Alle-Kiski Valley residents find many reasons to celebrate on Fourth of July

Alle-Kiski Valley residents found all sorts of reasons to get together and celebrate on Sunday, whether for the Independence Day holiday, birthdays, relief from the covid pandemic — or just to enjoy the day.

For the small congregation of Vermont Baptist Church in New Kensington, morning services under a pavilion by the lake at Northmoreland Park in Allegheny Township was the first time they’d been together since the start of the pandemic, said Pamela Macon.

Everybody is vaccinated, and “it turned out to be a beautiful day,” she said. “We haven’t seen each other in so long.”

Several hung around into the afternoon, the church’s three eldest members among them — “Mum” Dorothy Lyle, 95, of New Kensington; “Mom” Mildred Hale, 92, of Lower Burrell; and “Ma” Marilyn Haley, 87, of Penn Hills.

“I think everybody’s excited about being out. You get tired of FaceTime and video,” Lyle said. “Now we can hug each other.

“Even the birds are happy — hear them signing?”

At Memorial Park in New Kensington, Alora Boroski’s first birthday isn’t until Aug. 21, but her parents, Travis and Rachel Boroski of Leechburg, along with their family, decided to roll the Fourth of July and an early birthday celebration into one.

The Boroskis are expecting a second child just before Alora’s birthday.

“It’s great to be home for the Fourth,” said Travis Boroski, who works as a truck driver.

At a nearby pavilion, Chelsea Bonds of New Kensington said she was feeling a “vibe” and “nice energy” at her gathering.

“We’re happy to be able to celebrate with our family and friends,” said Dionna Robins of New Kensington as she tended the grill.

At Harrison Hills Park, Angela Harilla-Upshaw’s family surprised her with a party for her 50th birthday. The Tarentum resident was born on the Fourth of July.

Scared of the pandemic, Harilla-Upshaw said she didn’t leave her home for 12 weeks last year when it started. That made the surprise party all the more meaningful.

“I love it, everyone together,” the mother of five said. “All of my kids are with me. I’m happy for that.”

On the river in Tarentum, Eric Sinclair of Arnold was entertaining family, friends, neighbors and co-workers at the dock he’s had on the Allegheny River for 11 years.

They enjoyed the Summit Hose fireworks Saturday night and were watching other boaters make their way down river for the show in Pittsburgh.

Sinclair said they were at their dock for the Fourth last year even though there was no fireworks because of the pandemic.

“Boating was one of the things we could do through covid,” he said.

Back at Northmoreland Park, Denise and Ray France of Penn Hills were doing their usual Sunday thing.

“We’re just sitting here relaxing,” Denise France said, crocheting a dish cloth from cotton yarn. “We usually come every Sunday and just listen to the birds and enjoy the water and fresh air.”

Despite the holiday, they said it seemed like a typical Sunday in the park, with people walking, biking and fishing.

“We didn’t go out much at all last year,” Denise France said. “We did come here a few times. It’s easy to social distance here.”