Janice Sodergren recalled a different mode of travel. She recalled that the girls were taken by train, by way of New York Central Station, to the depot in either Connecticut or Massachusetts where a bus picked them up and took them to a camp near the tobacco farm. The train began picking up in the New Castle area and picked up girls at every station along the way with Rochester being the last stop before heading to New York.
    The workers were paid either an hourly wage or by piece work (depending on the job). The cost of room and board was deducted from the wage at the end of the week. One contributor recalled clearing about $20 to $25 dollars a week. The length of the job was debated as one person recalled working the entire summer, one recalled the job lasting about 7 weeks, and yet another thought it was six weeks.
    The summer wasn’t all work as weekends were free. A bus to church was provided to those that desired, tours were offered, and swimming was permitted in a nearby lake at the end of the day and on week-ends.
    The camp the Ellwood City girls stayed at was a girls-only camp, although young Spanish speaking boys from Puerto Rico were on the job site. The girls did not stay on the work site but were bussed daily from the camp to the tobacco fields. A sack lunch was provided each morning.
    The movie Parish with Troy Donahue was filmed at the tobacco field the girls worked.
    If you recall these summer work trips or I left something out, please leave a comment below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

    We received this picture with very little information, in fact no information. The owner asked us if we could put this picture on the website and see if anybody recognizes the faces in the picture. I wish I could at least give an approximate year, but even that is questionable. If you recognize anybody here, please leave a comment below or emial us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

    Pat Downer shared with us this picture of the Wurtemburg Coronet Band from the early 1900′s.  Those in the picture include…
Seated:  Jim BADGER, Joe FRY, Warren BOOTS and Harry KETTERER  Back row : Jim RAPP, Bill DUNHAM, Herman STRICKHAUSEN, John BADGER, Reed LIEBENDORFER, Elmer NEWTON,  Andy MILLER,  Fred BINGLE, Ray VAN GORDER, Zeke COWEN and George RAPP.
 
The Rapp brothers were the brothers of Pat’s Grandmother, Rachel Rapp Rodgers.

    If you would like to leave any comments, please feel free below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

   The Del-Mar Country Club came about when a group of guys got tired of waiting in line to play golf at the local country club.
    One weekend the bunch organized a committee, bought a farm, and started building their own course. Del-Mar wasn’t started until July of 1960 but nine holes were almost completed by the end of October and nine more were under way by architect Archie Loeffler.
    On the farm where Del-Mar is situated is a well that was used to build the lake that was to hold two million gallons of water.  Aside from being used to water the course, the lake was also to be a swimming pool. When it would be completed, the course was planned to measure more than 7,000 yards with all greens elevated, though today the course is 6,415 yards from the longest tees. Though, for those of us that have played the second hole know the course has to be well over 7,000 yards. The course has a slope rating of 123, and the United States Golf Association gave the course a 70.6 USGA rating.
    The Del-Mar Golf Course Lounge is on the second story of the clubhouse and is one of the areas top restaurants. On a personal note, the lamb is great.
    If you have any memories of Del-Mar Golf Course you would like to share wheter it is playing golf, swimming in the pond, or even sled riding there, please leave a comment below or you can email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

    Terry C. Keefer and Russell L. Clyde were honored on the fifth of May 1964 at the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission’s spring meeting. Keefer 17 years of age and Clyde 18, each received a bronze medal and five hundred dollars for their heroic deed following a two car collision on December eleventh the year before. The two Ellwood City youths rescued a steelworker from his burning automobile and were among twenty five Carnegie Hero award winners announced at the meeting.
    A vehicle operated by Thomas D. Morgan 36, (previously mentioned steelworker) burst into flames when it was hit from behind by another car, knocking the driver to the floor. As onlookers shouted warnings of the impending explosion, young Mr. Clyde tried without success to open a car door while Mr. Keefer climbed onto the hood and kicked in the windshield.
 With the Keefer youth holding him from behind, young Clyde leaned into the car and pulled the injured Morgan through the opening shortly before the rapidly spreading flames engulfed the car.
    The Carnegie Hero medal was the second for the Keefer family. In 1917, his grandfather Wilbur E. Keefer was also recognized for a rescue effort in Ellwood City. If you would like to share any memories about the incident, please leave a comment below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com

    On August 15, 1982 Frank and Elisabeth D’Ambrosios of Ellwood City, got to do something very few Americans will ever have the opportunity to do. The inseparable couple celebrated their seventy fifth wedding anniversary.
    The two were married August 15, 1907 at the St Theresa Catholic Church in Waterbury, Connecticut. Frank was nineteen year of age and Elisabeth was fifteen, and they had only known each other for eight months when they were wed. The bride and groom were both originally from Italy; however they lived in Ellwood City since 1918.
    The anniversary celebration hosted many special guests including United States Rep. Eugene Atkinson, Lawrence County Judges, Lawrence County Commissioners and other state and local officials. The D’Ambrosios were also presented with federal, state and local commendations. Also, the couple received a congratulatory phone call from President Ronald Reagan.
    At the time of their anniversary, the D’Ambrosios had fourteen children, sixty eight grandchildren, and fifty three great grandchildren already. The couple was still able to enjoy playing cards, fishing, and was still very much in love.
    If you have a memory you would like to share about the D’Ambrosios’, please leave a comment below or email us at info@ellwoodcitymemories.com