Regina Greenwald

SLIPPERY ROCK — Borough officials and residents officially kicked off Slippery Rock’s 175th anniversary Tuesday night with a brief ceremony at the borough building that featured dignitaries from county and state offices and associations.

Borough officials said the ceremony marked the official beginning of the borough’s 175th celebration, though a chili cook-off at Gateway Park on April 30 will serve as the public kickoff.

More events are planned by council and other organizations and should be announced later, said council President Regina Greenwald.

Greenwald and other borough officials said the municipality was incorporated in 1841 as Centerville. Since then, the years have been marked by significant social, cultural and economic progress that have nurtured the close-knit and welcoming community, Greenwald said.

“When they come to visit, they still see that beautiful little town, and we’d like to keep it that way,” Greenwald said. “We remember our past, but we have to think to our future and how our decisions will impact (everyone’s) futures.”

Those words resonated with Ed Knittel, a representative of the Pennsylvania Association of Boroughs, who presented borough officials with a plaque commemorating the municipality’s 175th year of incorporation.

Knittel said more municipalities need to adopt Greewald’s view of looking to the future.

“That is something that’s so positive because all too often we see in the communities,” a focus on the past, Knittel said.

In a proclamation, Mayor Ron Fodor declared the beginning of “Honor Slippery Rock Year,” and called the borough the best place he’s ever been.

“I’m very proud to be a member of this community,” Fodor said. “I’ve been all around the world in the Navy, and I haven’t found a better place to live.”

Butler County commissioners, who were on hand to offer congratulations, said the borough had touched their lives as well.

Commissioner Kevin Boozel is a Slippery Rock resident, and Kim Geyer said two of her children had graduated from Slippery Rock University, which she called a hallmark of the borough’s impact on the region.

“You have become an epicenter for education, and in the process you have had an impact on people’s lives,” Geyer said. “That’s a remarkable feat to have accomplished.”

Council member Ron Steele, who is serving his 20th year in elected office, is a Slippery Rock native and has served as a fire chief and a police officer, said the occasion was more than a celebration. It was the beginning of the borough’s next 175 years.

“It’s just a pleasure. It’s a step forward,” Steele said. “We’re continuing to grow, and we try to do our best here, serving the people of the borough.”