HONESDALE — Welcome back to “From the Archives” a weekly series of photographs and memories culled from my three decades of covering the local news and sports scene.
Today's photo takes us back a quarter century to the heyday of the Hershey Track & Field program here in Wayne County.
A Lasting Legacy
Pictured here are Nathan Heinly, Ben Highhouse, Steven Ace and Dusty Roberts.
The quartet had just finished competing in the Boys 11-12 division of the 4x100M relay during the local Hershey Track & Field meet at Honesdale.
Hershey Track & Field was founded by Dr. Donald P. Cohen in West Virginia back in 1975.
Over the course of the next 40 years, the small local program blossomed into a nationwide entity.
At its height, Hershey Track & Field encompassed all 50 states and parts of Canada. By 2014, it had attracted more than 10 million participants and become the largest youth track & field program in North America.
In 2015, Hershey entered into a partnership with USA Track & Field. The original program was discontinued, replaced by a nationwide “Run, Jump, Throw” initiative geared toward children ages 7-12.
Many in Wayne and Pike County were sad to see the change. For many years, boys and girls from Wayne County competed at local, district and state meets, hoping to earn a trip to Hershey for the finals.
The Wayne County Commissioners honored local medal winners each year at a regularly scheduled meeting. I was often on hand for those meetings, happy to take photos of the medalists and catch a glimpse of the next generation track stars.
Nate, Ben, Steve and Dusty finished second that sun-soaked summer day so many years ago. They were all smiles when I snapped this photo not far from the finish line.
It's a picture that brought a big smile to Dusty's parents when I ran into them recently at a local restaurant.
“Wow that brings back memories!” exclaimed Dick Roberts. “Those were great days. So many fun times at Hershey Track & Field.”
Let us know
Share your feedback on this week's photo “From the Archives” and stay tuned for our next installment.
If you have for a suggestion for a photo you'd like to see, please email me at kedwards@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Tri-County Independent archives memories of Hershey Track & Field
