An old-fashioned jaunt in Harrisburg
In a tribute to talent and tradition, the Scottdale American Women have graced many parades through the years, paying homage to strong women of eras gone by.
The group has marched in parades for approximately 10 years dressed in Victorian- or suffragette-era attire.
For many years, sixteen women and two children have attended the yearly festival parades held in Dawson, Scottdale, Mt. Pleasant, Connellsville and Perryopolis, and made a few special appearances in noted parades around the area.
This year they are making a long trek and heading east to Harrisburg to appear in the Centennial Celebration Parade marking the 100th anniversary of the state Capitol, as official representatives of Fayette County.
"We are just thrilled to be a part of the celebration," member Jayne Canose said. "We will be the representatives for Fayette County in our category."
An advertisement requesting area group participation in the event caught Canose's eye, and she thought the idea was one that her group would enjoy.
Canose, who has led the Scottdale American Women for the last several years, prepared the paperwork required for the centennial event and submitted it to the Fayette County Commissioners office.
"I responded to the article in April," Canose said. "They were choosing only one participant per category."
The categories listed for each county were historic, artistic and marching band. The state requested one representative in each category from each of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
"They actually satisfied the guidelines for two of the categories," said Angela Zimmerlink, a Fayette County commissioner. "They fell under both artistic and historic."
A statewide request went out for participants, and Zimmerlink immediately began the search for entrants.
"I placed press releases in all of the local papers," Zimmerlink said.
"We spoke on the phone and she was excited," Zimmerlink said of Canose. "I had actually seen them in the past and I liked what they represented. They were very pleasing to look at and very pleasing to the public."
The group will embark early Saturday.
Canose makes many of the outfits and attire worn by the group. The intricacy and detail, with attention to authenticity, are a tribute to her talent.
"We have a great bunch of gals," Canose said. "I just love these ladies. They are such a delight to be with, and we have such a good time. They come from Allegheny and Fayette and Westmoreland counties. We have a fun group of various ages."
The group is a benefactor to the community. Prize money from their award-winning parade appearances is donated to the community.
For information about the parade, visit www.pacapitol.com.
