A parade featuring the history of oil, along with fireworks and
a VIP dinner, will kick-off the three-day 125th anniversary
celebration of the Bradford oil refinery today.
The celebration is being put on by the American Refining Group
and will also feature a swap meet, auction and refinery tours,
among numerous other events.
A 90-unit parade – which will be the largest one in Bradford in
several years – will begin at 5 p.m. today and snake through
downtown Bradford, running along Main Street, before turning onto
Mechanic and Barbour streets. The parade will form on Davis Street,
organizers said.
During the course of the parade, several units – roughly 23 –
will depict the history of oil, from drilling for it to the final
product. Each truck will tell a story, according to Patti
Kunselman, event coordinator for ARG.
While most of the units will revolve around the oil industry,
Kunselman said numerous other community organizations and groups
will also be taking part in the parade, including scores of fire
departments from across the region, the Boy and Girl scouts,
Shriner’s Zem Zem’s, the Zippo Manufacturing Co. vehicles, Street
Dreams Car Club, the John Kohler Zippo Racing Team car, Miss McKean
County, the Dive and Rescue Team, Alpacas from Kendall Creek,
McKean County ATV Club, Quarter Century Club from ARG, a float with
the children of ARG, Bradford Area High School Marching Band,
Bradford Manor king and queen, McKean County SPCA, the Grave Digger
Monster Truck and relatives of ARG workers who have served in Iraq,
including Jamie Himes Dana and her dog Rex.
Bradford City Police Chief Roger Sager said Special Police will
be directing traffic around the parade route, noting the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has also been made aware
of the event.
Traffic has been re-routed for several months during the ongoing
work on the U.S. Route 219 Bradford bypass project, some through
downtown Bradford.
“If motorists can avoid the general area, that would be good,”
Sager said. “We’ll have adequate manpower available for flagging
and directing traffic.”
Meanwhile, the public is invited to attend a fireworks
extravaganza around dusk at the Pennhills Club. Kunselman said
residents and visitors will be able to park along Minard Run Road
to view the display, similar to the Fourth of July show.
Kunselman said the fireworks will be put on by the same people
that do the Old Home Days display in Duke Center.
Also, early registration for the swap meet will take place from
6 to 8 p.m. in the lobby of ARG’s main offices on North Kendall
Avenue.
The VIP dinner is also slated for tonight, but is by invitation
only. Cocktails start at 6:30 p.m. and an invitation only dinner is
set for 7:30 p.m. at the Pennhills Club. Kunselman said roughly 240
people are slated to attend.
