Cranberry Community Days returns with food, fun and a fireworks finale
For three days every summer, Cranberry Township’s Community Park becomes the site of one of the most highly anticipated annual events in southwestern Butler County.
The Cranberry Township Community Chest nonprofit will host Cranberry Township’s Community Days from Thursday to Saturday, July 10-12, a tradition that has only expanded over the last 50 years.
The festival brings together residents, local businesses and organizations for a high-energy weekend filled with plenty of food, fun and fireworks.
“It’s just an exciting multiday family event, culminating, obviously, with the fireworks on Saturday night,” said township manager Dan Santoro, who regularly finds himself driving one of the shuttles that takes attendees to and from the park.
The event kicks off Wednesday evening, July 9, with Martinis with Monet, an outdoor art showcase and cocktail party at the township’s municipal center.
From there, the celebration picks up with three days of carnival rides, live music and vendor booths. All of that action will coincide with signature events, including the Cranberry Chase 5K, Cruisin’ Cranberry Car Show, Lions Club Pancake Breakfast, Battle of the Badges, Santa’s Summer Visit, dance performances and dozens of other family-friendly activities.
Younger attendees can also explore hands-on crafts, games, and inflatables scattered throughout the park.
Food trucks and other specialty vendors will be on hand to offer everything from sweet treats to savory festival staples.
Santoro said all of the township’s departments chip in to make it a worthwhile celebration for community members of all ages.
“It’s a well-oiled machine,” he said. “Every department has a hand in the setup and ongoing successful operation of that. We have a great team here, and that team is, of course, led by the Cranberry Township Community Chest, but the staff then does a lot of the planning.”
That doesn’t even factor into all of the community volunteers that devote their time to make the event a memorable occasion for hundreds of families.
“We have armies of volunteers — everything from the Rotary clubs, the Lions (Club International), the local churches,” Santoro added. “Folks come out and volunteer to help us put this thing together and make it run smoothly for the three days that it does. It takes a great effort.”
As is tradition, the celebration will be capped off with a bang — a Pyrotecnico fireworks finale Saturday night.
Parking is free, but donations are encouraged and go toward local nonprofits and CTCC’s annual Project of the Year. According to the event map, guests must enter the park at Ernie Mashuda Drive from Route 19. If it’s raining, guests should use directional signage to Yellow Lot from Progress Avenue to Unionville Road to E. Kensinger Drive.
