The Chewton All-Stars was a girl’s softball team based in Chewton, representing the Chewton playground, that played for many years from the 1930s up into the 1970s. They practiced and played at the ballfield in the middle of the small village (on Reserve Square) and competed against club, playground, and church teams from such places as Wampum, Newport, Ellwood City, Enon Valley, Edinburg, Willow Grove, West Pittsburg, Mahoningtown, and New Castle. The heyday of girl’s softball in Lawrence County was the late 1930’s when Chewton competed against such opponents as the Progressive Chapter of Youth Girls, the Mooney Girls, the West End Stars, the Liberty Star Girls, the Factor Varieties, the East Brook Four Point Girls, the Pearson All-Stars, the Croton M.E. Girls, the Checker Girls, the Cherry Street Girls, the West Pittsburg Girls, the DeCaprios, the Shadyside Girls, the African-American girls from Crescentdale, and the Friendship Street Girls. Over the years the Chewton girls played in various leagues and also in a host of weekend tournaments. The playground-based leagues and tournaments began to fade out in the 1970s due to a lack of participation, the general decline of American playgrounds, and the growth of junior and senior high school sports for girls. Several of my family members played for the All-Stars at one time, including my grandmother Irene LaPatka, my mom MaryAnn DeMarc, and my aunts Carol DeMarc, Kay LaPatka, Josie LaPatka, and Mary Sbarra.
To read several short articles from August-September 1938 about the Chewton girls’ team click on: CHEWTON ALL-STARS ARTICLES.
 Chewton All-Stars c1936. |
 Members of the Chewton playground girls’ softball team pictured in late July 1962, having just defeated the girls from Wampum by a score of 25-13. Front row, left to right are Kay Stephenson, Patricia Fosnaught, Rickie Guy, Barbara Miloser, Joyce Ciletti and Linda Cunningham; second row, Marianne Capp, Patty Rozen, Elizabeth Fosnaught, Mary Ann DeMarc, Judy Vansovich and Jean Ann McDonald; third row, Don Hairhoger, coach, Carol Chapell, Cynthia McCarter, Patty Fabich, Carol Jean DeMarc and Rose Marie Ciletti. (D. Miller). Don Hairhoger of nearby Newport, a U.S. Army veteran, was the playground supervisor and the former teacher/principal of the Chewton Public Schools. He went on to be a guidance counselor at Lincoln High School in Ellwood City. |
 Chewton All-Stars July 1963. |
Comments
Elizabeth Fosnaught Bernardi #
Thanks for the memories!
Marty Turner #
Hi Jeff, Chewton All-Stars, 1936 Susie Fidell, my mother is seated in the first row, 4th from left,[identified as Susie Cook] Cam Fidell, my mother’s sister is standing in the 2nd row, 4th from left, directly behind my mother. They have the white stripe on the top of their uniforms.
Thank you for all your hard work. It is very much appreciated.
Marcy Allen Elliott #
Hey, Jeff. Wow, this brings a rush. I am in the picture from 1963 (must have been somewhere else in ’62 since I believe I played that year also). I was in Chewton last week and took some pictures of the house where I lived when this pic was taken. Love the site; thanks for the memories.
Mary (Powell) Kohut #
Nice site. I came across the site while looking up my friend from high school Linda Cunningham. My father was Hump Powell who operated the gas station in Wampum.
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