Jun. 7—WYOMING — John T. Yudichak, incoming President of Luzerne County Community College, will serve as the principal speaker at the 146th annual observance of the Battle and Massacre of Wyoming, set for 10 a.m. Thursday, July 4, at the Wyoming Monument National Historic Site, Wyoming Avenue.

The event will remember the 246th anniversary of the battle and is sponsored by the Wyoming Commemorative Association.

Yudichak served as a Member of the Senate of Pennsylvania for 12 years and as a Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for 12 years.

After leaving the state senate, he has been a senior advisor with GSL Public Strategies Group and will begin service as the president of the Luzerne County Community College on July 1.

Yudichak is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and received a master’s degree in American studies from Penn State. He is a board member of the Earth Conservancy and served on the boards of the Luzerne Foundation, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, and the Pennsylvania State Higher Education Authority.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. with a concert performed by the Wyoming Valley Band. The ceremony has tent covered seating in case of rain and is open to the public free of charge.

On July 3, 1778, the fields around what is now the monument ran red with the blood of patriots who were massacred by a combined force of British troops and their Iroquois allies during the Revolutionary War.

Construction on the monument — which marks the gravesite for bones of victims — began in July 1833 but was suspended due to a lack of funds when the monument reached 20 feet.

Construction resumed in 1841 when the Ladies Luzerne Monumental Association, which became the Wyoming Monument Association in 1860, raised money to complete the memorial at a cost of $8,000.

The gathering is a tradition that goes back to 1878 — the centennial of the Battle of Wyoming.

On the 100th anniversary of the battle on July 3, 1878, a commemoration service drew more than 50,000 to hear the main speaker for the event, U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Locals tend to associate the ceremony with the 4th of July, which is when it is often held. But, the association notes, it has always been the customary practice to hold the observance on the 3rd of July when the 4th falls on a Sunday.

In July, 2010, Dr. Joseph Mattioli and his wife, Dr. Rose — both now deceased — donated $100,000 to the Wyoming Monument Association to pay for the restoration of the lightning-damaged historical landmark.

The Mattiolis were guests of honor at the annual commemoration ceremony at the site of the 1778 Battle of Wyoming.

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.