Roaring start to Cranberry festival on Thursday
CRANBERRY TWP — Crowds of local residents and visitors gathered under clear evening skies in Cranberry Township Community Park to mark the first day of the annual Community Days festival.
The three-day family-friendly event is managed by Cranberry Township Community Chest. The festival gathers its proceeds for an annual fundraising project, with this year’s festival funds benefiting the renovation of the Kids Castle playground.
Susan Hoolahan, who is president of UPMC Passavant McCandless and Cranberry, spoke on behalf of UPMC — the Community Days event’s lead sponsor — at opening ceremonies to start the festival.
“We’ve been the sponsor for the past twelve years, and it’s really important to us,” Hoolahan said. “I feel like it’s a great way to give back to the community, and we certainly are really here to try and support all of the healthcare needs. There’s so many young families moving into this area, and we really try to tailor our services to really meet their needs.”
The number of visitors to Community Days already is anticipated to exceed past years, Cranberry township supervisor Mike Manipole said.
“The parking is filled, and that’s so uncommon for the first night,” Manipole said. “We’ve been marred with bad weather the first night for years, but this year it’s beautiful.”
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