Historic figures return at ‘Renzie Ramble’
By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
History came alive Saturday in McKeesport.
Those strolling the city’s Renziehausen Park as part of the McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center and McKeesport Little Theater “Renzie Ramble” got to come face to face with historical figures who made their mark on the Mon/Yough and Turtle Creek valleys.
Seven Little Theater performers — some veterans of the stage and others who are newcomers — were stationed at various landmarks around the park such as McKeesport’s first one-room schoolhouse, the colorful Renzie Rose Garden maintained by the McKeesport Garden Club, the McKeesport Lions Club Bandshell and more.
The actors, who ranged in age from teens to adults, performed vignettes that were sometimes slightly fictionalized but were based on real historical events and history makers. They included the man who donated the money used to begin developing Renziehausen Park, the city’s first Black fire chief, an American president who dared us to put selfishness aside and ask “what you can do for your country” and more.
Saturday marked the inaugural “George Washington Slept Here … and other fascinating stories Renzie Ramble,” which was inspired by the Living History Cemetery Tour of the historic McKeesport and Versailles Cemetery.
To read the rest of the story, please subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.
