Meyersdale celebrates 150th anniversary next year
MEYERSDALE ― Small town America will be celebrated with Meyersdale's Sesquicentennial next year.
The 150th anniversary of the incorporation of Meyersdale Borough all began Feb. 19, 1874, when Meyers Mill and Dale City merged to become what is now known as Meyersdale in southern Somerset County. And, now soon to be 150 years later, local residents are meeting monthly as a committee at the Meyersdale Public Library to devise ways to celebrate this momentous event.
"This year 2024 will be one loaded with special events as Meyersdale celebrates its Sesquicentennial," said Tom Deetz, committee chairman. "To mark 150 years since Meyersdale Borough was incorporated, several activities have been planned throughout the year. The actual date of incorporation was Feb. 19 and on that day area churches are asked to ring their bells at noon to kick off the year of celebration."
He said that this isn't only a celebration of an historical event, but a story of how a small town incorporated, grew through societal changes like the Depression and wars, faced challenges with bigger stores and internet sales taking business away and surviving and reinventing itself to become what it is today.
"Meyersdale, and any other small town in America, has been through some hard times," said Deetz. "But, the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail, for instance, has turned this town around. Trail towns are growing and Meyersdale is one of them."
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Denise Gehringer, owner of the Yoder Guest House in Meyersdale and a member of the committee, pointed out that Meyersdale has a library, a hospital, a fire department, a police station, ambulance and industries still thriving at their potential, which makes all the difference in attracting new residents. She said that four guests who stayed at her guest house decided to come back and buy property to live here.
"We happen to think our little community is great and would like to see it flourish," said Gehringer. "We love the small town atmosphere here."
Terry Hackney and Jodi Burnsworth, owners and operators of Lens Creek Studios in Meyersdale and also committee members, brought their business to Meyersdale after riding through the town on the trail. They have lived in Confluence, West Virginia and Kentucky, but this is where they want to be anchored.
"We were looking for a building for our shop and one came open in Meyersdale," said Burnsworth. "However, what has kept us here is not the building, but the community. This is the best place we have ever lived."
Randall Frye, who lives in Johnstown and sat in on an anniversary committee meeting, has taken up family history in recent years and makes frequent trips to the town and the library's genealogy room.
"When I get to come to Meyersdale, it's like Christmas to me," said Frye, who has a collection of postcards of the town. "Family history brought me here in 2012 and I've been coming back ever since. This place is second to none."
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Groups get together celebrations
From one end of the town to the other, there are places and people who are making plans to do something special in order to commemorate the anniversary. A Facebook page, "Meyersdale 150th Anniversary" was created to keep townspeople up on all the events and fundraisers.
The Meyersdale Public Library and Meyersdale Area Historical Society will work together to offer special programs and displays for the anniversary. The library also plans to publish a special anniversary book featuring many of the images its Pennsylvania Room acquired after the New Republic newspaper closed last year, along with a number of other photographs contained within its archives.
The Community Murder Mystery play in February will weave the storyline around names and locations familiar to Meyersdale in order to help further tell the story.
The 50th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Maple Festival historical pageant "Legend of the Magic Water" will also celebrate the 150th anniversary as part of the 77th annual Pennsylvania Maple Festival. The anniversary theme will also be a part of various judging contests as well as the Grand Feature Parade at the festival.
On May 4, the Meyersdale Elks Lodge will hold a banquet with special guests as part of a fundraiser for the year's celebration. The Appalachian Wagon Train will ride through Meyersdale to celebrate and set up at the Wendell Yoder farm in Summit Mills from June 16-22. The Meyersdale garden club ordered red, white and blue flowers to put in the flower baskets around town next year.
A community choir will perform Oct. 19 at the Amity Church. The concert will be followed by tours of area churches and of 4 Guys Inc., which will be celebrating its 50th year of business next year. That day will conclude with a banquet in the Meyersdale Volunteer Fire Department's social hall.
Other entities also celebrating anniversaries
According to Adam White, president of the Meyersdale Volunteer Fire Department, the fire department will celebrate its 125th year of operation also in 2024 and plans to hold special events with June 8 being the date when Station 617 will hold its anniversary with a gun auction and photos with members. There are plans for an arm patch to be made and possibly mugs.
"Meyersdale has a lot to celebrate next year with the town's 150th, the fire department's 125th and 4 Guys 50th," said White. "Our fire department has been very fortunate because the trucks always get out fairly quickly. This community is very lucky with our fire department because the numbers are good, the schedules are flexible and there are dinners held the second Sunday of every month."
The American Legion Auxiliary is selling 150th anniversary sponsorship banners that will be displayed along Main and Center streets during the year. A time capsule, sponsored by Michael and Kristine Mishler, will be put into place at the Doughboy Monument in September. The year will conclude with the annual Meyersdale light-up night and Christmas at the Manor holiday celebration.
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There are also plans to erect an historical marker near the gazebo in Main Street Park as a way for visitors and trail tourists. This marker could be a place for selfies, especially for the many trail travelers who ride by on their way to area restaurants or the coffee shop.
Also, Ken Snelson did the logo design for the 100th anniversary in Meyersdale in 1974 and has now designed the new logo for the 150th.
"We just want people to stop by our special little town called Meyersdale for any of the events and we hope everyone can come celebrate with us to commemorate this year as the 150th anniversary," said Deetz.
Anyone interested in joining the committee, volunteering at events or donating money to pull the year of celebration all together, contact Tom Deetz at tdeetz@verizon.net or to make a donation send it to Meyersdale Area Merchants Association (MAMA), P.O. Box 33, Meyersdale, Pa. 15552.
The next meeting is 6 p.m., Jan. 8, at the library.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Meyersdale planning Sesquicentennial activities in 2024
