Jack Thorpe, grandson of the late Olympic great Jim Thorpe, was given the royal treatment in the town of Jim Thorpe on Saturday, even though he kept insisting, “I’m not the celebrity. My grandpa is.” Still, people shook his hands, posed for photos with him and asked him questions about his heritage and his family.

Thorpe visited his grandfather’s monument and burial site during the town’s birthday celebration for its namesake. He said this is about the 11th time he has come here.

“I love this town,” he said. “My grandpa would be so proud to walk down the streets of Jim Thorpe.”

The celebration was for the 137th birthday of the athlete. This year also the 70th anniversary that the towns of Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk merged and changed their name to Jim Thorpe as a means of obtaining Thorpe’s body to provide a proper final resting place for him.

The birthday events were held at the monument along North Street and then continued to the Jim Thorpe High School football stadium.

The opening ceremony was a Native American Smudge Ritual, a sacred practice of Native Americans involving burning herbs for purifying a space, object or individual. It was conducted by Don Wild Eagle Wuebber.

Following an oration by Wuebber regarding Native Americans’ respect for nature, members of the Jim Thorpe High School track team, accompanied by cheerleaders, carried the Olympic torch through the East Jim Thorpe community and then to the athletic field. Jim Thorpe High School senior Olivia Rosenberger was given the duty of carrying the torch, with the Jim Thorpe Police Department providing an escort.

Jack Thorpe presented custom birthday medals to each of the participating students and advisor Marie Rosahac. The medals were designed and crafted by Ray Brader, who has helped to organize the birthday celebration for over 25 years.

Native American dancers were featured, with a highlight being a hoop dance by Joachim (Star Cloud) Wuebber. The dance utilized nearly two dozen hoops that he danced with simultaneously. Each portion of the dance represented a different subject, ranging from a butterfly to an alligator.

There also were various athletic contests for children.

The birthday celebration was sponsored by the Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency.

James Dougher, president of the JTTA, said the athlete Thorpe was “the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States - overcoming racism, adversities and prejudices.”

“Today we celebrate his many accomplishments as an athlete, as a coach, as the first president of the NFL,” Dougher said. He pointed out that most recently, President Joe Biden posthumously awarded Thorpe the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Dougher gave praise to Pam Ruoff, the JTTA coordinator for the birthday celebration; Ann Marie Fitzpatrick and Brader, who have organized the birthday event for over 25 years, and local and state officials as well as supporting businesses.

He said Thorpe’s achievements “symbolize the highest of human potential and determination.”

Jack Thorpe said that not only did his grandfather win dual medals in the Olympics and excel in football, baseball and basketball, “he and my grandma also won ballroom dancing competitions.”

State Rep. Doyle Heffley read a proclamation he plans to present to Pennsylvania lawmakers on Tuesday.

Remarks also were made by Brad Hurley, on behalf of State Sen. David Argall; Carbon County Commissioner Michael Sofranko, Jim Thorpe borough council vice president Mike Yeastedt, and Andre Castillo of America 250PA, a group planning the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States.

A quartet, the Medicine Horse Players, provided Native American music for the dancers.

Attendee Bill Diehm, a lifelong resident of Jim Thorpe, remembers when the body of Jim Thorpe the athlete was brought to town in 1954. He said he was 8 years old and lived on Susquehanna Street. The long procession which included the hearse carrying the casket went past his home.

Also at the event was Joseph Boyle, son of the late Joseph Boyle, who was considered among the most influential people in bringing Thorpe’s body to the town. The younger Boyle said he was only 1 year old when Thorpe was brought to his final resting place, but he often talked with his father about the occurrence.

As Wuebber talked about the love of nature by Native Americans, three deer were seen playing in a field next to the athletic field.