Chain saw art part of activities in Cranberry
CRANBERRY TWP — The Community Park was alive with the sound of chainsaws, carbureted gas engines and carnival rides Thursday night as the 42nd annual Community Days kicked off.
The event officially began Wednesday night with the Martinis With Monet art expo at the municipal center, but Thursday was the first night for events in the Community Park — starting with the Cruisin' Cranberry classic car cruise.
This is the 10th year for the car cruise, but it was Ron Shemela's first time.
Shemela, an Adams Township supervisor, brought his recently restored 1975 Ford F-250 to the cruise. He bought the truck new in 1975 from Jacks Ford in Sarver. Shemela said he used it for his remodeling business until 1995, when he retired it from work and bought a new truck.
It sat until four years ago when Shemela began the restoration, which he just completed last fall. His first major trip in the truck, up to Clarion's Autumn Leaf Festival, was cut short when he had issues with the gas tank. But the kinks have been worked out and he's taken it to a few shows this year.
“You meet a lot of neat people,” he said.
Friends Amy Pontius and Danielle Dunmire, both of Cranberry, walked around the event while their children played games, ate food and rode carnival rides to their hearts' content.
In addition to the rides, Dunmire said her kids can't wait to see the chain saw carvings and the artists at work.
“I love it,” she said. “It's amazing to me. I can appreciate the talent it takes to do this.”
While chain saw artists have been at the festival before, the dedicated Chain Saw Expo and Village is new and features 12 international chain saw artists using electric or cordless saws to sculpt wood on site.There will be sculptures available for sale at the village, during a live auction Friday and Saturday nights, and at an online auction that opens on July 16.Pontius said she enjoys visiting the various vendor booths laid out throughout the park.“I like to walk around to see the businesses and see how it's grown up over the years,” she said.“You see things you didn't know were in the area,” Dunmire added.The vendor area was expanded by 50 percent this year and reorganized to make it easier for attendees to navigate. More than 175 booths were laid out in neighborhoods with corridors named after local streets and booths labeled with house numbers.Community Days will continue Friday and Saturday. The carnival and vendor booths open at 4 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and close at 11 p.m. all days.Live entertainment will perform each night at the Rotary Amphitheater. Fireworks will cap off the event at 9:45 p.m. Saturday in the park.The event is hosted by the Cranberry Township Community Chest. For more information, visit ctcchest.org.
