Slippery Rock to host annual festival to cap off summer
As the Slippery Rock community welcomes back its students for another school year, the 22nd annual Slippery Rock VillageFest is coming to the borough to celebrate the community.
The event will bring live music, food and more to Slippery Rock’s Main Street and Gateway Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13.
Tom McPherson, executive director of Slippery Rock Development, said the event has been fully booked for quite some time, and he expects to see about as many vendors as last year.
“We have 136 spaces, and those are all full. Some people have more than one space, but I would say we still have over 120 individual vendors there,” he said.
McPherson said vendor stalls will feature “just about anything,” including food, crafts, pottery, jewelry, informational booths and more.
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Noah Morando works at the North Country Brewing tent on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in downtown Slippery Rock at VillageFest. Butler Eagle File Photo
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Damian Hambley hands out poppies to all who would like them on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 16, 2023, in downtown Slippery Rock at VillageFest. Butler Eagle File Photo
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June Schroeffel, 4, of Grove City, gets her face painted by Olivia Ace, 11, on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 16, 2023, in downtown Slippery Rock at VillageFest.Butler Eagle File Photo
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Faith Erwin, of Mercer, with Erwin Concessions, hands a customer a sno cone on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 16, 2023, in downtown Slippery Rock at VillageFest. Butler Eagle File Photo
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Donny Ras, 9, of Foxburg, left, and Lukas Hunt, 11, of Emlenton, look over the free stickers at the Chasing Airplanes tent on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 16, 2023, in downtown Slippery Rock at VillageFest. Butler Eagle File Photo
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Downtown Slippery Rock was packed with people and vendors on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, for VillageFest. Butler Eagle File Photo
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Trace Tuskin gets his face painted at Slippery Rock VillageFest on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Eva Toth tries to get Abigail Toth to smile for a photograph as she is held by her mother Kristin during Slippery Rock VillageFest on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Chad Morgante gets the last chair over Brooks Thompson during a round of musical chairs at Slippery Rock VillageFest on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Children play musical chairs at Slippery Rock VillageFest on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
To account for closing Main Street and the Gateway parking lot, a free shuttle will run between the East Lake and West Lake parking lots at Slippery Rock University to the event.
Two musical acts will take over Gateway Park’s gazebo starting at 11 a.m. with Hot Rod Willie, a band based out of Youngstown, Ohio. They will perform until 1 p.m.
Then, at 3 p.m., Piano Maniacs Dueling Pianos will take over the gazebo until 5 p.m. According to its website, the company performs dueling piano shows, where two pianists compete for audience approval.
McPherson said the parking lot of Gateway Park will be dedicated to The Kids Zone, a special section featuring games and entertainment tailored to children. Some of the features young attendees can enjoy this year include a balloon artist, a magic act, miniature golf and even a petting zoo.
A section of The Kids Zone will be dedicated to offering activities geared to children age 5 and younger. Children will also be able to compete in both musical chairs and a hula hoop competition.
“There will also be a photo booth back there between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. There’s going to be a superhero and a princess that you can take photos with, or you can just do it with a group of friends or family,” McPherson added.
Businesses and restaurants in Slippery Rock will be open during the event, with many setting up booths in front of their shops.
In recent years, VillageFest has been held at the same time as a home game for the Slippery Rock University’s football team. This year is no exception, with SRU set to host Shepherd University at 6 p.m. the same day.
Also happening on Saturday, the Slippery Rock United Methodist Church is having a craft and bake sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 130 Franklin St.
There will be vendors inside and outside the church, and Amish doughnuts will be on sale. The sale benefits Slippery Rock United Methodist Church and Feed My Sheep, a local food cupboard.
Slippery Rock VillageFest launched in 2006, during efforts to revitalize sections of the borough.
“We started that after we were doing major renovations to Main Street. We wanted to get people downtown. I think we’ve succeeded,” McPherson said.
McPherson said he is proud of the “tremendous” number of attendees the event draws each year. More than 15,000 attended in 2023.
