Folks who happen to see 16 covered wagons and 20 horses clacking and trotting through Harrisville on Friday may think they have been transported back to the mid-1800s.

In reality, they would be witnessing the annual weeklong trek taken by members of the Appalachian Wagon Train Association. The group, based in Norvelt, Westmoreland County, has been promoting the pioneer spirit for more than 40 years.

The wagon train, which traveled through Slippery Rock, Moraine State Park and other sites in northern Butler County earlier this week, will camp at Moraine State Park tonight before heading to Harrisville.

“This is an awesome group,” said Deb Anspach of Harrisville, a member for five years. The 150 families who comprise the membership have come from Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and as far as North Carolina, she said.

For its trek, the association focuses on a historical site or event that took place in the Appalachian region of Pennsylvania.

It is largely a family activity spanning generations, said Edith “Sis” Crosby of Ebensburg, secretary-treasurer.

“We've had them as young as 18 months, and our chaplain, who was in his 80s, just passed away. We all work together as a team to make this event,” Crosby said.

Anspach's contribution included a role in planning the route. She informed local tourism bureaus, road officials, fire departments and police departments when the mile-and-a-half-long wagon train would be passing through major traffic routes.

“Safety is our number one concern. I had to notify PennDOT we would be on (Route) 173 between 1 and 3 (p.m.) on Monday. It's a lot of responsibility,” she said.

PennDOT installs electronic message boards to alert motorists about the wagon train which moves at only 3 mph.

Anspach, like other participants, is also responsible for transporting her own wagon and horses to each campsite. She pulls an 8-by-28-eight-foot trailer that houses her four horses and covered wagon with a Dodge pickup.

“Some just have a truck, canopy and tent. But one family brings a truck, camper, two mules, a wagon and their two daughters,” she said. “The flatbed (of the wagon) goes in the trailer, and they put on the hoops and canvas when they arrive,” she added.

Campsites are always fields on a local farm or at a park.

On Friday, they plan to camp at the Redfoot Farm just south of Harrisville.

“When we get there, we form a big circle. Each wagon has a number and a support vehicle behind it or beside it. The horseback riders are in the middle with the horses. Elam (the chaplain) says a prayer and we are dismissed,” she said.

After settling in, many campers take on special duties. Running the chuck wagon is one of the most demanding.

Ron “Barney” Barnhart, who lives near Greensburg has been helping for nearly four decades to feed 50 to 150 people daily during the annual trek.

“I started helping on the chuck wagon in the late '70s and took it over full time probably 1985,” said Barnhart.

For a $50 ticket, members can be fed three meals a day for the week.

“We might have French toast, bacon, biscuits, eggs and ham for breakfast. Dinner is always a meat, salad and dessert,” said Anspach. The midday meal is a sack lunch.

Other roles behind the scenes include the association's officers, the chaplain, a postmaster and members of the trail, yearbook, youth and pictures committees. Some run a souvenir wagon or sell yearbooks while others make the required pioneer clothes for their families.

Anspach said the group tries to be as authentic as possible without sacrificing safety.

The communities they visit also play a big part in the event. Farmers donate their fields, park managers supply firewood, fire departments deliver water, septic companies take care of portable johns, local talent volunteers to entertain and local trash companies pick up the garbage. The group promises to reciprocate by leaving fields in better shape than when they came.

But the number one job on the wagon train belongs to Jim Doyle of Meyersville, the wagon master for four years.

“If you have a problem, you go to the wagon master,” Anspach said. “He checks all the routes for the whole trip and gives the final OK to leave the field. When he says 'Wagons Ho,' we're on the road at 8 a.m. on the dot. Thank God, I'm in the back of the wagon train. I'm never quite ready.”

Doyle said he might say 'Wagons Ho' five times a day, as the group stops for breaks every two or three hours. Since horses are often spooked by vehicles and at least 20 children are involved, support vehicles leave the field about 45 minutes after the covered wagons.

At least one truck rides behind in case of emergency, Anspach said.

Doyle began participating in the wagon train as a child with his father and grandfather in the 1970s, he said. He was a chief scout before taking on wagon master duties, and his son and daughter have both served as chief scouts under him. He goes over the trail well ahead of time to determine if it is safe.

“Back in January, I was thinking about how to do this,” said Doyle who sometimes has to take the wagon train on main streets but prefers old, dirt roads. “We are not trying to be a weeklong parade. Our main deal is safety,” he said.

Scouts on horseback with yellow bandannas patrol the front and back of the wagon train and use walkie-talkies to warn of oncoming traffic.

Though the participants have a lot of responsibility, it's not all work. In the evening, the members gather for activities like the popular bonnet and hat, beard, and ugly man contests. Local volunteers entertain and the children play games. The public is invited to most evening activities.

Doyle said that many who get involved in the wagon train are horse people.

Expensive horses or wagons are not necessary, he said, but some horses just won't wagon train.

“It's almost like a sport. Some horses are good at it,” he said. “It's just another way to use your horses. If you have them anyway, it's a fun game to play.”

But for Anspach, it's more than a game. “It's the best thing that's ever happened to me because there's an adventure, there are other horse lovers ... we're all one big happy family seeing Mother Nature at her best,” she said.

The public is invited to visit the wagon train at some of its stops. The following is an approximate itinerary:<b>Today </b>7:30 p.m. — Inspirational singer Isaac Cole, 14, and his praise band at Moraine State Park campsite, 225 Pleasant Valley Road, Portersville<b>Thursday </b>8 a.m. — Trek continues north in a loop to the east and returns to Moraine State Park campsite.7 p.m. — Children’s games followed by an ice cream social<b>Friday</b>8 a.m. — Trek continues north to Redfoot Farm campsite, 4340 West Flynn Highway, Harrisville8 p.m. — Talent Night, karaoke with Kristie McVicker<b>Saturday</b>9 a.m. — Trek continues in a loop north of campsite and returns to Redfoot Farm.The wagon train should be driving through Slippery Rock on Friday and Harrisville on Saturday