Upper Dublin celebrates community
,W’s hDUd WR SuW D finJHU Rn HxDFWOy what it is, but there’s certainly something unique about the Upper Dublin community.
“I’ve lived here since ’86, and I love this community,” Fort Washington resident Lisa Luttmann said. “It’s really something special.”
LuWWPDnn wDs MusW RnH RI WhH PDny whR nRWHd WhH sSHFLDO ERnd RI FRPmunity present in Upper Dublin and RnH RI WhH WhRusDnds whR FDPH RuW WR FHOHEUDWH WhDW sHnsH RI unLWy Rn 8SSHU Dublin Community Day Saturday, 6HSW. 29.
“This community is really involved, and they care,” said Luttmann, who — an active volunteer in numerous organLzDWLRns hHUsHOI — wDs hHOSLnJ RuW DW the Upper Dublin Education FoundaWLRn’s ERRWh, whLFh RIIHUHd hDyULdHs. “To me, it’s a great event that I hope continues because it’s a great way to get people out and share.”
Upper Dublin Community Day certainly got people out in droves in SHUhDSs WhH EHsW DWWHndHd HdLWLRn RI the biennial event.
“It is probably the largest commu-
nity dDy thDt ,’vH HvHU sHHn,” township boDUd oI commissionHUs PUHsidHnt ,UD TDckHl sDid. “You wDlk DUound Dn HvHnt likH this in UppHU Dublin Dnd it mDkHs you IHHl UHDlly good. ,t just goHs to show thDt wH’UH doing D lot oI things Uight.”
EvHnt chDiUmDn Dnd school boDUd mHmbHU AUt LHvinowitz sDid thH oUgDnizing committHH hDd HstimDtHd 4,000 DttHndHHs, but it lookHd likH thDt numbHU wDs HDsily HxcHHdHd. ThH township’s civic cDmpus, locDtHd bHtwHHn thH high school Dnd thH township building, wDs pDckHd thUoughout thH dDy, with pHoplH flooding down Loch Alsh AvHnuH.
FUom 3 to 7 p.m., DttHndHHs could find nHDUly Dny typH oI Dctivity Dlong thH midwDy. LocDl businHssHs, civic DssociDtions, nonpUofit oUgDnizDtions, school PTAs, township dHpDUtmHnts, high school clubs, chuUchHs Dnd othHUs sHt up moUH thDn 100 tHnts.
ThH GivH Dnd TDkH -ugglHU HntHUtDinHd with somH DcUobDtics, whilH childUHn could pDint D pumpkin Dt thH DdjDcHnt UDHS SGA tDblH. Boy Scout TUoop 1o. 542, oI MDplH GlHn, hDd sHt up D “MonkHy BUidgH” UopH couUsH, clDssic cDUs hDd thHiU hoods poppHd IoU Duto DficionDdos to DdmiUH Dnd childUHn could Hnjoy D tuUn on sHvHUDl inflDtDblHs. AnothHU populDU DttUDction wDs thH HungHU GDmHs booths mDnnHd by sHvHUDl township dHpDUtmHnts, whilH dDncH tUoupHs pHUIoUmHd thHiU UoutinHs.
ThH UppHU Dublin AquDtic Club’s SplDsh & DDsh hDs bHcome a staple of Community DDy. ThH HvHnt chDllHngHd pDUticipDnts to sHH how mDny lDps thHy could swim in 10 minutHs, IollowHd by Uunning shuttlH lDps IoU 10 minutHs.
.Hn MuUphy, sHcUHtDUy oI UDAC, sDid thH HvHnt hDd DppUoximDtHly 40 pDUticipants ranging from young childUHn to Ddults.
“ThHy cDn do it with thHiU kids, which thHy UHDlly Hnjoy,” UDAC VicH PUHsidHnt LoUD LHyons sDid.
AnothHU populDU HvHnt, which dHbutHd Dt thH lDst Community Day, was “AntiquHs on thH AiU,” in which UHsidHnts could hDvH itHms DppUDisHd in Dn “AntiquH RoDdshow”-stylH HvHnt bUoDdcDst on UDTV.
Pulling thH HntiUH HvHnt togHthHU Dnd oUgDnizing Dll thH DctivitiHs wDs no HDsy IHDt.
“This HvHnt tDkHs Dbout Hight months oI plDnning,” sDid LHvinowitz, who wDs chDiUing thH HvHnt IoU thH thiUd timH.
LHvinowitz pUDisHd both thH township Dnd school distUict IoU woUking so closHly togHthHU to pull oII thH HvHnt.
TDckHl pointHd to thH UHlDtionship bHtwHHn thH town- ship Dnd thH distUict Dnd thH IDct thHy both sHUvH thH sDmH populDtion Ds whDt hHlps mDkH thH UppHU Dublin community so special. He also DttUibutHd it to UHsidHnts’ pUimarily apolitical nature, saying politics don’t bog pHoplH down Dnd nHighboUs comH togHthHU IoU thH good oI thH community.
“ThHy’UH out hHUH bHcDusH oI thH IDmiliHs, Dnd UppHU Dublin is vHUy IDmily oUiHntHd,” hH sDid.
As thH sun bHgDn to sHt, thH Iocus shiItHd insidH, Ds thH nHwly complHtHd high school bHcDmH thH highlight.
DuUing thH DItHUnoon, DttHndHHs could tDkH sHlI-guidHd touUs oI thH school, Dnd thH bUDnd nHw pHUIoUming DUts cHntHU took cHntHU stDgH IoU thH UDSD GDlD ConcHUt, featuring performances by CDUdinDls pDst Dnd pUHsHnt.
AItHU thH concHUt, thH school distUict cHlHbUDtHd D momHnt yHDUs in thH mDking — thH dHdicDtion oI thH now complHtH high school building.
And oncH thH Uibbon wDs cut, fiUHwoUks shot up IUom thH FiHld oI DUHDms, lighting up thH UppHU Dublin sky. WhilH mDny wDtchHd IUom Loch Alsh, othHUs in thH nHDUby nHighboUhoods stood in thHiU dUivHwDys to Hnjoy thH pyUotHchnics.
FiUHwoUks only hDvH bHHn part of Community Day a IHw timHs in thH pDst, mDking this yHDU’s cHlHbUDtion HxtUD spHciDl, DccoUding to LHvinowitz.
“,t UHDlly doHs gHt bHttHU Dnd bHttHU,” hH sDid. “, think [UppHU Dublin is@ just D vHUy spHciDl plDcH to livH in. ,t’s just D smDll community Dnd HvHUybody woUking togHthHU to mDkH it bHttHU.”