Morrisville Wawa Celebrates 30th Anniversary

As a teenager, Mike Bray used to regularly cut his grandmother's lawn at the corner of Penn Valley Road and Bristol Pike in Morrisville. It was no surprise when the new Wawa opened in 1983, since he watched the building take form right behind his grandmother's property.

Bray was the third person in line when the Morrisville Wawa first opened on Oct. 14, 1983, and he's been a regular customer ever since. His loyalty was recognized by Wawa officials Tuesday afternoon as employees celebrated the store's 30th anniversary.

"Everybody has always been so friendly," said Bray, who lives in the North Park section of Levittown. "And the coffee is great. I'm in here two or three times a day. I always bring back coffee to the Levittown firehouse."

Longtime customers and veteran employees like Helena Darby where the guests of honor during the afternoon party. They were draped with red sashes and given special gifts commemorating their dedication to the store.

"All three of my children and my sister worked here," said Darby, who has been a store associate for 13 years. "It's just a good company to work for because it truly values the family. They have a lot of great incentives as you move up the ladder."

The celebration started with a dance party as employees and customers stepped along to the Cha Cha Slide. The Wawa employees then lined up for a Wawa Through the Ages parade led by mascot Wally Goose. Each employee held a placard highlighting a particular date in Wawa history, including its beginning in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey, the first convenience store opening in 1964 and in the 1990s when it began offering surcharge-free ATM service.

The anniversary celebration took a pause as Wawa representatives presented a $91,560 donation to the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania.
 
"This is a huge sum of money," said Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Vice President Eric Cushing. 

“It’s been wonderful to celebrate our customers and associates through our Wawaversary events, and as we enter the final year of these celebrations, we are reminded of the incredible bonds that make our associates, customers, and community partners part of one big extended Wawa family,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa’s President and CEO. “These family reunions remind us of the strength of these connections and we want to say thank you to everyone who continues to make Wawa a place that not only simplifies lives, but feels like home.”