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HAZLETON — “Broadway Joe” meet “Broad Street Joe.”
Hall of Fame quarterback and western Pennsylvania native Joe Namath will join Hazleton native and three-time Manager of the Year Joe Maddon at the Hazleton Integration Project’s eighth annual Around the Horn holiday celebration on Friday, Dec. 14, according to a Monday announcement.
Frank Radice, chairman, said the fun-filled event will be held at The Pines Eatery at 8 W. Broad St. in downtown Hazleton from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. and will feature a Roaring ‘20s theme.
The Bob Baronio Big Band will perform throughout the evening, which will also include other celebrity guests, casino-style games and an auction of unique sports memorabilia.
“We decided to move the event downtown,” Radice said. “The Pines can accommodate 250 to 300 guests.”
The holiday event had recently been held at the Valley Country Club, just outside the city in Sugarloaf Township.
Namath, 75, is a native of Beaver Falls , about 285 miles west of Hazleton.
The two Joes met for the first time in 2012 when Maddon invited Namath to attend a spring training game in Jupiter, Florida, while Maddon was managing the Tampa Bay Rays. Namath served as an honorary coach for the game that afternoon.
All proceeds from Around the Horn benefit the Hazleton Integration Project, or HIP, a community-based effort that seeks to unite the people of many different cultures who call Hazleton home. The project’s main focus is to sustain a community center geared at economically disadvantaged youth and adults.
The facility, known as Hazleton One Community Center, continues to host many educational, athletic and cultural activities at little or no cost to participants.
For information on tickets and sponsorships, contact Radice at 570-233-5328.
