The Seventh Street Covered Bridge in Slatington was the site of Saturday's Gathering.

Pete Papay came up with 'The Gathering" as a way to celebrate and raise funds to maintain the Slate Heritage Trail.When he promoted that first event, he made sure to call it the "first annual."True to his word, the event has become an annual tradition in Slatington.Despite a poor forecast, it continued on Saturday at the Seventh Street covered bridge on the Slate Heritage trail.Supporters were out to raise money to help maintain the beautiful covered bridge that serves as the event's home. Local woodpeckers have been leaving their mark on the structure, and they are hoping to replace some damaged beams.Many of the same volunteers who have helped the event over the years were on hand. The Boy Scouts, Legion, and other local organizations all had food stands at the event.The tricky tray was held by the committee that organized the borough's 150th anniversary.They've now turned their efforts to try to build a covered bandshell at the Seventh Street site so that bands don't have to worry when the forecast is like this weekend's."It's really a community thing, and they've done a really nice job," Nancy Treskot said.