Schuylkill Haven borough prides itself in being “The Little Town that Could.”
The municipality, which according to the 2010 U.S. Census is home to 5,437, features a lot of recreational activities, artistic pursuits and a rich history.
Martin Dreibelbis first settled in what is now Schuylkill Haven in 1775. In 1811, Jacob Dreibelbis organized the town in 1811, according to the borough’s website, www.schuylkillhaven.org.
“I think there are a lot of hidden assets that the borough has that people don’t know about,” Mayor Mike Devlin said. “We really just have a lot of nice little features. Living in Schuylkill Haven, you don’t have to travel far to find what you need.”
Finding treasures
Take a walk — or ride — through the borough and you might discover something you didn’t know existed.
Learn Schuylkill Haven’s history via 26 interpretive signs that were dedicated in 2014 and posted at different locations. Featured sites include Stoyer’s Dam, Washington Street and Lincoln Avenue and Canal Street. Funding for the signs came from a Heritage Trail Town Grant from the William Penn Foundation, a Philadelphia-based organization, in conjunction with the Schuylkill River Heritage Area.
As for discovering and riding, take a train on the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad and journey into the past on special occasions like Borough Day.
Speaking of trains, consider everything old new again. The old borough hall at 12 W. Main St. was originally a train station. The railroad company recently bought the building and is in the process of converting back into a station.
Look up history
The Schuylkill Haven Historical Society is another place to go and explore historical aspects of the borough.
Located at 10 W. Columbia St. since 2014 — it was at 15 Saint John St. previously — hours are 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and by appointment.
Those visiting the historical society can do research or even look at the numerous displays in the building.
“We have a lot of people that come in. They are not even from around here. It’s a good place to go if you are looking for missing links to your family,” Ellen Guertler, genealogical archivist, chief researcher and recording and membership secretary, said.
There is no cost to do research. Copies of articles at the site are 25 cents a page.
The society also has links to the past regarding old shoes from the Walk In Art Center when it was a shoe factory, canal memorabilia and also items from Frank Deibert, a former chief of police for 30-plus years.
“He started in the 1920s,” Guertler said.
The society has about 80 members. Members fees are $20 per person or $25 for a family. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of every month except July and December.
Call 570-385-3189 for more information about the historical society.
Walk into art
Speaking of shoes, part of the former Walk In Shoe Co. now houses The Walk In Art Center, 220 Parkway.
The building is a venue for local artists and for those outside the county to share art with the community. Walk up the steps to the center and visitors will find personal expressions of art on the walls.
“Art is anything you can get away with,” someone painted on a stairway wall.
There are 14 artists in residence at the converted shoe factory.
Lisa Robinson, the center’s executive director, said the site has something for everyone. Regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
If you can’t get there during the week, the first Saturday of each month presents opportunities.
“The first Saturday of every month at the Walk In Art Center from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.,” Robinson said. “That is when all the artists are here. The studios are open. You can go in and you can chat with an artist. You can watch some of them work. You can purchase art.”
The center also has rotating art exhibitions that people can view.
“There’s a lot of positive things happening here,” she said.
Art just isn’t something that can be seen at the center. Bus trips to locations outside the county are available, including one set for April 9 to the Museum of Modern Art in New York sponsored by the center. There is a cost involved. Call the center for more information.
What someone takes away from art may be different from someone else does, but Robinson said she wants people not be to afraid of art.
“Everybody has that artist inside of them,” she said.
The center is also host to other events including a bridal fair, wedding receptions and even line dancing and Yoga. The country line dancing is held Mondays at 7:30 to 9 p.m.. A class for beginners is 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. There is a $6 cost. The event is sponsored by Diakon Living and Learning.
Recreation
Stoyer’s Dam is a part of Bubeck Park, one of two large parks in the borough. The other is The Island located off Fritz Reed Avenue. In addition The borough also has seven additional playgrounds.
Bubeck Park has a basketball court, pavilion, gazebo, bandstand and other amenities. It is also home to two swans, Rammy, a female, and Rambo, a male.
For the last couple of years, the swans have had cygnets that are given away to local businesses or residents. Last year, children entered a contest to name the cygnets. BJ Folk, recreation manager, said children will be permitted to name the swans again if cygnets hatch this year.
“We are fortunate to have them,” he said of the swans.
Looking ahead, the borough’s recreation department and Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited will present the Schuylkill Haven Trout Rodeo at the park from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 9. Businesses also contribute to the event.
While previous years youngsters could participate in the event free of charge, there will be a $5 cost this year. This permits children to fish for trout not only at Stoyer’s Dam that day, but at locations that are stocked by Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited. Proceeds also go toward the organization and prizes provided during the rodeo, Folk said. The event is usually well attended. Children 15 and under are permitted.
Bubeck Park is also a popular place for exercise. Ron Cole, 45, of Pottsville, was there March 8.
“I walk her every day here,” he said of his dog Princess Chloe Elizabeth, a 5-year-old Shih Tzu.
He said he likes the area because it is “relaxing.”
Mark Getz, 36, of Shenandoah, was walking his 4-month-old Australian shepherd, Cooper.
“I just like the quietness, the calmness of it,” he said about walking there.
Winter activities also take place at the park.
“If the weather allows it, we like to do our ice skating at the dam,” Devlin said.
Borough workers drill a whole in the ice to make sure it is the required 6 inches of ice to skate safely. The party then features free hot dogs and hot cocoa to attendees, with Hess Catering, Devlin and the borough recreation department volunteering to make the event happen.
Due to warmer temperatures, no ice skating party was held this year.
On ‘The Island’
The Island is a popular place for sporting activities and community events. A concession stand, soccer field, pavilion, multi-purpose field, two softball fields and electronic scoreboards occupy the site.
