Linda Gerhard’s work as event coordinator for the Keswick Village Business Association has been instrumental in starting up—and bringing back—a number of local traditions.

To name a few, the Glenside St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival drew over 10,000 attendees to its second iteration in March. The fourth annual Keswick Village Car & Music Festival drew a record 4,000 earlier this month, four months after Christmas in Keswick Village, and six months after the annual Keswick Village Fall Fest.

The first annual (and completely sold out) Glenside en Blanc was held in September.

Gerhard played a major hand in all of them. According to Dianne Killian, a longtime employee of Gerhard’s Appliances, the Abington native also heads up similar events in Doylestown, Ardmore, Ambler, Malvern, Phoenixville, and King of Prussia.

“The car show has grown larger each year with vendor and community attendance. Christmas in Keswick Village has never been so wonderful and attended by many,” Killian said. “She never stops. She brings joy and happiness to every event. Seeing the community come together is what keeps her working hard for us all. If she’s involved you know the planning and execution are done with care and love.”

Emily Wilson, another fellow employee at Gerhard’s Appliances, tags along for many of the outreach endeavors. She described Gerhard as “a woman of the people.”

“I can’t even name how many groups she’s a part of at this point. She does a lot in Ambler as well. In March, she helped put together a scavenger hunt up and down Butler Avenue through the Ambler Rotary Club,” Wilson said. “She’s one of the kindest people. She’s warm and welcoming and makes you feel like you’ve known her forever. She’s fantastic to do all of these things with, and she knows everyone.”

Gerhard is currently Gerhard’s Appliances’ full-time outreach coordinator, a position she has held for the last four years (in addition to serving the role on a part-time basis for 22 years prior). She is the sister of Gerry, Bud, and Richard Gerhard who co-own the company’s seven main showrooms, outlet center in Northeast Philadelphia, and warehouse in Lower Gwynedd.

“In my day-to-day, I get to work with four brothers and one sister, as well as a myriad of nieces and nephews. And we still like each other,” she said, noting that the company is “more than a job, it’s a hobby.”

“Luckily, our company affords me the time to do this work during the day. Usually at night, there’s always something to go to,” she said. “It seems like I’m wired to build, organize, and bring people together, so I don’t mind doing it in my free time.”

In July 2025, Gerhard’s Appliances hosted a Glenside Summer Slam Baseball Tournament at Weldon Fields to benefit St. Peter’s Food Cupboard. In 2023, Gerhard and her niece Kathryn launched a program called “Gerhard’s Gives Back” to support local nonprofits through volunteer work and donations.

“The community has been very good to us over the years, so we decided to give back to many different organizations. We’ve always supported different groups, and then we made it official,” she said.

As part of the program, Wilson said she and Gerhard get together one night a year to create no-sew blankets for One House at a Time (OHAAT), an organization which provides beds and other sleep essentials to families in need in Montgomery County and beyond.

“We get fabric together, then we make them, and then they’re donated. This year, we made and donated 17 blankets,” Wilson said.

A 1977 graduate of Abington Senior High School, Gerhard said she’s currently an active member of 22 business and community organizations, each of which host events, get-togethers, and community-oriented programming throughout the year.

“When an event comes together after all the chaos, you have that moment of ‘Wow, we pulled this off.’ It’s a high you don’t usually get from everyday tasks,” she said.

For Gerhard, displays of gratitude and stories of success are what makes it all worthwhile.

“Those quick thank you’s from people who understand how much time and energy and money go into these events just mean the world to me,” she said. “When these local businesses thrive and have fantastic days because of the crowds we’ve brought in, that’s very satisfying to me as well.”

Though fairly recent, she said the outpouring of support for the 70 fire companies which responded to the SPS Technologies fire last winter is among her fondest memories over the years.

“We have a place in our heart for them,” she said, noting that the catastrophe has gradually brought people and like-minded organizations together to work for the greater good.

“All of the Glenside groups met last week and decided to really work together. It’s creating a ripple effect in terms of energy and pride. We’re trying to create something meaningful,” she said. “I’m trying to get more involved with the Downtown Glenside Foundation so that we can fortify our relationship between the two Glenside organizations.”

Keep an eye out for more of Gerhard’s efforts with the KVBA as we inch closer to this year’s Glenside 4th of July Parade. We’ll be in touch with details come summer.

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Photos: Emily Wilson, Linda Gerhard | Note: Gerhard’s Appliances is an advertiser with Burb Media, the parent company of Glenside Local