Jefferson Hills
Community Day
‘Back for
Good’
The revitalized
celebration reclaims its
place on the calendar.
BY PAUL GLASSER
14 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | West Jefferson Hills
A
fter a six-year hiatus, organizers hope the Jefferson
Hills Community Day will remain a fixture for years
to come.
“I can 100-percent say we are back for good,” says Melissa
Steffey, co-chair of the Jefferson Hills Parks and Recreation
Board.
Several hundred attended the rejuvenated event on June
10 at Andrew Reilly Memorial Park. The Community Day
included almost 50 booths for vendors and community
groups, kids games, a bounce house, live entertainment and
fireworks. Steffey notes that the musical performances and
fireworks were very popular.
“We had such a great turnout,” she says. “It was non-stop. I
never thought it would turn out this great.”
Participation exceeded her expectations and a number
of people have volunteered to assist with future events. She
hopes the momentum from this year will carry forward to
next year.
“We’re definitely going to grow each year,” she says. “Our
goal is to create great memories for families.”
The Parks and Recreation Board is already planning next
year’s Community Day event. Steffey would like to revive the
parade on State Route 885, although that might take a few
years to accomplish.
“That’s a way for everybody in the community to come
together and celebrate,” she explains.
Steffey would also like to resurrect the fire department
competition in the future as well, including a best-in-show
contest for fire trucks and a water cannon competition.
“I think a lot of people looked forward to that,” she says.
The Community Day celebration had been a popular
summertime event for years, but a lack of volunteers and
participation by vendors led to its demise in 2010. Steffey
participated as a vendor in the 2010 event and wanted to
bring the Community Day celebration back to life.
“It was upsetting,” she recalls. “It was important to a
lot of people. I wanted my kids to enjoy things I enjoyed
as a child. I spent six years hoping and wishing it would
come around and it finally came full circle.”
Steffey harnessed the power of social media to
promote the Community Day event, which resulted in
many positive comments.
“We didn’t even have to boost the post!” she
exclaims.
During the last six years, Steffey revitalized
the mostly defunct Parks and Recreation Board
by recruiting new members. They organized
smaller events, including an Easter egg hunt
and Valentine’s dance, before tackling
Community Day. The board members
made important contributions, including
Tom Bucy, Colleen Concannon, Brian
Konick, Bill O’Brien, BJ Pugh and Holly
Rubinoff. The board is also supervising
improvements at Beddle Park.
“There’s a lot going on in this
borough to keep us busy,” Steffey says.
“The recreation board has proven itself
to the community that we are here to
help.” n