Little bit of everything available at VillageFest
SLIPPERY ROCK — It took more than a brief afternoon shower to dampen spirits at Saturday’s VillageFest.
The borough’s main street from Cooper Street north to the Franklin/New Castle Street intersection was blocked off so an array of artisans, craftsmen, food vendors, restaurants, artists, businesses and organizations could offer their wares to passersby.
Browsers could choose from among jewelry, art, coffees and teas, crafts and goat milk fudge.
Or they could try to grab currency blowing in the inflatable tube at the Slippery Rock University Credit Union’s display.
Mekenzie Burton, a member service representative for the credit union, offered people a chance to stick their hands through openings in the tube to grab all the money they could hold in 20 seconds. However, there was a catch.
“There’s real and fake money. Whatever is real, they get to keep,” said Burton. She said a lot of people were stepping up to try their luck.
The credit union was also offering people a chance to spin a wheel and win prizes such as pens and water bottles.
“It publicizes the credit union. We like to do things in the community,” Burton said.
David Champion’s Frankenstein’s monster and owl chainsawed out of hardwood were drawing attention from the crowd.
The SRU professor of criminal justice started using a chainsaw to sculpt seven years ago.
“I picked it up on my own. I have a background in art. I saw a carver at the county fair and I decided to try it,” Champion said. “I mostly use a chainsaw. I use grinders and sanders to finish the details.”
Champion said when friends take a tree down, he’ll go and get it. He carves in his backyard and finishes the work in his garage “making a total mess, there’s a lot of sawdust.”
His chainsawed pumpkins were selling well, he said. “Halloween is a great time to sell stuff. A lot of people are coming out.”
Just up Main Street from the taekwondo demonstration, Brandy Munsch was manning the booth for her mother and stepfather’s business, Mystery Mayhem Escapes and Axe Throwing.
“We have three rooms with a circus, Alice in Wonderland and casino heist themes,” Munsch said. Four to ten people have an hour to solve the puzzle and escape the room. Or they can try their hand at axe throwing in two axe-throwing alleys.
“We give them instruction and some clues on how to throw an axe,” she said. “We book a lot of coroporate team-building events and corporate Christmas parties.”
Sean Lafever of Slippery Rock manned a booth advertising his Sunshine Farm Cat Rescue organization. He accepted a donation from a woman who earlier in the year had dropped a found cat with his organization.
Lafever said stray, injured or homeless cats and kittens are fostered out to families. The animals are wormed, treated for disease and spayed or neutered through a partnership with the Animal Friends Mobile clinic.
All animals brought to Sunshine Rescue are placed with foster families before adoption because the organization doesn’t have a building.
“We’ve got 43 cats in the system now. We’ve had 160 come in this year. We’ve had 140 adoptions,” he said.
Cheyenne Mitchell of Slippery Rock didn’t have a cat but she brought her pet rabbit, Sid, in a baby stroller to check out VillageFest.
“I just got off work and I saw this and it looked like a lot of fun,” she said.
CUTLINE ONE: Mekenzie Burton, member service representative, stood in front of the Slippery Rock University Credit Union’s cash grab inflatable at Saturday’s VillageFest in Slippery Rock. People had 20 seconds to grab the bills floating around inside. ERIC FREEHLING/BUTLER EAGLE
CUTLINE TWO: David Chapman stood behind his chainsaw-carved owl statue at Slippery Rock’s VillageFest. The Slippery Rock University professor has been chainsaw carving for seven years. ERIC FREEHLING/BUTLER EAGLE
