George Guido: Herr Stadium to become part of New Kensington community garden

By: George Guido
Saturday, March 19, 2022 | 7:13 PM

One of the Alle-Kiski Valley’s historic athletic facilities, the place where the first local night football game was played, is turning into a community garden.

Herr Stadium, in the Parnassus section of New Kensington, was once a dual-purpose, football-baseball facility.

It has been, basically, a playground over the past 30 years, serving the students at the former Fort Crawford Elementary School.

But the New Kensington- Arnold School District sold the grounds to the Salvation Army in 2019. Now, the Salvation Army will sponsor a community garden, replacing the garden that was located in the 800 block of downtown New Kensington. But the portion of the outfield and southernmost most area of Herr Stadium will become a community garden.

The playground is scheduled to stay.

Friday night lights

On Oct. 17, 1930, Parnassus, then its own school district, rented a set of arc lights for the football game against Har-Brack. Though Har-Brack won, 21-13, Parnassus fullback Shyrocks Rybalski became the first local person to score a nocturnal touchdown.

At the time, both Parnassus and New Kensington high schools used Herr Stadium for football. When the two schools played, it was an understatement to say the rivalry was fierce.

There were fights, strikes and rioting between fans from both communities — and that was just leading up to the games.

Parnassus and New Kensington were not only separate school districts but separate municipalities that had their own police and fire departments, town councils and other services.

But on Election Day 1930, voters from both municipalities decided to consolidate. The expanded New Kensington, popularly known as Ken High, used Herr Stadium into the 1940s before the current Valley High Memorial Stadium opened in 1947. Because of its low-lying area below street level, the field would stay wet even several days after a rainfall. Ken High opponents derisively called the field the “duck pond,” but Ken High fans took it as a term of affection.

Baseball still was played at Herr Stadium for many years. In fact, when Ken High athletic director Al Dunn headed the WPIAL baseball committee, a huge number of games were scheduled for Herr Stadium into the 1960s.

Things changed when Ken High built its own baseball field where the Northern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center now stands.

The last big sports event at Herr Stadium was the 1983 state Little League junior division semifinal where Natrona Heights defeated Ingomar.

Kaniecki dies

Tom Kaniecki, who founded the girls basketball and softball programs at St. Joseph High School, died March 12.

He was 77.

Kaniecki not only served as a sports builder and coach, he was the prime organizer of the St. Joseph Annual Golf Outing for over 30 years.

A 1962 St. Joseph graduate, Kanecki had a tryout with the Baltimore Orioles before an injury curtailed his baseball career.

Arrangements were handled by the Rusiewicz Funeral Home and Lower Burrell, and Kaniecki was interred at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Lower Burrell.

The family asks that memorial donations be made to St. Joseph High School, 800 Montana Avenue, Natrona Heights, PA, 15065.