New Kensington celebrates 125 years

New Kensington parade celebrates Westmoreland County city's 125 years

To the people involved with New Kensington's 125th anniversary celebration, Saturday's parade was a kind of testament to the city.

Dennis Giannotti, a lifelong resident:
“I'm very proud,” Giannotti said. “We're not giving up. We're not quitting. We're making New Kensington great again.”

That has been a process for a city with an industrial pedigree — the place where Alcoa, the Aluminum Company of America, took root and grew, then fell on hard times when industry declined throughout Western Pennsylvania.
“Alcoa employed more than 10,000 people — just in the city.” (ALCOA in 'New Ken' shut down years ago)
The decline still is evidenced as the parade passed many empty storefronts downtown where businesses once thrived.

There was no shortage of people from other towns who showed up to take part in New Kensington's big Saturday, which included a street festival and a Zambelli fireworks display.
... more than 75 groups had registered for the parade by Friday night, with more coming in at the last minute.

“The first civic group in New Kensington was a fire company, which was chartered as Citizens Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 in November 1891,” said Ed Saliba Jr., assistant fire chief and son of city fire Chief Ed Saliba Sr.
The department grew along with the city, adding four more companies, and remains one of the Alle-Kiski Valley's largest. About 20 pieces of its fire apparatus were part of the parade.

As the parade began moving through downtown, hundreds of people lined the three-block route down Fifth and Fourth avenues, most concentrated at the reviewing stand.

Smith-Regus said:
“It's (the city's) showing a lot of growth. Hopefully the support will continue and people will move their business here.”
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