While the facilities of the Weirton Steel Corp. and its successors that once dominated downtown Weirton appear to be no more, that doesn’t take away from the history and traditions for which they stood.

That includes an annual picnic where longtime steelworkers gather to reconnect and relive their experiences as they contributed to the building of America and the rest of the world.

The Weirton Steel 25-Year Club has existed for more than 75 years, and, for much of that history, has organized a picnic for employees and retirees with at least 25 years of service in the local mill. It is a summer tradition which has brought individuals from across the country back home for an afternoon of friendship and recollection.

This year’s picnic will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Serbian Picnic Grounds, and we are wishing all those who plan to attend to have a great time.

The history of the picnic can be traced back to some of the earliest days of Weirton Steel Corp., originally organized as a way for the company to honor the dedication of its employees. In the years since, the 25-Year Club was organized and took over the duty of planning the event, with support from several local businesses.

While the manufacturing of Weirton Steel — as well as National Steel, ISG, ArcelorMittal and Cleveland-Cliffs — has come to an end in our area, we appreciate the efforts of those in the 25-Year Club to keep this tradition going.

It helps local steelworkers, past and present, to reconnect with friends made over generations of manufacturing, while preserving a vital part of the community’s history.

The future of those facilities is pretty dim these days, with Cleveland-Cliffs shutting down all tin manufacturing and work toward a proposed electrical transformer plant halted before it could really begin, but it’s good to see this element continue Saturday and, hopefully, for many years to come.