Emlenton festival visitors drive home happy
Splishing, splashing, hot rides and various critters greeted visitors on the final day of the 42nd Emlenton Summer Festival.
The three-day festival featured a car cruise, petting zoo and a reptile show, among other functions, on its final day.
“We got to see the goats,” said 3-year-old Gunner Graf.
Parents Joe Graf and Tracy Hartle accompanied Gunner and his brother Carter, 7.
Carter said he liked the car cruise as much as the other activities.
“I liked all of the them,” he said.
Hartle said both boys participated in the bicycle race on Friday, and she thought the splash pad was a nice addition.
According to event officials, the splash pad was installed this year, replacing a pool that was in the same place but unused.
“The splash pad was a big hit,” she said.
While children enjoyed the various activities, the adults gravitated toward the muscle cars, classic pickups and old roadsters lining the street.
Glenn Beichner, of Clarion, brought his 1955 Bel-Aire for the show. Beichner said he bought the car in the 1970s, and, for a while, it went into storage.
“After 25 years, my wife said you either gotta fix this up or sell it,” Beichner said.
Beichner enlisted the help of Bob Darney, of Columbiana, Ohio, to fix up the Bel-Aire. The classic car shined Sunday with a two-tone coat of pearly white and a red color close to candy apple.
Beichner said he likes bringing the vehicle to the Emlenton festival because it pays respect to his late wife, Marsha, who died in 2017 from ovarian cancer. He said she was the one who encouraged and supported him in getting the vehicle restored.
“There’s a lot of sentimental value there,” he said, nodding at the car. “I’ll probably never sell it.”
The three-day event is organized by three members of the Emlenton Civic Club.
“The car cruise is our best-attended event,” said Tina Zychowski, one of the festival’s organizers. “We’ve established good relationships with car enthusiasts from three different counties.”
The festival began Friday with townwide yard sales, a junior fishing derby, a cake walk fundraiser and a children’s bicycle race. On Saturday, children got to participate in a scavenger hunt, treasure dig and a frog hopping contest.
Sarah Reynolds, another of festival organizers, said the frog hopping contest was particularly popular.
“They really enjoyed it,” she said.
Each day also featured a number of events tailored for the whole family, like the parade and fireworks on Saturday.
“Festivities are family-oriented,” Zychowski said.
Zychowksi said she is happy to continue the festival, which had been hit hard by COVID-19. She said getting volunteers has become difficult, and she hopes this year’s festival displays the amount of work that needs done every year.
“For this type of event to continue, you need to have the bodies and the investment,” Zychowski said.
Planning for the next festival will begin in January, and those interested may contact the planning committee through the website at www.emlentonpa.com.
