A Swoyersville police vehicle led the borough’s 125th anniversary parade on Saturday afternoon.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
The borough will turn 125 in December
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Swoyersville’s 125th anniversary celebration attracted a crowd from the West Side section of Luzerne County.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
Vendors fill Roosevelt Field during Swoyerville’s 125th anniversary celebration on Saturday.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
The borough of Swoyersville on Saturday celebrated its upcoming anniversary, bringing residents of the small but tight-knit community together.
The borough will turn 125 in December.
The celebration included a parade through the borough, but the main attraction was the bazaar-like atmosphere at Roosevelt Field. Vendors, food trucks and live music filled the area, with activities for residents young and old lining the grassy park.
Some of Swoyersville’s longtime residents were among the celebration’s most active voices.
Under a tent at a picnic table sat Swoyersville lifer Bruce Lykon, who shared anecdotes of the borough’s storied past as a sports hub. Swoyersville did indeed produce football legends like Lou and Walt Michaels and John Paluck, and the late baseball legend Harry “Fritz” Dorish.
“There were a lot of pro athletes who came out of this area, believe it or not,” said Lykon. “There were seven or eight in a mile by a mile town.”
Lykon also spoke to Swoyersville’s history in the coal mining industry. He pointed to the large patch of scarred land just to the north of Roosevelt Field, a reminder of the town’s past.
Charlie Jones of the Swoyersville Parks and Recreation committee was on hand to celebrate the 125th anniversary, and spoke to the culm bank reclamation project happening on that former mining land. He said a large piece of that land will be donated to the Swoyersville Parks and Recreation.
“We plan on developing that area along with some significant improvements to other parks,” said Jones about Swoyersville’s efforts to improve the current quality of life in the borough.
Jones said Swoyersville Parks and Recreation is always trying to do good things in the borough, regardless of whether an anniversary is coming up or not.
“It’s the normal course of business,” Jones said. “Our council cares very much about making sure that the quality of life here continues… People benefit from being in the town, not just having a place to live, but a place that feels like home.”
Like Lykon and Jones, Kathy Breznay is a longtime Swoyersville resident who cares deeply about the community. She’s the president of the Swoyersville Kiwanis Club, and she put into perspective just how impressive 125 years of existence is for a borough in Luzerne County.
“When you think about 125 years that this town has been in existence, it really is mind-boggling, because it has gone through so much,” said Breznay. “Not only the mines, the flood, but trying to get it back together.”
Breznay said that efforts to keep Swoyersville strong past this latest anniversary begins with projects like the culm bank reclamation, and with events like the one held Saturday. The key, according to Breznay, is a healthy collaboration between local organizations and residents.
“Getting together to move forward is the primary thing,” said Breznay. “The town will not survive without everybody coming together, and we’re very fortunate that we do have these people that think enough about us to be here.”
Breznay sees something like the anniversary celebration as a stepping stone toward the future of Swoyersville. She acknowledged that there is a strong foundation being built in the borough by the young families who have decided to move into the area. With that in mind, Breznay sees the next phase of the borough’s life being even more successful than its first 125 years.
“I see [Swoyersville] moving nowhere else but up.”