Event draws 1,000s
SLIPPERY ROCK — The borough's Main Street was packed with activity Saturday as thousands of people walked around enjoying craft vendors, live music and other activities.
It was a sight residents and business owners hadn't seen for two years. Saturday marked the 12th year the borough has held VillageFest, but it also marked a return to having the event downtown on Main Street and in Gateway Park.
Last year the event temporarily moved to the Slippery Rock University campus because the state Department of Transportation would not allow Main Street to be closed while it was part of a posted detour during a Route 8 bridge replacement.
Many of the business owners in the borough anticipated having one of their busiest days of the year, organizer Jen Whitmoyer said.
“The idea is to promote downtown Slippery Rock and the businesses. Every single business is open. They gear up for this day,” she said.
The borough also continued the celebration of its 175th anniversary during VillageFest. Volunteers at the Slippery Rock Development booth handed out 175 free cupcakes and free bracelets.
Visitors also had a chance to have their photograph taken to be placed in a time capsule that will be sealed later this year and opened in 2041, which will be the borough's 200th anniversary.
Visitors to the festival Saturday included residents of the area and also Slippery Rock University students, many of whom had their families in tow as the university held its family and friends weekend.
“I think it's great, there's a lot of unique shopping and food here,” SRU cheerleader Jalynn Sanders said.
Students were promoting the night's football game against Gannon University by wearing “white out” shirts.
Glassblower John Carney was crafting a marble Saturday using a propane torch. Carney said the weather and good turnout made this year's festival one of the best in recent years. Plenty of people were drawn in to check out the glassblowing.
“Lots of people love fire and when they come over and realize what's going on, they stick around,” he said.Slippery Rock-area civic groups used the festival as a chance to raise money or let the public know about efforts of the groups.The Slippery Rock Library, currently located in a rented room in the Community Park, plans to break ground on a new building on North Main Street this spring, said Diane Hyatt, library board vice president.The library is now in its third year of a three-year grant through which an anonymous donor is matching up to $100,000 in donations.“This has been 10 years in the making and the community support has been wonderful,” Hyatt said.In the Slippery Rock Giant Eagle Kids Zone, Mason Duffield, 9, of Prospect and Collin Kretzer, 11, of Saxonburg said their favorite activity of the day was the rock climbing wall. They also participated in a color run that morning, a 5K run and 2-mile walk in which participants get doused in colored powder.“You get to have fun with paint, we put it all over ourselves,” Mason said.Connie Hedglin of Slippery Rock came to the event with her grandchildren, ages 2 and 3.“It's a nice event, you get to meet some of the businesses and some of the people from the community,” she said.
