Community Corner

Marcella Dimmick, 99, Helps Cut Ribbon at Dimmick Park Rededication

Hellertown resident Marcella Dimmick, who turned 99 on Monday, helped cut the ribbon at a 75th anniversary rededication ceremony held at the beloved borough park named in father's honor Saturday.

Hellertown resident Marcella Dimmick, who turned 99 on Monday, helped cut the ribbon at a rededication ceremony held at the beloved borough park named in father's honor Saturday morning.

The borough is celebrating the park's 75th anniversary this weekend, in conjunction with Saucon Valley Spirit Weekend and the 4-County Fireman's Parade, which will be held Sunday afternoon in the borough.

Morris Dimmick (1888-1972) was Chief Burgess of Hellertown from 1926 to 1945, and through connections he had with Bethlehem Steel, was able to acquire 18 acres of land on which the park, the Hellertown Community Pool and Dewey Fire Co. No. 1 were later built.

Burgess was then a position equivalent to a modern-day mayor.

As Dimmick's grandson, Ray Dimmick Jr., recalled at the rededication Saturday morning, there was little money available for the development of a park when his grandfather acquired the acreage for $1.

But Morris Dimmick believed that one day, the borough would need a sizable recreation area to support its then-growing population. And he was able to utilized WPA assistance in the late 1930s to develop the land into something special.

Today, Dimmick Park hosts many community events throughout the year, such as Hellertown-Lower Saucon Community Day and Relay for Life of Saucon Valley.

The park is also home to numerous recreational facilities, such as little league baseball fields, paths, a pavilion, a playground and the recently-constructed bandshell.

Morris Dimmick, who was born on a farm off Reservoir Road in Lower Saucon Township, lived long enough to see what was once known as East End Park renamed in his honor in the 1960s, his grandson noted.

Among the local officials and dignitaries present for Saturday morning's ribbon-cutting were State Rep. Robert Freeman (D-136), Hellertown Mayor Richard Fluck, Saucon Valley Spirit Weekend and Parade Chairman Dave Heintzelman and Dewey Fire Co. No. 1 Chief Rick Delmore.


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