Allentown parades in celebration of past and future

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-allentown-250th-parade-20120929,0,3642457.story FROM THE MORNING CALL Allentonians proved Saturday that despite what Billy Joel sang about in his 1982 hit, they are indeed thriving here in Allentown, celebrating the city's heritage and progress at the Points of Pride Parade and Community Festival. Waving blue flags commemorating the city's 250th anniversary, spectators crowded the sidewalks on Hamilton Street Saturday morning to watch the history of Allentown march past. Each of the parade's six divisions was devoted to a 50-year period of the city's past. The sixth division was dedicated to Allentown's future, featuring school marching bands and the mascot of the Phantoms minor league hockey team that will make its home at the arena under construction in center city. Diane Parsons, a lifelong resident who hadn't been to a parade in "a long time," said proudly that she came "because I'm an Allentonian." Jane Cope, also a lifelong resident, said she hoped the parade would encourage people to see the changes taking place in Allentown, such as efforts to improve center city.