Country Fall Festival slated this weekend
ZELIENOPLE — Country Fall Festival fans can come get a taste of what’s happening a day early this year.
The 34th event, sponsored by the Zelienople Area Business Association, will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday across Harmony and Zelienople with free shuttles to transport attendees throughout the two communities.
Only this year, event organizer Ethel Mae Hall said, folks who come Friday can expect to find vendors open for business.
“(We said) why don’t we open on Friday?” she said. “People can stop while they’re setting up.”
That will likely last from around 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hall said.
The annual event is always packed with festivalgoers, vendors and entertainers. Some organizers have estimated up to 20,000 people in attendance in past years, though Hall points out this is not a scientific measurement.
But the event grows every year and, this year, space for vendors will open up near what was once the old Mellon Bank building. It will host all manner of booths and shops, including a chain saw wood-carving artist.
Horse-drawn trolley rides will take attendees around the block, in what Hall said is one of the most popular parts of the festival.
“One time we did a light calculation,” she explained.
She and other volunteers kept track of how many people tend to ride the trolley and multiplied that by how many trips it took.
“Around 2,500 people rode around the block,” she said.
Musical entertainment is set to play throughout each day, while tours and attractions are planned at many of the town’s historic destinations from exotic birds at the Passavant House to historic re-enactments. A chili cook off is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday also will include the second annual Weenie Fun Run, a fundraiser to benefit the Zelienople-Harmony Dog Park. Children and pets can wear Halloween costumes during the Pet Party in the Park from noon to 3 p.m. which will include a K9 officer demonstration and trick or treat.
Sunday includes a car cruise from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Creekside Plaza
Attendees can fill up on traditional Amish doughnuts and homemade soups or can visit new attractions that have just come to the borough.
“We have a lot going on all the time in Zelienople,” Hall said. “We have a lot of new young shops.”
According to Hall, the Zelienople fall festival plays an important part in getting the word out about the borough’s revitalization efforts.
“If you keep people knowing you’re active, they’ll want to come and visit,” Hall said.
From new restaurants to the impending reopening of the Kaufman House, there’s plenty for the town to show off to visitors, she said.
Free parking can be found throughout the borough. For more information, visit www.zeliefallfest.com.
