This, historically, was the weekend of the Ashland Boys Association parade in Ashland… It has not happened for several years, and even when a few events did occur recently, it didn’t have the same feel and excitement as it was a decade ago and prior.
In 1900, the Ashland Boys Association was formed.. There was widespread job loss in the Pennsylvania anthracite region around that time. The job loss forced Ashland residents, at that time working males or ‘boys,’ to seek work in other locations. The ABA parade became traditional on Labor Day due to the annual homecoming the boys.. the parade’s roots can be traced back to a sense of community that the homecoming created each year.
That sense of community seemed constant, even through turbulent times of war and national crisis, and times of great prevail and heroism..
UNTIL THE MONEY RUNS OUT and population runs dry.
Recall the parade ran from 1900 and beyond for 100+ years … But in May 2009 the Ashland Mummers canceled the show. At that time they cited a lack of donations and volunteers. In 2010, the Ashland Elks had a small parade with a youth group holding a banner as they marched through town. In 2011, there was a new version of a parade, one with much less floats and mostly firetrucks and groups quickly storming through town during the early evening..
2016….NO money..
2017.. Not enough fire police to direct traffic.
2018? Hardly even a mention.
Is this how history dies?
Because the history of the ABA parade is not just one that includes stories of miners coming back home for an annual party to end all parties, but memories that carry with it stories of love, stories of crime, stories of epic potential disasters… They all die away when people stop remembering. When traditions die.
Ashland main street sure ain’t what it used to be. Carved into the marble and stucco, one can still visualize a time gone by. But now main street is dilapidated. It’s presence is hardly the skyline of ages ago.
According to the last census, the population in Ashland dropped 16% since 2000. Right now, the small town is as small as it could be with less than 2,800 residents. The medium household income is $37,369, or about $20,000 less than the overall state average.. home values are 66% lower than all of Pennsylvania.. Unemployment is higher than the state average as well. And just as far as health issues, Ashland and Schuylkill County have a higher number of diabetes and obesity than the rest of the state.
A changing economy and changing picture of main street also forced other traditions to be curtailed. The biggest event, the ABA parade, was the hardest hit tradition from a dying and lessening population…
There is also something very special about this time of year.. grass is just a little less green, and the air at night is a lot less heavy. School is back, but Labor Day weekend was one last taste of summer.. ABA parades melded perfectly with the feeling and buzz of the time. I recall my own fond memories of ABA, whether it was walking through town with friends as a child, or holding hands with girlfriends as I grew up. Some of my personal bests: 1994, 1998, and 2001. I will keep those reasons private. Anyone who lived and grew in the area will also have their own memories as well.
The Mummers arriving from Philadelphia ..
People recalling cutting of newspapers for days to make confetti..
Cleaning of the streamers was a task all in itself..
People fondly recall Father Kean dressed as an angel being hoisted up by a tow truck.. Father Kean now, post Attorney General, is not so fondly recalled..
People remember the time when a near disaster occurred.. a man who was driving a float had a heart attack during the parade and NEARLY drove into rows upon rows of people.. A near disaster averted last century.
All of the efforts to reinvigorate the parade have seemingly, and sadly, not had an effect. We are still facing this weekend without the ABA.. without the excitement and buzz of people lining the streets, having a town wide party, and letting go of life for a while..
Some folks from the ABA parade’s organizing group have publicly said that there will be plans to try again in 2019.
We can only hope it works.
Because..
Because there was something always very special about the ABA parade.
And those who experienced it during the heyday are simply filled with memories and want some new ones to create.
Perhaps words from Billy Joel’s FAMOUS LAST WORDS are most appropriate at this time,
There’s comfort in my coffee cup and apples in the early fall
They’re pulling all the moorings up and gathering at the Legion Hall
They swept away all the streamers after the Labor Day parade
Nothing left for a dream now, only one final serenadeAnd these are the last words I have to say
Before another age goes by
With all those other songs I’ll have to play
But that’s the story of my life
