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The Fourth of July chairs are safe in Canonsburg
That’s not a problem, though, because a few kind people will stop and put them back as the community prepares for the second largest parade of its kind in Pennsylvania.
“It’s what makes Canonsburg unique,” Borough police Chief R.T. Bell said today, nearly a week after the chairs began to appear on Pike Street.
People tie white plastic chairs together with twine or even crime tape. Others put out benches and beach chairs and top them with bricks or two by fours to keep them in place for the parade that has attracted as many 60,000 people in the past.
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Although in previous years borough officials talked about prohibiting the tradition, Canonsburg Manager Terry Hazlett said. There’s no law when chairs can be set out and “considerable pressure” to keep it that way, he said.
He has seen news of the chairs on CNN’s news crawl and Jay Leno and David Letterman also mentioned it on their shows.
Bell’s concern is the wind which had already sent a few of the aluminum chairs off the curb and into the street. But he said motorists are aware of the situation when driving through town these days and often stop and place them back on the sidewalk.
But neither Bell nor Hazlett fear the chairs will disappear. For some reason no one ever steals the furniture, either. Bell has noticed that some who put “ratty looking” chairs on the parade route will replace them Saturday with nicer seats.
“Believe me, people have gotten this down to a science,” he said.
Down the street at Canonsburg General Hospital’s Ambulance Service, manager Des Donohoe said the appearance of the porch furniture just points to the community’s pride in its annual parade.
“The community really steps up,” Donohoe said. “Everybody wants to be at the parade. It’s a big deal.
But, he’s not yet welcoming any chairs outside the building.
For now the property at the ambulance service is bordered with orange traffic cones to block chairs. The cones will come down Saturday Donohoe said, but for now he has to make sure that his ambulances can get in and out of the garage.
“We just want to keep it open for right now,” Donohoe said. “It’s safer that way.”
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Nicer chairs unsafe for parade : 6/30/2009
My wife and her visiting sister placed two chairs along the parade route Sunday night and felt fortunate to have taken part in what we had come to think of as a unique tradition of small town America. Monday, the chairs were stolen. Someone made my wife embarrassed for our adopted hometown and she felt terrible. I felt anger.
Stolen chairs...... : 6/30/2009
I would like to think that whoever stole the chairs, really needed them more than you did. At least, that's what the Christian in me is supposed to think. The more cynical part of me says that they most likely figured it was an easy score for some chairs for their back porch. The times they are a changin'. I guess someone had the right idea to put out ratty chairs that nobody would want. Such a shame. I doubt this will be read by the thieves, but IF YOU ARE OUT THERE, DO THE RIGHT THING AND RETURN THEM. Your crown in Heaven will be greater for it.
