Vets sought for Zelie parade
ZELIENOPLE — The committee organizing Zelienople's 175th anniversary is looking for some military veterans.
Mayor Tom Oliverio said veterans are being sought for the borough's parade May 30. The 11 a.m. parade will cap off a weeklong celebration of the borough's incorporation and will follow the route used during the Fourth of July.
“I'm trying to do as much as possible,” Oliverio said. “We want all veterans, and they don't have to be from Zelienople, who are interested in walking in the parade.”
Veterans are scheduled to meet that day at the English Lutheran Church, 200 E. Grand Ave., for a breakfast at 9:30 a.m. Those who plan to take part in the parade are asked to attend the breakfast, Oliverio said.
The veterans will be escorted in the parade by motorcyclists from the American Legion Riders of the Zelienople and Butler American Legion posts.
Although the parade will be separate from Memorial Day events earlier in the week, Oliverio said it is important to recognize those who served in the military while also celebrating the borough's heritage.
“We have to honor them some way,” he said. “If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be able to do the things that we're doing today. It's just another way to say thank you to them.”
American Legion Post 474 on May 25 will have its annual Memorial Day service on Main Street. Following the event, Oliverio said he will hand out special drinking glasses to veterans who take part. In the past, the mayor handed out pins to veterans.
“We want to go out there and start shaking hands with them,” Oliverio said, noting that any glasses left over will be distributed to past and present military personnel during the borough's 175th celebration.
Planning for the celebration is ahead of schedule thanks to dozens of volunteers, Oliverio said. The committee is finalizing the events, which will include a donkey softball game, performances by the Harmony/Zelienople Community Band and a community dinner.
Fireworks will end the celebration May 30 at the Zelienople Community Park.
“We have good people working for me,” said Oliverio, who helped organize the borough's 150th anniversary celebration in 1990.
Organizers are asking parade participants to fill out an application by May 15. Applications can be picked up at the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau in Zelienople.
Oliverio talked to members of the borough council more than a year ago about celebrating the 175th anniversary.
“I knew they had a lot on their plate,” Oliverio said of council. “They just gave me the reins on this whole project.”
The committee has talked to officials from the Zelienople Historical Society, the Strand Theater and the Passavant Retirement Community to either help contribute or to host an event.