The Island Committee, a group of 20 members from the public, works diligently to bring The Island to its full potential, from activities to additions to enhance it. A 501(c)3 organization, it was first known as the Island Commission when formed in 2006.
One possible addition is an amphitheater. The committee voted March 8 for a proposal that will examine the site to see if the amphitheater is feasible. However, the go-ahead is conditional on the borough council agreeing to an amphitheater at one of the proposed locations on The Island. The council has not yet made a decision.
The three proposed locations are near the soccer fields, in the grassy area behind the concession stand and between the two softball fields. The first two locations are in the flood plain — the Schuylkill River runs alongside the park area — while the third is in an area where people can park for events.
The $16,000 study will survey the area, conduct a hydrologic and hydraulic evaluation and provide other useful information. A map was done in 2006 or 2007 by the borough as an initial concept but that vision of what they want to see has changed.
BJ Evans, The Island Committee chairman, said the study will help the committee in determining the feasibility of each proposed site.
“We would hope that we would start construction in 2017-2018,” Evans said, adding it would be better to have most of all of the funds in place prior to construction.
“The Island is becoming a real central place for the community,” Kay Jones, executive director of Schuylkill County’s VISION, said.
VISION has a program called Healthy Schuylkill Communities, through which it promotes active and healthy lifestyle choices in municipalities.
Events at the park
The Island is used for a variety of events, from sports and recreation to family-friendly festivals.
The annual Relay for Life, usually held at Pottsville Area High School’s stadium, will take place from noon May 21 to noon May 22.
“The Relay for Life is going to be moving to The Island. We are very excited to have the facility that will be able to hold the relay for life event,” Folk said.
The Island Car Show, set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 26, offers free admission and a $5 entree fee for car enthusiasts wishing to display their cars. Proceeds benefit the continuing development of The Island. Vehicles will then cruise through downtown Schuylkill Haven at the conclusion of the car show.
In the past, vendors at the Schuylkill Haven Farmers Market set up their stands at the old borough hall. Starting June 9 and running through Sept. 15, the market will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. every Thursday on The Island.
“We are just starting to invite farmers,” Jones said.
The farmers market effort is a collaboration between the borough, Schuylkill Haven Recreation Department and Healthy Haven, one of the several Healthy Schuylkill Communities.
Those interested in participating in the market should call the borough recreation office at 570-385-1313 or visit the recreation department website at www.havenrec.com.
To learn more about events or recreation activities in the borough, contact the recreation department.
The river and summer
The annual Schuylkill Sojourn also launches from The Island. This year, participants will launch their kayaks and boats for their journey down the Schuylkill River on June 4 and end June 10 at Boathouse Row in Philadelphia.
“It’s a really great thing that Schuylkill Haven can be the launch point for that since it highlights a major attribute in Schuylkill County and the community,” Folk said.
Registration opens April 1. Cost depends on how many days that participants would like to be a part of the sojourn.
Island Park Festival is another popular event. Sponsored by the Island Committee and other community sponsors, the 10th annual event is scheduled for 1 to 10:30 p.m. Aug. 20. Admission $5 per person, and children 4 and under are free.
Proceeds go to the continued development of the Island, Sandy Hess, a member of The Island Committee, said.
Gary Hess, an Island Committee member and a Schuylkill County commissioner, said exact details of the event are not complete. However, he said there will be entertainment and family friendly events to enjoy, and that the event is something that a lot of people anticipate.
Entertainment acts include Kevin Chalfant, who will performing at 9 p.m., Charlie Kerschner, a member of The Island Park Committee, said. The Pennsylvaniabased rock band Hybrid Ice will also perform at the festival at 6 p.m. Both acts performed at the 2014 Schuylkill County Fair.
A day to celebrate
The annual Schuylkill Haven Borough Day is an event looked forward to by a lot of residents. The 28th celebration is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 24, rain or shine.
Celeste Geschwindt, a member of the Schuylkill Haven Borough Day Committee, said plans are not finalized, but with good weather, good crowds attend.
“On a beautiful day, on a nice day, we can expect 15,000 to 20,000 people,” she said.
The 2015 celebration featured train rides by Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad, family activities, entertainment, a canine pageant and lots of vendors and events.
“Borough Day is our most well-attended event. That brings a lot of outsiders into the community,” Folk said.
Last year, more than 10,000 people strolled in downtown Schuylkill Haven, Folk said.
“It’s an awesome, great experience and a neat thing for the community,” he said.
“It’s so big. It’s impossible to see everything,” Geschwindt said.
Walk Wine and Wander is another downtown event. Sponsored by the Greater Schuylkill Haven Area Business Association, the free event set for 4 to 8 p.m. June 16 features free wine tasting and artists, vendors and entertainment. Food is also available.
Vicky Norris, a business association member, said at least three wineries will set up at the event and provide samples. Wine can also be purchased.
Hundreds of people attend the event each year, Norris said.
“It’s a town gathering,” she said.
If wine is not your thing, there is a Craft Brew Festival at the Walk In Art Center in the borough from 3 to 5 p.m. April 16. It is sponsored by the Our Haven Foundation, a group of people interested in the betterment of the borough. Tickets are $30, with proceeds benefiting the foundation.
Hailing Halloween
The Schuylkill Haven Halloween parade will be back this year and starts at 7 p.m. Oct. 25.
After a brief hiatus, the parade returned last year to the thrill of borough residents. The Schuylkill Haven Jaycees ran the parade for years but lost their charter because of declining membership. A borough resident held in 2013 but decided not to do it after that.
Borough resident Ashley Farr headed the effort to resurrect the event because she thought it was a good idea. The borough recreation board co-sponsored it.