The 50th Quigg-Clair Block Party

A group gathering after a hard fought softball game between Quigg and Clair (circa 2011)

On Saturday July 3, 1971, a gallon of gas cost 40 cents, All in the Family was the most popular show on television, and the Pittsburgh Pirates were in first place in the National League East (and would win the World Series three months later). That same day, an Upper St. Clair neighborhood tradition was launched that has continued uninterrupted each year ever since. Remarkably, the annual Quigg Drive-Clair Drive Fourth of July block party will celebrate its 50 th edition this summer.

Friends and neighbors will enjoy the mid-summer classic, as they have since the Nixon administration, with both current and former residents descending on the confluence of Clair and Quigg Drives to celebrate Independence Day. The annual event brings together old and new friends who share the common bond of either living or having lived in what we affectionately refer to simply as “The Neighborhood.” It is a tradition unlike any other.

While suburban neighborhoods are often transient, ours was unique in that the core foundation of families that moved in during the 1960s and ’70s remained there for decades and, in many cases, still live there. The neighborhood became unusually close-knit. Families not only watched their children grow up together, but also vacationed, played sports, celebrated holidays, and enjoyed other life events together.

Longtime neighborhood families—Walton, Tomko, McKenzie, Thiros, Cullen, Blass, Giusti, Wilkins, Bulger, Valentino, Teller, Hawkins, Kennedy, Avick, Augenstein, Smith, Eannarino, Morelli, Kelly, Pfeffer, Christman, Dennison, Bauch, and Reichenbach—helped build the block party institution.

Over time, other families—including Rowland, Hutchinson, Halackna, Busse, Zeh, Williams, Bernard, and Zadrozny—moved into the neighborhood in the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s and embraced, added to, and carried on the event and its tradition.

It all began innocently as a one-day celebration of Independence Day with a bike parade, softball game, bingo, and pony rides. Old home movies and pictures from the early years show a lot of plaid pants, bell-bottoms, banana-seat bicycles, and side-burns. The Alexander and Siemens families were the original founders of the event and thought it a good way for the neighbors to socialize and celebrate the holiday together. Ironically, those two families both moved away just a few years later. Little did they know that they were starting a fire that would burn for 50 years.

The party grew a little bigger each year, and as its popularity exploded during the ’70s, it soon became a three-day-and-night free-for-all, featuring kids’ games, a dunking machine, fire truck visit, dinner, bingo, square dancing, golf outing, volleyball, Simon Says contests, movies, Pirate Parrot visits, late-night table games, recovery breakfasts, and unofficial fireworks displays by Bobby Wilkins. And, throw in an adult beverage or two. Pure Americana!

Perhaps no activity was more ridiculous or is as fondly remembered than the ’70s pie eating contests, which always quickly descended into mayhem with pie fights reminiscent of the Three Stooges.

For a few years, a magic show was part of the festivities. However, that ended after the 1981 block party when the magician, who had partaken of a little too much holiday celebrating, stumbled off the porch that had served as his stage, and collapsed into the bushes. Instead of performing, he fell asleep.

An annual grudge match softball game—Clair and Long Drives versus Quigg Drive—was a favorite part of the weekend for years, with yearlong bragging rights at stake. The annual classic matched two former Pirate teammates against one another, with Dave Giusti captaining the Clair and Long team and Steve Blass leading Quigg. Inexplicably, Quigg defied the law of averages to win 34 of the 44 contests held over the years. However, of great consequence, Clair and Long did manage to win the historic 1976 Bicentennial game.

The 1983 gathering is fondly remembered as the “Love Story Block Party” because it served as the romantic backdrop for the introduction of John Schirra to the much-loved, long-time USC school teacher Dee Hamel during the square dance. Four years later they were married, and 37 years later still they credit the magic of the block party for bringing them together.

One of the more unusual years was 2017, when a large underground water main burst just prior to dinner. The resulting geyser and massive sink hole nearly swallowed the bingo tables. If not for the heroic actions of John McKenzie and Brian Cullen, who led people to safety and helped shut off the water, the fecal flood could have had disastrous results.

Since its inception, there is only one person who has never missed a block party. Ellie McKenzie has a perfect attendance record, which she attributes to self discipline and prioritizing the importance of friendships. The Tomko and Cullen brothers are usually vying for the water balloon toss championship. The neighborhood bingo champion is Joan Valentino, and Mike Morelli is the table games champion. And Tula Thiros’ homemade Greek dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) are always a favorite in the dinner buffet line.

In recent years, Billie and Eric Williams have successfully introduced and hosted a corn hole tournament, which replaced square dancing (since very few of us remember the lost art of square dancing).

The weekend festivities also include a golf scramble on the third day, typically organized by Lisa Blass and Glenn Pfeffer. More often than not, the winning team has included at least one member of the McKenzie or Walton clans.

The planning and organizational duties have long been shared by all neighborhood families. In the early years, there was a rotating block party chairman. However, over time Jan Teller, Kim Polosky, and Diane Rowland each stepped up and played huge roles, planning the event for many years, with Ginny Giusti helping as treasurer. Jan is also the official photographer and archivist of the annual party and has dozens of scrapbooks documenting the festivities. More recently, the organizational and logistical duties have been carried out by two women: Kathy Kappert and Melissa Zeh. They have done a wonderful job bridging the old guard neighbors with the current, newer ones to make sure everybody is included and has fun.

The significance of this year’s 50 th block party is not lost on any of the participants. No doubt, stories will be told and toasts offered to the many beloved neighbors who are no longer with us. Among those, special mention and honor to the memories of George Bulger, Dave Teller, Terri Walton, Rege McKenzie, Roy Augenstein, Dave and Betty Kelly, Jack and Eleanor Kennedy, Joe Valentino, Bruce Hutchinson, Fred Bauch, Al and Gloria Smith, and Bob and Gina Wilkins.

Mostly, the block party is about lifelong friendships and maintaining relationships that are now, in some cases, five decades old. It has become an annual pilgrimage for those of us who no longer live in the neighborhood or in Pittsburgh to stay connected with old friends. Now, many of us who grew up there bring our children back for the block party as we connect the past with the present.

It’s unclear if this will be the final block party or if the tradition will continue. However, what is clear is that we have all been blessed to share so many fun and special times over the years. Fifty years is a long time for any tradition to last. And, it’s been a great ride! n

Eleanor McKenzie, leading the bike parade (circa 2010)

Steve Blass (right), leading a “Simon Says” game (circa 2002)

John McKenzie, Dave Bulger, Andy Tomko (circa 1990)