Twitter

By Jill Runfola

As most other local communities canceled their Fourth of July events, the city of Monongahela stood out by having an enjoyable old-fashioned ‘Railroad Street Fair’ to celebrate Independence Day.

Mrs. Heidi Hoffman stands proudly in front of her family owned ice cream parlor, “Sweets by Mrs. C.” Her business is located right next to the fair.

The event was held on July 4 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm on Third St., between West Main and Chess Streets downtown.

Monongahela Youth Main Street Program (M.y. Main St) hosted the event, and included food vendors with pizza and gyros, soft drinks, music, carnival games, a unique Chinese Auction, a display with the history of Railroads, and more! COVID-19 Safety measures were observed throughout the street fair, including social distancing and wearing of masks. Masks were available for purchase to all attendees.

For the second year, a horn machine played mostly patriotic songs throughout the city on the hour each hour for 5-15 minutes. The loud machine, invented by local resident Mr. Dana Dolfi, was operated from the upper deck of the Monongahela Aquatorium.

The M.y. Main St. Program is an exciting way to bring small businesses together. Terry Necciai, Executive Director of the Monongahela Main St. Program (parent group of M.y. Main St.) says that when they asked the kids what they wanted to do to help downtown a couple years ago, they suggested a street fair like the one the fire depts. used to have.

Special thanks to Ethan Gamble who played a big role in organizing M.y. Main St. and this year’s street fair. Ethan has enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy, and left at the end of July. He will be away for ten years, studying in the academy for 5, and serving in the Navy for 5 more years upon graduation. He will be missed for what he brought to Monongahela and the Main St. Program.

Go to our "Gallery" for more photos of this event.

• < Prev
• Next >