Oktoberfest, arts festival brings crowds to Saxonburg
SAXONBURG— Thousands of visitors and more than 250 vendors filled Main Street and the Saxonburg Fireman's grounds for Sprankle's Oktoberfest this weekend.
“People are really enjoying themselves. Everybody's having a great time,” said Doug Sprankle of Sprankle's Market. “It's definitely the experience of Oktoberfest: it's family, it's calm, and it's a community thing. We're really excited.”
The event ran from Friday to Saturday, and is in its third and largest year so far, according to Sprankle.
Events coordinator Brittany Lambermont described the event as involving a lot of teamwork between local groups.
“There's a lot of collaboration from the community, the firemen, the police, the rotary — there's a lot of local help,” she said. “The borough is helping too. Everyone is sort of chipping in.”
The event featured live music, food, beer, and activities, and for the first time, a large number of arts vendors, as the Oktoberfest partnered with Saxonburg to provide space for the Saxonburg Arts Festival after difficulties related to COVID-19.The arts festival ran Friday and Saturday in conjunction with the Oktoberfest, and then Sunday on its own.Some vendor stands were located on Main Street or inside at a building on the firehall's grounds while others were within the gates of the Octoberfest grounds, which required a $7 ticket to enter.The festival brought large numbers, but along with them, some questions from vendors who were used to the old format and arts festival in Cooper Hall.“There's definitely a value in combining it for the community,” Sprankle said. “There's been a few traditionalists, yeah, but I think for the most part that a lot of the people here today are not here for either the traditional arts fest or the Sprankle's Oktoberfest. They're a new customer for us.”According to the Oktoberfest website, vendor fees from the festival went to support the borough, specifically to sustain Roebling Park and Cooper Hall after the pandemic.
Some vendors found the combined format worked well, or wasn't too much different.“The town has definitely had a breath of fresh air,” said Daniel Slater of Saxonburg, who sold paintings at the festival on Main Street and has participated in the arts festival since he was a child. “It's definitely different, but not that significantly. It's going to feel different because we skipped last year with the pandemic.”Laura Hartshorn, who sells jewelry and accessories with Papparazzi Jewelry, had a stand on Main Street. She said that the new format didn't seem to stop people from finding her stand.“Some people are swayed back and forth over the $7 price to get in, but so far, it seems pretty good,” Hartshorn said. “I think it will take some time for people to get used to the new dynamics of everything.”Some other vendors said that the new format may have changed the feeling of the crowds, and some felt that the price or layout of the site was deterring visitors.“There's not a lot of people (in here),” said Justina Tyson of RavenHawk Hand Crafts and ZombieYard Creations, who ran an indoor stand with her husband, Brian, on the grounds. “They did put up some signs to direct them this way, but it's definitely not as busy as outside.”“When you're going to drink and eat, you're not as worried about arts and crafts,” Brian Tyson added.LuAnn Cooper Denson ran a craft goods stand close to the end of Main Street and said that the festival was very different this year.“We've sold a lot of stuff to people, but other people said they wouldn't be coming back (after this),” she said.Lambermont said that Sprankle's and the borough are paying attention to any issues that may arise to improve the festival for future years.“Compared to the scale of the first year, this has grown exponentially,” Lambermont said. “We're taking notes on what we can make better, and we're hoping that it gets even bigger.”
