The Lehighton 150 Celebration Committee gathered Tuesday at the borough municipal building for theBrothers of the Brush and Sisters of the Swish registration opening.

In partnership with the Lehighton Downtown Initiative, the committee had members of the Lehighton Police Department present to sign the registration forms and officially become the first Chapter of the Brothers of the Brush/Sisters of the Swish for the sesquicentennial.Borough Mayor Tom Mase officially gave his blessing for the police officers to stray from their normal, clean-shaven appearance and grow their beards."It's just a way that the police could become a part of a great event," Mase said. "After it's over, they'll be back looking like normal."The Brothers of the Brush and Sisters of the Swish are members of a special society that will participate in the borough's upcoming sesquicentennial celebration, which will take place from June 25 through July 2.Committee secretary Autumn Abelovsky said that men and women are being sought to form competitive chapters for the event."In order to reflect the struggles of our forefathers, it would be appropriate to have the look as it did 150 years ago," Abelovsky said. "It is the hope of the LDI and the Lehighton 150 Celebration Committee that many local residents, businesses, groups, etc. will also form chapters and become a part of this wonderful aspect of the sesquicentennial."Abelovsky said that in 1866, men traditionally wore long beards or had some form of facial hair. At that time, shaving required the use of a brush, cup and straight razor, she said.Women during that time wore long, "swishy" dresses and bonnets, Abelovsky said. Makeup was scarce and almost nonexistent for women in small towns, she said.In 1966, Chapters of the Brothers of the Brush and Sisters of the Swish were large groups of solely men or women who participated in the Lehighton centennial. These chapters wore period costume/dress throughout the celebration, going as far as sewing their own dresses, Abelovsky said."In 2016, the sesquicentennial committee has fashioned this historic bonding experience into a type of group participation event that we feel works for the current man/women/family," she said.Those who would like to form a chapter should visit lehightonborough.com, and click on the sesquicentennial logo for applications, rules and where to send completed registrations forms and fees.For more information, contact a member of the LDI, or call or text Bambi at 610-509-6465, or Lisa at 610-573-8331.