100 Years Ago, 1925: Plans for the Fourth of July celebration at Eddystone are under the direction of the Civic Committee of the Home and School Association of which J.A. Atkinson is chairman; Hugh James, treasurer, and Robert Blair, secretary. James is chief marshal for the parade which will get under way at 9.15 a.m. Prizes will be awarded for the best and most comic dressed participants and also for the most patriotic. The sports events of the day will commence at 1 p.m. Races for boys and girls will be held as well as Girl Scout and Boy Scout contests. At 3.15 the baseball game between Eddystone and Upland will be played.
75 Years Ago, 1950: Scouts and their leaders at the National Scout Jamboree did their duty to God on Sunday. Except for only a handful in campsites, the entire group of 46,634 boys and leaders worshipped in hallowed Valley Forge, where George Washington had set an example 172 years ago of looking to the Almighty in prayer. Most of the mighty host of youth gathered on the grass at the arena and close by.
50 Years Ago, 1975: It’ll be clear skies tonight for fireworks displays in 10 Delaware county communities, according to the National Weather Service. The weatherman says it will be fair tonight, with a low temperature about 63, and sunny Saturday with a high of 85, near perfect weather for a holiday weekend. Police departments throughout the county said today the long weekend got off to a quiet start, with very little to report on the nation’s 199th birthday.
25 Years Ago, 2000: After a nine-year absence, Riddle Memorial Hospital’s Country Fair — a Delaware County tradition for 34 years — will return Friday, Sept. 15. This fair used to be the family event of the summer. This year’s three-day fundraiser is a cooperative effort, with booths staffed by members of the Associated Auxiliaries, hospital employees and volunteers. Riddle’s first Country Fair was on Sept. 6, 1958, a single day event held in conjunction with the Rose Tree Horse Show at Rose Tree Park.
10 Years Ago, 2015: As they had for 99 previous years, the people of East Lansdowne lined the streets to celebrate the county’s oldest Fourth of July parade, not allowing rain to dampen their spirits. “I’m so proud of this town,” Mayor John Dukes said moments before addressing the crowd outside the Richard L. Carmichael American Legion Post 578. “It’s a little town. Everybody comes together. Everybody has a good time.”
— COLIN AINSWORTH
