Community has always been at the heart of Funfest and now the Funfest Committee is asking the community to help select the inaugural Funfest Hometown Hero.

The Hometown Heroes initiative was started this year as a way to honor local military service members, emergency first responders and medical professionals for their service to Greater Hazleton.

Every month since January, community members have been submitting their nominees for the contest and the Funfest Committee members have been voting to select that month's winner. All seven monthly winners are now in the running to be selected as the Funfest 2020 Hometown Hero.

Although there can only be one overall winner, all seven of the monthly winners and all other nominees who were submitted as part of the contest will be honored during this year's re-imagined Funfest Parade on Sunday, September 13.

Those in the running for the Funfest 2020 Hometown Hero are: the late Air Force Sgt. Howard Collice, Sgt. Keith McAlarney of the Hazleton Police Dept., former Hazleton Police Chief Jerry Speziale, firefighter Alan Houseknecht, former Marine Joseph Barna, firefighter and EMT Tony Colombo, and former Hazleton Police Chief and Army National Guard member James R. Joseph.

Other submissions include: the Lehigh Valley Health Network-Hazleton staff, Alan Jadush of the Hazleton Police Dept., former Marine Jonathan Velez, former fire chief and Navy veteran William Getz, firefighter John Simkovich, the late CPL Eric J. Smith of the U.S. Army, and Judge Joseph Homanko Sr.

Voting to select the Funfest 2020 Hometown Hero began on August 1 and will continue throughout the month of August. To submit your vote, take part in the poll at the top of the Funfest Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FunfestHazleton (or click on this link: https://www.facebook.com/FunfestHazleton/app/126231547426086/?app_data=%7B%7D) or email your choice to .

More information on Funfest 2020 will be announced shortly via www.funfestpa.org and the Funfest Facebook page. Anyone with questions can contact Mary Malone at or call 570-455-1509.