Stars, stripes and songs: Martha Moyer stands out

When you walk into the Lehighton Recreation Center for the opening day of the annual Carbon County Senior Games, one woman always stands out from the sea of red, maroon, yellow, blue and orange shirts.

Martha Moyer may not be the tallest woman in the crowd, but her big personality, paired with her patriotic attire, shines like a spotlight on the Jim Thorpe area woman.

As the games get underway, participants also get to see the talent that Moyer possesses as she performs her rendition of the national anthem. This year marked the ninth year she has performed at the start of the games.

Moyer loves to sing, and she is showing that you need to follow your dreams.

“I feel privileged to sing here every year, and I look forward to doing it,” she said, wearing a sequined American flag baseball hat for the competition after the ceremony. “As long as God gives me a voice, I will keep singing. I sing a lot of other places, too.”

When asked why she dons a variety of patriotic attire, complete with hats, scarves, and jewelry, Moyer smiled and said, “I think it’s important. I believe in America. I believe that people in this nation fought for this nation and I think we should be proud of what we have. We are the only nation like us in the world and it’s something we should be proud of it.”

Moyer laughed as she spoke about her age, saying that she tells her kids she is now six dozen years old. She said that the Carbon County Senior Games is an important event for the aging community.

“It’s a wonderful social event,” she said. “I love all the people. The first year I was here I got involved with two other ladies, one from Palmerton and one from Lehighton, and the three of us got along famously. It was amazing. We had the best time ever and it wasn’t about the competition. It was about the fellowship.

“That’s why I come back every year. It’s the people,” she added. “It’s nice to come back and see friends. It’s like a big, happy family. That’s what I truly enjoy about the games.”

When not participating in the games, many can find Martha using her creativity as a hair and wig stylist at Shear Adventure Styling Salon in Jim Thorpe.