Fall Festival
Young and old alike, as well as canine revelers, enjoyed the sights, smells, sounds and tastes on Saturday at the annual Butler Fall Festival.
Pat and Linda Schiebel brought their 205-pound English Mastiff, Remington, who laid unfazed on Main Street as multiple youngsters fawned over him and took selfies.
“They're slow-paced, quiet, easygoing and gentle,” Linda Schiebel said of the English Mastiff. “They just lay at your feet at home.”
The Schiebels have another Mastiff and a Cane Corso — also known as an Italian Mastiff — they didn't bring Saturday.
“I've always had big dogs,” Linda said. “I've never had a little dog.”
The couple and “Remy” came to the fall festival from the Village Fest in Slippery Rock, where they make their home. She admitted having a little trouble perusing the vendors, since everyone always wants to pet and talk about Remy.
“We've been here for 45 minutes, and this is all the farther we've gotten,” a smiling Linda said as she motioned to a nearby parking lot.
She called the festival “wonderful” because it included rides, a petting zoo, dozens of vendors and lots of good food.
“This is what Butler needs,” Linda said.
Ava West, 11, wore her Saxonburg Spartans cheerleading jacket while enjoying the festival's crisp weather. She didn't need much excuse to visit Saturday's gathering on Main Street.
“We came because we're hungry,” Ava said. “I got french fries.”
Upon mild cajoling by her mother, Ava admitted that the festivals held in Butler's downtown are important for other reasons as well.
“It supports the local community,” she said.
Heather and Joe Reibel and their three young children weaved in and out of the vendors booths, which were set up along the entire length of Main Street. The festival closed the city's main drag from the courthouse to Brady Street.
“We like to look at all the vendors,” Heather said. “I bought some spice mixes.”
“And kitchen products,” Joe chimed in.
Daughter Makenna, who waited in line to have her hair temporarily dyed a crazy color, was excited about one main thing at the festival.“The pizza!” she said.Butler natives Nancy Daw and Jim Snow sat at a table and sipped a lemonade as they enjoyed the music of Tom Pappas, who played guitar and sang in Diamond Park.The festival featured a different entertainer at the park every hour. Food and drink were equal-opportunity attractions for Daw and Snow.“And we had to have a funnel cake,” said Daw.The couple comes to all the Main Street events in an effort to support their hometown.Snow said Main Street events like the fall festival and the Italian Festival improve the quality of life for the county's residents and could also help attract businesses.Jared Sullivan, the president of Butler Downtown, sipped a cold beer with friends outside of one of Main Street's gift shops. He said business owners and groups like the downtown organization rely on events like the fall festival to remind people that Main Street business districts are alive and thriving.“It's important to have these events to draw attention to what we do on a daily basis,” Sullivan said. “There's something for everyone.”He appreciated the turnout as well as the temperature, which hovered around 60 degrees.Sullivan also liked the diversity of the vendors and artisans who lined Main Street.“They're selling some unique stuff,” he said.Sullivan declared the Butler Fall Festival a success on Saturday.“It's safe, it's clean and everyone is friendly,” he said, “so I'm pleased.”
