Youngwood pool celebrating 60 years of fun

The opening of Youngwood Park n Pool in 1961 changed the landscape for children at the time.

Borough native Paul Kettren remembered riding his bike to the pool for opening day as an 11-year-old and presenting his pass to get in. After that, the facility played a major role in his childhood summers and, eventually, a hobby that continues to this day.

“June, July and August, everybody was at the pool,” he said. “The pool really changed everything.”

In honor of the facility’s 60th anniversary, a weekend full of entertainment is planned reminiscent of that nostalgic time. An Elvis impersonator will be at the pool Saturday evening and musical act T-Bird and Freddie will be on hand to play some tunes Sunday after a car cruise. Board president Ed Christofano credits the work of past and current volunteers for keeping the pool in operation for six decades.

Youngwood Park n Pool opened in August 1961 after four months of construction. It took a lot of hard work from numerous volunteers over several years, as well as donations from community groups, businesses and residents, said Lois Crock, who was on the borough’s planning board at the time.

“It was worth every effort,” she said.

Crock, 97, and three others chose the spot for the pool in what was a wooded area at the time, she said. Once the facility began to take shape, she sold memberships out of her home the first year.

It quickly attracted attention and “Twist and Splash” moonlight swim nights became a weekly gathering spot for hundreds of young people from around the area in the 1960s and 70s. That’s where Kettren, known by the nickname “T-Bird,” got his start playing music for others. His act at the time, “The Expressions,” won a battle of the bands contest in 1969 at the pool.

His current band mate Fred Petrovich of Greensburg played in an opposing musical group at the time, “The Green Mist.” The two later joined forces and, next year, will celebrate 50 years of playing together off and on in local music groups, currently as T-Bird and Freddie.

“I am so honored to be part of the 60th anniversary,” said Kettren of Jeannette. “Being there the first day it opened, being in the battle of the bands … it’s very, very important to me to be able to do this.”

In preparation for this season, the pool completed renovations thanks to nearly $180,000 in grant funding. Handicapped accessibility was added to the locker rooms, parking lot and sidewalks, as well as other improvements.

A stage was constructed by students and instructors from the Central Westmoreland Career & Technology Center.

“Youngwood pool is celebrating something that a lot of pools can’t,” Kettren said.

Christofano pointed to financial responsibility as a reason the tradition has stayed alive when other community pools sometimes find themselves in dire straits. The pool remains a draw for many in the area with its green space and entertainment nights, he said.

“The Youngwood Park n Pool has been fortunate enough to have great leaders in past years that have managed the facility with fiduciary responsibility,” he said. “That has given us solid ground.”