From the Republican-Herald: Middleport turns 150

MIDDLEPORT – When the borough council met for the very first time, there were only 33 states, Pennsylvanian James Buchanan was in the White House and the nation was headed for a civil war.

The country has changed radically between 1859 and Saturday, when Middleport celebrated its 150th anniversary. The speakers at Middleport Gardens, however, were nearly uniform in praising the timeless small-town values and attitudes they said they remembered growing up and still see today.

U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, D-17, contrasted how he was greeted with shouts of “Hey Timmy!” while walking in the noon parade with the greeting he’d get from neighbors on his morning walk to work in Washington.

“If you say ‘Hello’ to them, they look at you like you’re going to mug them,” Holden said to laughter. “But that’s not the way we live in Middleport and Schuylkill County, because we all know each other, we all care about each other and we all want to help each other.”

Mayor Josh Leshko echoed Holden’s sentiment when he issued a “simple challenge” for the future success of the borough.

“One person alone cannot drive the success of a town. What can we do? Can we share a friendly smile with our neighbors? Can we share the memories of Middleport with our younger generations?” Leshko said. “The smallest and simplest actions, when brought together, can make a profound and noticeable difference.”…