GROVE CITY — With Western Pennsylvania approaching peak fall colors, hundreds of people celebrated the season here Saturday.

Saturday was the annual Grove City Fall Fest held in Grove City Memorial Park.

The region's slate of fall activities was dampened a little by rainy weather the previous weekend, but Saturday was sunny and pleasant.

“We're very fortunate to have such nice weather. It's nice to see the park getting used for community social events,” said Linda Wampler of Grove City.

The festival, which has been held since 1998, features craft vendors, a yard sale, hay rides, pumpkin decorating, food and a scarecrow decorating contest.

It is also a chance for some local organizations to raise money.

Relay for Life raised money through the yard sale and a quilt raffle.

Volunteers with the Grove City chapter of the Philanthropic Education Organization served hot dogs, pizza, drinks and apple desserts.

The PEO group holds three fundraisers a year, member and retired Grove City teacher Heather Hough said.

It sells food at Fall Fest, it held a rummage sale in September and it will hold a dinner in November.

“Anything we raise goes to scholarships to educate women,” Hough said. “It's a wonderful organization.”

For more information about PEO scholarships, visit PEOinternational.org.

Grove City Chamber of Commerce held its annual Great Balls of Fall raffle, for which it released numbered golf balls into an obstacle course and gave out cash prizes.

Grove City United Way had planned several competitions, but had to cancel them on short notice, a festival volunteer said.

Grove City Volunteer Fire Department was at the park giving out plastic firefighter helmets to children and allowing them to get a close-up look at a fire truck.

Other activities for children included hay rides and arts and crafts.

Cruz Brahler, 6, of Pine Township, used a sharpie to decorate a small pumpkin to take home.

Cruz said he enjoys celebrating fall and doing fall activities.

“I like Halloween and jumping in piles of leaves,” he said.

Cruz's mother, Christina, said their family always goes to the fall festival, one of the annual staples for Grove City-area residents.

“It's a really nice town, everyone is very friendly. It's a quaint old-fashioned town,” she said.

Heather Uber of Liberty Township said she takes her children to the festival every year.

She agreed that Saturday offered nice weather.

“We've had our winter coats on for this some years,” she said.