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Brookline Boulevard in July 1965 was the site of a kickoff parade for a yearly fundraising carnival held at the Brookline Community Center. Leading the way here are the Cub Scouts of Brookline Pack#6. The parade began at Pioneer Avenue, heading down the Boulevard to Breining Street, then on to the Community Center entrance.
After the parade, ceremonies were held to open the festivities. Funds were being raised to continue the construction of a new Recreation Building, a rendition of which is illustrated on the billboard in front of the podium.
Carnivals at the Community Center became a yearly event in the 1950s and 1960s, with the funds raised going to improvements of the Community Center grounds. The long-term goal was the construction of a new Recreation Building. At the time, the Community Center was owned by the people of Brookline. The events were sponsored by the Community Center Association. The following year, in 1966, a final solution was found. The land was sold to the city for $1, and in 1970 a modern Recreation Center was finally built. Further expansion and improvements by the city led to the creation of Brookline Memorial Park.
A last note on the old Community Center Recreation Building and the carnival in 1965 ... The photo below was sent to me from a visitor from the northside of Pittsburgh in 2002. A home was being remodeled. When they tore up the kitchen floor they found this large poster board underneath. It looks quite similar to the poster board adorning the Recreation Center Building in the photo above from the 1965 ceremony. Almost 40 years later it resurfaced in pretty good condition. Wish we could have gotten that one to hang at the current Recreation Center, but ...
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