 |
| Ambridge "Nationality Days" ad, Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
This weekend, May 16-18, Ambridge will celebrate its 49th annual Nationality Days.
Ambridge held its first Nationality Days celebration April 28, 29, and 30, 1966 (not 1965).* The event was held Thursday though Saturday, not Friday through Sunday because--church! And blue laws meant stores couldn't open on Sundays.
I can't find any mention of a parade that year, but there was a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Ambridge Area High School band at 10 AM on April 28. The April 28, 1966, Beaver County Times reports that "[d]espite cool temperatures and the threat of rain, more than 600 people jammed the 500 block of Merchant Street" for the ribbon cutting. The Times also reported that the unofficial headquarters for the event was in the former Sol's storeroom in the 600 block of Merchant.
 |
| NATIONALITY DAYS OPEN - Arthur W. Pettibon, second from left, Beaver County commissioner, and William D. McClelland, Chairman of the Allegheny County commissioners, clip ribbon officially opening the three-day Nationality Days observance in Ambridge this morning. Others are Mrs. John Kotula, left, representing the Carpatho-Russian group, and Mrs. Paul Karal, representing the Croatian group in the observance. Beaver County Times, April 28, 1966. |
Didn't that make you oh so very hungry?
 |
| FOR HUNGRY VISITORS - Mrs. Ann Shema, Mrs. Helen Sovich and Mrs. John Kotula, left to right, dish out portions of holupki for hungry visitors to the Carpatho-Russian booth, one of 10 set up for Ambridge Nationality Days. Beaver County Times, April 29, 1966 |
 |
| A SALE IS MADE - Mrs. James Fergadis, right dressed in native costume at the Greek booth, makes a sale during the opening day of Nationality Days in Ambridge, which started off with a bang Thursday. The observance continues through Saturday. Beaver County Times, April 29, 1966 |
The event was a hit from the day it opened. Although the weather was cool with intermittent rain, Merchant Street was "jammed solid with people" between 5 and 7 PM on opening evening according to Theodore Gaydos, the executive secretary of the Greater Ambridge Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the event.
 |
| NATIONALITY DAYS CROWD - Visitors to the National Days program in Ambridge survey some of the 10 booths featuring foods native to many lands. Thousands of persons visited the booths during the opening day of the observance Thursday. It continues through Saturday. The booths are on the 600 block of Merchant Street. Beaver County Times, April 29, 1966 |
Most Ambridge stores planned to stay open until 9 PM all three days.
 |
| Notice that Ambridge stores would be open until 9 PM during Nationality Days, Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
And a number of businesses took out special Nationality Day ads:
 |
| The David Shop ad, Welcome to the first Nationality Days, Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
 |
| Estelle Millinery ad, Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
 |
| G.C. Murphy ad, Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
 |
| United Dairy Co. ad, Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
 |
| Sol's Sporting Goods ad, Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
Maybe you need a new refrigerator to keep all the ethnic food you brought home with you cold. Or a new stove to reheat it:
 |
| Mikush Applicance ad, "Andy Mikush Welcomes You," "Stop In And Visit While You Are In Town" Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
 |
| Sun Drug Store ad, Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
Maybe you wore out your shoes walking to all the different booths:
 |
| Jackson's Shoe Store ad, Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
Because you might need a new girdle after sampling the food at Nationality Days:
 |
| Fashion Hosiery ad, Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
Or decide that you need a new car to haul home all the food and ethnic handcrafts you bought:
 |
| Ambridge Automobile Dealers ad, Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
Although I don't think any of the booths took credit cards:
 |
| Mellon Bank ad, Beaver County Times, April 27, 1966 |
Tomorrow: More first Ambridge Nationality Days news, photos, and ads.
_____
* It's amazing how quickly history can become muddled.
All the information I found during a Google search to find information about the first Ambridge Nationality Days said that the event began in 1965. But when I searched the Beaver County Times from April through September, 1965, I couldn't find an article, photo, or ad about Nationality Days. That seemed odd. At that time the Times covered everything from Brownie flyup ceremonies to church festivals.
So I checked with the Ambridge Area Chamber of Commerce to find the date of the first Nationality Days and was told Nationality Days started in 1965 (based, I was led to believe, on the memory of someone who had been involved with Nationality Days for a long time rather than a check of records) and probably were always held in May. Then why couldn't I find anything?
At that point, I decided to check the 1966 Times. I started with May and found a photo saying the event had been held the previous week. Finally, a mention of Nationality Days. So back to April 1966. The more I read about the April 1966 event, the more it sounded as though it had been the first one. Then I checked 1967 and found this in an article about the opening of the 1967 Nationality Days: "Some 10,000 people attended last year's nationality days program, the first one ever held in the area." Ah-ha!
Eventually I noticed The David Shop ad above which welcomed everyone "to the first Ambridge Nationality Days!"
So I am as confident as I can be at this point that Nationality Days began in 1966, not 1965, despite all the (unsupported) information to the contrary. And Nationality Days obviously were not always held in May.
Besides, if Nationality Days began in 1965, wouldn't this year's be the 50th and not the 49th annual event?
Thanks for the Memories. Any photos of the Christ the King church booth? My mom might be in that picture.
ReplyDeletejd aka john domansky
ReplyDeleteas far as i can recall nationallity days were held at the boro park up from the pool, from the 40s or b4 not sure, still going strong into the 50s, met a nice girl walking up one nite a polito girl, worked w.dad at HH. every saturday was a different nation, polish, czech, serb, italian greek & many others too, you could always count on good food drinks & live music, under the great covered hard floor THE BEST.
I remember the ethnic picnics at Borough Park on Sunday afternoons, but they were different than the Nationality Days event that began in 1966. The picnics, as you note, were held by single ethnic groups. Nationality Days celebrated Ambridge's many different ethnic cultures at one huge event that lasted three days.
Deletejd aka john domansky
Deleteright on nancy, but that meant you were a slovak greek or slovak italian & so on, people of all nationalities were there same time, because it was italian day, did not exclude anyone, i did not miss one all summer in late 40s & 50s, more of this elsewhere in comment area. everyone was invited.
Any info on "The Village" up on the hill above 14th st? Economy and Crestview Villages? Great series by the way!
ReplyDeleteWere you interested in any specific information about the Villages?
DeleteRight now, I have very little info about the Villages, and most of what I have is about events like the summer playground programs or scout meetings at Crestview dating from the '60s and '70s.
The big reason I have so little information on their construction and early years is that Daily Citizen news articles from that era are only accessible on microfilm which doesn't have an index to contents. So information is not easy to locate. If anyone has anything like old news clippings about the two Villages, I'd be very interested in reading them.
I do know that Ambridge had to annex the land on which Crestview was built, as it had been part of Harmony Township.
I also have some family photos showing the hill behind the 1500 block of Beaver Rd. before Crestview was built. I do plan on posting those eventually. I'd like to find more information on Crestview's construction first.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI want to know if there's a nationality days in Ambridge PA in 2019
ReplyDelete