On Sept. 26, current and former Egypt residents reunited at Egypt Memorial Park, 4548 Main St., Whitehall, to gather, celebrate and reminisce. The event, held every other year, is called the I Grew Up in Egypt PA celebration.

Initially announced in 2024, this as the second heartwarming gathering. Membership developed on Facebook in the I Grew Up in Egypt PA group, consisting of former and current Egypt residents. The Facebook page membership has grown to nearly 900 members.

The park for these Egypt returnees is hallowed ground. Egypt Memorial Park possesses historical status as the park was dedicated in 1948 to honor the men and women who served in World War II to defeat the fascists, Nazis and the Empire of Japan.

Group members understand the importance and honor the benefits of the memorial park. At the event, many recalled when they were youngsters and there was a wide array of formative activities offered.

Besides paying tribute to each other and their beloved park, attendees said they understand the things they learned many years ago helped them grow into successful adults. The gathering possesses a clear homecoming flair designed to meet, catch up and reminisce with others who grew up in Egypt. A number of attendees gathered at the event as close, lifetime friends. Others who relocated out of the village over the years felt the clock turn back to their carefree youth in the village of Egypt.

The celebration began 10 a.m. and ran until 6 p.m. It was billed as a rain-or-shine event. Although a nor’easter greeted the attendees, the moment one walked into the park pavilion, cool, windy and wet conditions transformed into a warm, goodwill and friendly atmosphere wrapped tightly in shared memories. Despite the inclement, if not nasty at times, weather, the hall was full of attendees socializing and reconnecting with fellow friends.

Organizers had a rich informal agenda that included registration, memory lane, collection of door prizes and displays of memorabilia. Coffee and pastries were served in the morning.

Around noon, the Egypt Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7293 Honor Guard provided a welcome and flag salute. Kornfeind’s Market, of Egypt, provided a full buffet luncheon around 12:30 p.m. The catered food appealed to everyone’s palate.

A Whitehall Historical Preservation Society representative presented the history of Egypt.

Around 3:30 p.m., weather permitting, the Whitehall High School band and dance team were scheduled to entertain the attendees.

During the afternoon, there was bingo and other games. Music from seven decades, provided through a large boom box, gained massive popularity, especially the tunes from the 1970s and 80s. The organizing committee did not want a band or deejay playing music because their sounds might drown out the conversations between attendees, which was a treasured feature of the gathering.

The planned games, including corn hole, basketball, pickleball and more, were unfortunately not conducted because of the weather.

There was a planned cake walk, plus ice cream. Door prize winners were to be called later in the afternoon.

At 6 p.m., there was a heartwarming goodbye and a wish for safe travels to all. Several of those present hoped this lovely, meaningful event continues well into the future.

Delighted attendees spanned six generations — Silent Generation (1928-1945), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1980), Millennials also called Generation Y (1981-1996), Generation Z (1997-2010) and Generation Alpha (2010-2024). This diversity of age was evident.

Kathleen (Walter) Dougherty, a member of the Whitehall High School Class of 1961, served as an editor of the Class of 1961 yearbook and served as the editor of the WHS newspaper called “The Owl.”

Reunion coordinator Suzann Walter, of Delaware; Deb Walter, of Media; and Tom Walter, of Connecticut, are some of the leaders of the event. They are all former Egypt residents whose life took them away from the village. They said they never forgot the value of their roots grown in Egypt during their childhood and formative years.

They and other event volunteers were delighted with the near 200 attendees at the second I Grew Up in Egypt PA event, especially since the weather was not ideal.

The gathering had the ambiance of a happy wedding celebration. All present were given a large name tag to felicitate interactions between the attendees. The magic of this well-conceived and planned event was abundantly evident. This gathering was much appreciated by all.

The attendees’ feelings shared for the park and the memories made in Egypt as they grew from kids through adolescence and beyond are well summed up in “Ode to ‘The Park’” by Karen Zelinsky Walbert: “‘The Park’ holds more memories than any of us can remember or imagine. Some of us were there at the beginning. Love all of you who came after. You let us ‘Love Oldies’ remember where we came from!”

As the festivities ended, attendees left with many more great memories of their beloved community park and village.