Hoodie Hoo a fun break from Pennsylvania winter
Last Monday was Presidents Day. But in Charleroi, George and Abe had to share second billing.
It was Hoodie Hoo Day in the borough, and that celebration held sway. And why not?
A thoroughly fabricated holiday, the brainchild of a central Pennsylvania couple, Hoodie Hoo Day is designed to ward off winter and its many ills. The day is celebrated Feb. 20, regardless of the day of the week, and requires revelers to gather at Magic City Square for a countdown at noon, at which time they wave their hands above their heads and shout “Hoodie Hoo” three times.
Most participants wear silly clothing, including crazy hats and balloon hats, and engage with neighbors they may not have seen for weeks or months. Gray Western Pennsylvania winters, especially cold gray Western Pennsylvania winters, tend to keep people indoors.
There are trophies and prizes to be won, food and drinks to be consumed, Hoodie hoodies and T-shirts to be purchased. This is a day of unfettered fun in what often seems to be an increasingly anxious world.
Locally, the Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce started this wonderful silliness in 2014, at the urging of its executive director, Debra Keefer. The kickoff event went reasonably well, drawing about 100 celebrants, but the 2015 Hoodie Hoo had to be canceled because of harsh weather. Last year’s street-fest rebounded resoundingly well, with about 300 revelers. A similar number turned out last Monday.
The past two Hoodie Hoo Days have been enhanced by unseasonably warm weather and fortuitous timing. The 2016 event was on a Saturday, last week’s on Presidents Day, when kids were not in school. Next year’s celebration, on a Tuesday, may be a little smaller.
Keefer and the chamber deserve two thumbs up for not only maintaining, but elevating this annual festival. Even if future weekday crowds are thinner, they will be no less enthusiastic.
Hoodie Hoo! Hoodie Hoo! Hoodie Hoo!