Coaldale's Boy Week - 1927

Coaldale’s Boy Week

Source: Ed. A. Zwiebel, The Sport X-Ray, Pottsville Republican, May 27, 1927

All Coaldale is interested in this week is its Boy Week. This is an annual affair up that way and each year it is growing in size and importance. Coaldale folks make a real success of this Boy Week program and it has produced results.

In this respect Coaldale is just one big leap ahead of the reminder of the county. It took this little community to set the pace while Pottsville, Shenandoah and Mahanoy City, many times larger, are content to sit by and do nothing for the boy.

There is apparently one reason why the larger towns have not taken up the matter of Boy Week. It appears as if they are entirely too indifferent and continue to make the mistake of not taking interest in the little fellow.

Another reason probably is that Coaldale has taken the field first and the larger towns are not inclined to follow in the footsteps of a smaller community. If a movement is a good one, what matters is who starts the ball rolling.

Up in the football capital of the county they take an interest in their boys. Not only do they do this one week in the year when they turn the town over to the lads, but they do it every year. If you do not believe this take a trip up there yourself.

The writer has publicly stated that the remainder of the county would be doing well if they took a leaf out of the Coaldale book and that argument still holds good. The little borough up the line is one hop and a big jump ahead of the remainder of the county.

It Helps the Boy

Aside from showing the lad that the grownups are interested in him the Coaldale Boy Week is so cleverly designed as to make the boy take an interest in his old home town. That breeds community spirit and community spirit is lacking in many towns in this county of Schuylkill.

Listed among the prizes awarded last night was one for the boys building the float that best told of some historic event in the history of Coaldale. This not only interested the lads but it made the industry their community. That’s a mighty good idea.

Another prize was offered for the neatest appearing lad in line. First the committee got the lad interested in his old home town and then they offer him a prize that would stimulate him into taking more interest in his personal self. That makes a pretty good combination.

It is civic pride that makes any community. The best place to start it is in the growing boy. Once he gets it at that age he is not likely to cast it aside at a later day. Coaldale is progressing in the right direction. It is to be regretted that they are alone.

An Athletic Viewpoint

Coaldale’s interest in the boy has brought results. At a banquet given to St. Mary’s High School football team last fall it was brought out that several gaps must be plugged in the Big Green outfit next season.

To other communities this would present a difficult problem. But not in Coaldale. Jimmy Gildea was present at that banquet and his smile showed there was nothing to worry—because Coaldale grid players were coming home from college to plug up those gaps.

Coaldale’s football team was not quite so successful last year as in previous years. They had several jobs on the eleven that needed strong men. Did they step out and import talent? No. They had patience, waited for the home boys at college to return. They will next season.

It is absolutely nothing more than the interest these boys have in Coaldale that is bringing them back to the old lot they started out from. Coaldale don’t buy its athletic prowess, they make it. That’s a far more satisfactory way of doing it. It’s surer.