In 1967, future Pottsville Mayor John D.W. Reiley was among the volunteers who pursued a dream to bring a carnival atmosphere to the city during the winter.
"In the dead of winter, we tried to bring some enlivenment into the area with parades and activities," Reiley, the first president of the Greater Pottsville Winter Carnival, said Monday night.
The Greater Pottsville Winter Carnival has been a tradition for 47 years. And this year's will begin Saturday and wrap on Feb. 8.
In a column published Jan. 26, 1968, in the midst of the first carnival, Pottsville writer Walter S. Farquhar saluted the folks who put the program together in a column titled "Our New Live Wires." They included Bill Dimmerling, Bob Bader, Bill Landy and Reiley.
Farquhar recalled how Reiley attempted to gain support from local service clubs by introducing them to contestants for Queen of the Snows.
"He smilingly introduced Alva Macalonis, whose regular features and gentle mean made an immediate hit with the club members. Unaccustomed to the habitual jollity of a service club meeting, the pretty girl seemed to be a bit embarrassed. She need not have been - the businessmen fell for her at first sight," Farquhar said.
Over the years, volunteers with such spirit have made the annual event a tradition with a string of beauty pageants and coronations for young girls eager to take the stage.
This week, folks who have been involved with the program through the generations shared their views on its past and future. They included: the first person crowned carnival queen, Dr. Louise Wachter, Pottsville; the first person to serve as carnival association president, Reiley, 78; and the person who's held that post the longest, Billie Payne, 91, who has been serving in the post since 1982.
Among the topics they discussed were the event's origins, historical highlights, the future and this year's events.
Origins
In the mid-1960s, city Councilman G. Earl Stevenson visited St. Paul, Minn., and attended the St. Paul Winter Carnival. Inspired, he suggested the City of Pottsville hold a similar event, according to a three-page history the Greater Pottsville Winter Carnival Association has on file.
"With his enthusiasm, he sparked an interest among other active citizens such as John D.W. Reiley, Marie Murphy, Cye Wachter, William Dimmerling and Robert Davis. This core committee with their dedication and hard work built the foundation for what we know today as the Greater Pottsville Winter Carnival," according to that history.
"GPWC began in 1968," according to that history.
The first Greater Pottsville Winter Carnival began with a "Junior Hop" on Jan. 19, 1968, followed by a five-division parade on Jan. 20, 1968, which drew thousands of people to the city.
"What a parade it was," Reiley said.
"I heard there were 70,000 people. We had 25 floats and 25 bands and it was a take-off of the Rose Bowl Parade of Pasadena, California," said Rosalie Wiest, Pottsville, who was Queen of the Snows in 1985.
Queen I
Wachter keeps a collection of flyers and buttons from Winter Carnivals past. The event is an important part of her life, since she was named the first Queen of the Snows on Jan. 27, 1968.
The first slate of candidates for the title, a group of 24 young women, gathered for the first coronation ceremony, held at the former Necho Allen Hotel's Henry Clay Room, according to the newspaper's archives.
"I was sponsored by the Grace Shop. I remember Billie worked there. So Billie and I got to know each other well then. It was an exclusive women's shop. I used to go in there for clothing after I was queen," Wachter said.
"It was in Centre Square," Reiley said.
Before a crowd of more than 1,000, Wachter, then Louise Dudick, 25, a first-grade teacher at the Yorkville School of Pottsville, was crowned the first queen.
"Queen Louise was presented with a bouquet of red roses as she began her reign, and from Pottsville Merchants Association, there was a $250 award in the form of gift certificates," according to the Jan. 29, 1968 edition of The Pottsville Republican.
She married Robert W. Wachter, a Winter Carnival volunteer, in 1972.
Some people who have enjoyed the event over the years, like the Wachters, have returned time and again to help organize future events.
"I was a queen. And that was the beginning of my involvement now for 29 years," Wiest said.
Ties that bind
"Family got me involved. I'm the stage decorator," said Leslie Payne, son of Billie.
"My first stage was in 1970 at Nativity," Payne said.
"I was pageant chair that year for the Snowflakes," Louise Wachter said.
"I've probably been doing it consecutively since 1972. In the beginning, we used to have a lot of volunteers. But over the years, it's streamlined to just a few," Leslie Payne said.
At first, Winter Carnival was something new and fun for the community. Over the years, it became a tradition. According to Billie Payne, Reiley, the Wachters and Wiest, it will continue as long as the association can muster the volunteers.
"We're hoping to get more girls involved. And we encourage young ladies from little up to get involved. They have everything to gain, nothing to lose. And although there's only one official winner in these contests, they're all winners," Louise Wachter said.
"They take something from it, perhaps long-lasting friendships with people they meet from different communities," Wiest said.
On Wednesday, Payne said as far as she could recall, the last Winter Carnival Parade was in 2002. She said the event changes from year to year, depending on the show of support and the funds available.
She said the only thing she was certain about in her many years of being part of Winter Carnival was her own personal commitment to it.
"I think it's great for the community. This is not phony, I love Pottsville and I wanted to keep seeing it grow and I just thought this was a great thing for the city and the county. I just wanted to see it keep going ahead. I'm sorry to say it's not as big as it used to be. It's what we're able to accomplish at this time. We encourage new ideas. We try to get younger people involved and, of course, more sponsorships," she said.