On Centre: Philipsburg

Osceola Mills takes pride in its parade

By Lori Falce

In State College, the Central PA 4th Fest might be the highlight of Independence Day, but the traditions are different on the other side of Skytop.

Over here, a steady stream of cars starts pouring down state Route 53 toward Osceola Mills early in the day. You see Nittany Lions-against-Ohio State-style traffic taking the tiny borough of just 1,249 people and filling it to downtown Pittsburgh proportions for hours.

And all to watch a parade.

The Columbia Fire Company throws this party every year, the highlight of its weeklong carnival. For miles around, Osceola is the only place to be on the Fourth of July.

Is the parade something spectacular? It’s not Macy’s at Thanksgiving or Walt Disney’s Electric Lights, but it is an old-fashioned good time with fire trucks galore, little girls with batons, marching bands managing not to melt under their full-dress uniforms and candy pitched freely to kids clustered along the street.

But it’s the spectators who really make the parade impressive. There is a history to the tradition that is as homey as Grandma’s afghan. You know that Philipsburg tax collector Julie Jo Johnston will be sitting with her family in the same place they do every year. You know that Mike and Amanda Turner will be sitting on their dad’s front porch with the same cluster of friends who have been there since before they were old enough to cross the street. You know that you can’t take 10 steps without hugging someone you haven’t seen since, well, last July Fourth.

The parade steps off Saturday at 11 a.m. Come early. If you want to find a place to park, come now.

Heritage of summer fun

Philipsburg and Osceola have been friendly rivals for years. That’s never more clear than in July, when Osceola has barely swept up after the parade before Front Street in Philipsburg is closing down for Heritage Days.

The festival, which runs concurrent with the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, is a magnet for all the best parts of summer — from cotton candy and fresh-squeezed lemonade to fireworks and, yeah, you guessed it, another parade the following Saturday.

This year, the Grand Parade is undergoing a change as the parade route gets overhauled. Participants will head up Spruce Street, down Ninth Street to Presqueisle Street before turning up North Second Street.

The changes were made to funnel the parade back toward the fun downtown rather than dispersing far from the action.

This weekly column features news and happenings from the Philipsburg area. Send comments and suggestions to Lori Falce at send lorinews@gmail.com.