Irwin Borough
Gears Up for Its
Big 150
1864
years
2014
BY JENNIFER BROZAK
W
hen the one-square-mile town
of Irwin was first incorporated
as a borough in 1864, it was
home to a mere 500 residents and just six
stores, including a blacksmith shop and a
wagon shop. Today, Irwin is home to nearly
4,000 residents, a revitalized downtown and
nearly 100 businesses which continue to thrive.
This year, Irwin is celebrating its 150th
birthday with a series of special events
sponsored by the Irwin Business and
Professional Association (IBPA), a volunteer
group that works to promote and maintain the
vitality of Main Street.
The yearlong celebration kicked off with a
reception for 175 guests at Banquets Unlimited
in November. The reception included a birthday
cake, a champagne toast and live entertainment
by local musicians Dave Cremonese, Thom
Book and Gail Macioce, who is also an Irwin
councilwoman.
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“I was very excited about the kickoff
celebration. It turned out great,” says Debbie
Kelly, an IBPA member and secretary of the
Irwin Project, a volunteer group that leads a
variety of community development projects.
Planned festivities include supersized
versions of a car cruise, the Ethnic Food Festival
in June, and Art and Jazz nights in the summer.
This year’s Ethnic Food Festival will feature
more live entertainment, including Junior
Tamburitzans and Dick Tady, a Grammy Award
winner and legendary member of the Polka Hall
of Fame. July’s Art and Jazz Night will feature a
supergroup comprised of jazz legends Harold
Betters, Kenny Blake and Judi Figel.
The sesquicentennial celebration will
conclude in August with a week-long series of