Summit Hill put on a beautiful Memorial Day tribute to veterans and those who sacrificed their lives.

A service in Ludlow Park attended by at least 200 people, followed by a huge parade featuring bands, floats, fire apparatus and military groups.

The four-division parade was led by Grand Marshal Robert J. “Gimper” Bevich, 77, of Summit Hill, a 55-year Legion member and Vietnam era veteran serving in the Army.

Bevich was one of five brothers who served in the military.

One brother, George M. Bevich Jr., was killed in the war. He was the first Carbon County casualty of the Vietnam War, dying at age 22 on Dec. 4, 1966, while serving in Gia Dinh Province, South Vietnam.

A son of the late George Sr. and Kitty (Lynn) Bevich, his late father was a Navy veteran, having served with the Seabees.

The grand marshal is a life member of the Diligence Fire Company in Summit Hill and St. Joseph’s Parish of the Panther Valley. He also belongs to the Beaver Run Rod and Gun Club.

Bevich rang a large bell from the former Summit Hill High School in Ludlow Park to officially mark the start for the parade.

Mayor Jeffrey Szczecina said the parade is a tradition in Summit Hill, “probably coming up on 100 years.”

Summit Hill Chief of Police Todd Woodward lead the parade. Behind the cruiser was the color guard of the Summit Hill American Legion Post.

There were four high school bands in the line of march: Panther Valley, Jim Thorpe, Pottsville and Shenandoah. All the bands played patriotic tunes.

In addition, about 20 members of the Panther Valley High School JROTC participated.

Over two dozen members of the Summit Hill and Lansford Fire Departments combined for a marching unit, nattily clad in dark uniforms with white shirts. Behind them were 14 pieces of emergency apparatus from the two towns.

The parade took about 45 minutes to pass.

Youth sports teams from throughout the Panther Valley were well represented, some teams riding on pickup trucks while others marching.

Numerous veterans groups had representation including the Carbon County Navy Club and the Carbon-Schuylkill Marine Corps League.

Not everything was military oriented.

The Eclectic Circus, headed by Dani Longlegs on stilts, brought laughter along the route.

There were several floats including one by the Grace Community Church of Lansford with the theme “SCUBA,” which had colorful balloons and emitted bubbles.

The Jukebox Cruisers Car Club brought over a dozen antique and unique cars.

There was a lot of candy tossed by parade participants to youngsters eager to collect it.

Among the hundreds of people who lined the parade route was Connor Snyder of Nesquehoning, who watched it with his girlfriend Naomi Baumer. Snyder, wearing a formal uniform of the U.S. Space Corps, is presently stationed in California but is home on leave.

“I’m enjoying it,” he said of the parade, stating he was impressed at the tribute given to veterans.

Service held

in Ludlow Park

Prior to the parade, a Memorial Day service was held in Ludlow Park, which featured U.S. Air Force veteran Master Sgt. Brad Lee Jones of Summit Hill as the main speaker.

Jones said his family “came from a long line of veterans.” His great uncle, William Jones, was a POW during World War II.

“Twenty years in the Air Force, one of the things I learned was sacrifice,” he said.

He said one of the most memorable occurrences while in the Air Force happened on Aug. 29, 2005, while he was stationed in Mississippi. Hurricane Katrina, a Category 5 hurricane, “came through and destroyed everything.”

Among the devastation was his residency, which had 3-to-4 feet of water. “Ninety-five percent of my belongings were destroyed,” he said.

The one fortunate thing is, “Both of my cars somehow survived the chaos of the storm.”

Even these incidents “were not as great as the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.

Another quality he learned was “respect.”

He said this was most evident when he was deployed to the Middle East with American troops.

“Let’s remember that this day’s all about remembering the fallen,” he said.

Summit Hill Mayor Jeff Szczecina gave the welcome.

Three Marian Catholic High School students participated. Connor Rehnert, who read the Gettysburg Address, Cara Rehnert who gave Logan’s General Orders, and Lexi Galatko, who presented “In Flanders Field.”

Gregory Miller, chaplain and past commander of the Summit Hill American Legion Post, presented the roll call of deceased veterans.

Past commander Paul R. McArdle Sr. led the POW/MIA ceremony.

Members of Summit Hill American Legion Post 316 gave an honor guard salute.

Taps was played by Panther Valley student Kyla McQuillem, with drummer Gino Williams also participating.