In 1976, Export public works employees Bob Smith and Steve Veach repainted the borough’s fire hydrants red, white and blue in honor of the upcoming American bicentennial.
This week, the pair were back in the borough a half-century later, giving a patriotic makeover to four downtown fire hydrants in advance of the town’s Memorial Day parade and the country’s 250th anniversary later this summer.
“I believe we painted almost all the 30 hydrants in town back in ‘76,” said Smith, 71, a New Derry resident who grew up in Export. “We don’t have the stamina for that these days.”
The pair was contacted by Export Historical Society member Lou Biesuz.
“He reached out and said, you guys painted them for the bicentennial, wouldn’t it be something if you came back and painted them for the 250th anniversary?” said Veach, a Penn Township resident. “Bob called, and I hadn’t seen him in a long time. I thought it would be fun, and we had a good time.”
Smith said that back in 1976, towns across America were seeking ways to celebrate the country’s 200th birthday.
“Between the town and fire department, we were planning all kinds of things to celebrate. One of the suggestions was the fire hydrants, and the fire department painted the fire siren with the same color scheme.”
On Monday, Smith and Veach painted four of the borough’s most visible hydrants — two on Kennedy Avenue and two on Washington Avenue in Export’s downtown business district.
“This way, when they have the parade on Memorial Day and head toward the veterans’ memorial, they’ll pass by the hydrants,” Smith said.
The borough’s Memorial Day Parade will take place at 10:45 a.m. on Monday, May 25.
It’s part of a slate of holiday activities taking place at local cemeteries and war memorials:
• An honor roll will take place at 8 a.m. in downtown Export, and at 12:15 p.m. at the White Valley AMVETS on Carolina Street in Murrysville.
• Ceremonies will take place at 8:30 a.m. at Murrysville Cemetery; 9 a.m. at Hills Church Cemetery; 9:30 a.m. at White Valley Cemetery; 10 a.m. at Twin Valley Memorial Park; and 11:30 a.m. at Grandview Cemetery.
