The big celebration, with a huge parade seen by an estimated 50,000 people and fireworks, was on July 4, but there were plenty of shenanigans and hoopla leading up to the big day. I thought some of the pre-July 4 goings-on were amusing, others bemusing, while a few made me cringe, given changes in society's values and concerns since the mid-50s.
Of all the photos and articles I've found so far, this one amuses me the most because of its sheer silliness and Ambridgeness:
COOK HUMAN PIROHY--A "human pirohy" was "cooked" last evening at the Ukrainian Workingmen's Association Branch 5 lodge, Melrose Ave., following sentencing at Kangaroo Kourt by the Brothers of the Brush. Held inside a six foot replica of a rolling pin, and a four by six flour sack was used in making the human pirohy. The victim is pictured in the center, shortly before the "cooking" job.
Click here for the complete article.
Nancy Bohinsky Knisley grew up in Ambridge in the 1950s and 1960s. She is the author of Ambridge Memories, a blog dedicated to local history from 1950 to 1970. Visit ambridgememories.blogspot.com for more.