A chili cook-off will again be part of this year's Zelienople-Harmony Country Fall Festival Saturday and Sunday. Above, contestant Tom Baker scoops a chili sample. He was last year's People's Choice winner.

ZELIENOPLE — This year marks a quarter of a century that the Zelienople-Harmony Country Fall Festival has been treating local communities to family entertainment.

Sponsored by the Zelienople-Harmony Business Association, this year's festival will be held Saturday and Sunday.

The festival includes a variety of family entertainment including music, food, crafts, historic education, a farm market, a chili cook-off and a health fair.

Events will be in several sites: Four Corners Park and along Main Street in Zelienople, along Mercer Street in Harmony and at the Zelienople Airport off Route 588.

The chili cook-off, the health fair and children's games will be at the Main and West Spring Street parking lot.

"We try to provide as many events that the whole family can enjoy," said organizer Ethel Mae Hall. "And people can learn so much of past history through the re-enactors."

Re-enactor groups will include a Civil War encampment, mountain men and World War II enthusiasts. Horse-drawn wagon rides are also planned again this year.

A number of new attractions have been added.

A children's area will be featured next to Roach & Zeigler with an array of games.

The Zelienople Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 857 will present displays on aviation as well as aircraft and factory-built airplanes.

The Condor Aero Club will give airplane rides for a fee to cover its costs. The Condor Aero Club has been at the Zelienople Airport for more than 50 years.

Both of those events will be on Saturday at the airport just west of the borough.

An antique and collectible auction will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at the antique tent in Main Street Park at the corner of Main Street and Grandview Avenue.

Some of the festival's other regular activities include sidewalk sales, crafts, a farmers market and food vendors.

Outdoor music and entertainment will be scheduled at the gazebo and various sites on Main Street. Among the acts scheduled are The Country Tradition, Amos & Cookie Mazzant, Pat Blackburn, The Banjo All-Stars, The Butler Notables, Mr. Bill's Dulcimer, Trapper John, the Southernaires and Jon Fisher.

The Strand Theater Initiative's fifth annual Northern Nightmares Halloween Festival will be held on Friday and Saturday nights throughout October and again will be part of the fall festival.

There will be a Nightmare Tour on which a trolley takes visitors on a 4-mile loop between Zelienople and Harmony to see sites that are said to be haunted. The trolley stop is at the corner of Main Street and Grandview Avenue behind the Frightfest Tent.

A silent movie festival with classic monster movies will be presented at the Strand Theater at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

There also will be events at the festival tent. Dance schools, bands and ghost-story readers will perform for free, and there will be Halloween-themed programs in between the nightmare tours.

A new Moonlight Dance also will take place from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday with mixed music and featuring Halloween favorites.

A shuttle van will be available for all festival areas including Main Street in Zelienople, Mercer Street in Harmony and the Zelienople Airport.

<B>WHAT: </B>25th annual Zelienople-Harmony Country Fall Festival<B>WHEN: </B>9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday<B>WHERE: </B>Events will be at three locations: Four Corners Park and along Main Street in Zelienople, along Mercer Street in Harmony and at the Zelienople Airport off Route 588.<B>INFORMATION: </B>Call 724-452-5571 or visit the Web site, www.zelienopleharmonyfallfestival.com.