Volunteers Give Back With Bell Acres Community Day Picnic

Philip Ewanko is feeling pretty good about the upcoming Bell Acres Community Day Picnic.

Despite some entertainment that fell through, he said the committee has enough donations coming in to produce the 18th annual event this year.

“We’re doing well. We’re going to be OK,” said Ewanko, the committee chairman, who also is a borough councilman.

The picnic will be from 1 to 7 p.m. Aug. 27 at the and the on Big Sewickley Creek Road.

There will be door prizes and awards. Highlights include a brief ceremony and moment of silence commemorating the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.

In breaking with tradition, Ewanko said two people will be honored at the picnic this year with the Hank Larue Community Spirit Award. The award is typically given to one person. The spirit award has been given out for years but was renamed in 2003 in honor of Larue, a former councilman who died in 2002.

Each year, Ewanko said the committee chooses to honor a person from the borough or someone with ties to the borough. Honorees are announced the day of the event.

Ewanko said the event started in 1993 as a political picnic, but a couple of borough residents got together and decided the next year to continue the tradition and make it a community-wide day.

A committee composed of eight volunteers meets to organize the picnic, but a team of about 20 volunteers work together on the day of event. Volunteers are residents, members of the police and fire departments and the ladies auxiliary.

“It’s for the people of ,” Ewanko said.

Free food – snow cones, hot dogs, soft drinks and more – will be provided. The will be doing fingerprinting and identification kits for the children. The police and fire departments and Quaker Valley Ambulance Authority will be talking about safety and showing off their equipment.  

 If you go:

• 1:30-4 p.m.: Food is available, including hot dogs and buns, corn on the cob, baked chicken, salads, fruit, popcorn, snow cones and soft drinks.

• 4 p.m.: a ceremony commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

• 4:30 p.m.: awards and door prizes.

• Residents are invited to bring lawn chairs to sit and enjoy the day. A parent must accompany children 16 and younger.

For more information, or to make a donation, call Bernice at 724-266-6422 or Doris at 724-266-2307, or visit the event website here.