Americanism Post 51
During and following the coal strike of 1933 in western Pa. there was considerable radical activity in the coal towns in Fayette County. When a group of communists asked permission to have a parade on May Day (to coincide with Moscow's annual May Day Parade). in April 1943 the Uniontown Police Department was faced with the probability of stirring up an incident that would cause trouble - whether it gave permission or refused it. If the communists marched, considering the temper of the district, there might be a riot, if the request was denied there would be a controversy.
Five Legionnaires of Lafayette Post 51, American Legion, Chief of Police A.W. Davis, Recruiting Sergeant James Smith, Matty Bain, Allen Parke and Mason McLaughlin solved the difficulty by offering as an alternative an Americanism Day Celebration with speeches and a giant parade that would include everybody.
Five thousand school children marched along with Knights Templar in plumes and swords; Ethnic groups in native costumes; Slovak, Polish, Lebanese, Russian, Italian and all foreigners. The American Fraternal Orders; the Unions and the American Legion. It was a great show, so well received that it has become an annual feature of the Coke Region. In 1937, the state representatives from Fayette County secured the passage of a joint resolution in the legislature to set aside May First as Americanism Day throughout Pennsylvania by the Governor's proclamation.
In 1944, Fifteen-thousand marched in Uniontown. This was the eleventh Americanism parade; it took in so many organizations that it was a wonder there were any people left to be spectators. Native born and immigrants worked together to organize it and marched together.
In 1970,there were so many participants that the length of the parade was doubled. It was estimated there were forty-thousand spectators, and the parade itself lasted four hours.
It has taken time to achieve a blend of Coke Region mixture, but through the years this has been accomplished. With the untiring efforts of the numerous other organizations and the community in general, our Americanism Day has set a pattern for all America to follow.
2024 is out 91st Annual Americanism Day Parade, no other VSO in the United States can make such a claim.
This year's Grand Marshell is Mr. Mathias Barlat the French Consultant General. The parade will be on May 1st 2024 starting at Post 51 in Uniontown, PA at 4pm and the parade starts at 7pm.
