Saxonburg Festival of the Arts canceled for 2023
A popular September event in Saxonburg that has been held for more than 30 years has been canceled for 2023.
Mary Papik, Saxonburg borough manager, said borough council has been discussing what to do about the Saxonburg Festival of the Arts for two months.
“There are too many events and not enough supporting people,” she said.
She said the last two festivals were held on the same weekend as Sprankle’s Octoberfest, with the festival held on Main Street and in Roebling Park and Octoberfest at the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Department grounds to the south.
Those visiting the borough on those weekends could easily walk both events, as a pathway from the fire department grounds to Main Street was marked for festivalgoers.
Papik said council in January decided not to hold the festival on the same weekend as Octoberfest because resources, police and volunteers were stretched too thin.
Holding a dual event also necessitates many street closures and limits parking opportunities in the borough, she said.
“It takes a lot of people to put on an event like that,” Papik said. “It’s better to support one event well.”
Borough council at one point decided to hold the Festival of the Arts as a one-day event instead of a weekend event and picked Aug. 26.
But the Saxonburg Area Rotary, whose members have volunteered at the arts festival, are committed to helping at the Butler Italian Festival, which also is Aug. 26 this year, Papik said.
She said vendors who regularly set up at the arts festival have been told to keep an eye on the borough’s webpage under the “Saxonburg Festival of the Arts” tab, which now announces the festival’s cancellation.
Papik said it is too late to plan the event no matter how many volunteers come forward.
“We’re just trying to regroup and determine what can be done to make a successful event,” she said.
Doug Sprankle, owner of Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market, said that since locating in Saxonburg in 2019, he has tried to assist the borough with the arts festival.
He said in 2021, he donated $23,000 in vendor fees from Octoberfest to the borough so the arts festival could be held that year.
Sprankle said he thinks the arts festival is important because its proceeds benefit Roebling Park.
Regarding a lack of volunteers, Sprankle said family, friends and the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Department do most of the work needed for Octoberfest.
“As far as volunteers to execute the event, really, the event is run by less than a handful of people,” he said of Oktoberfest.
He said having both festivals simultaneously is beneficial for Saxonburg, as 25,000 people visited the borough for last year’s events.
“Having both festivals, there’s something for everyone, and people see the whole town,” Sprankle said. “Anything we can do as a community to draw people to the town helps Saxonburg.”
He regrets that the Festival of the Arts will be scrapped this year.
“If the borough would have asked my opinion, which they didn’t, I would have been more than happy to help them,” Sprankle said. “But that didn’t happen.”
He holds no hard feelings toward the borough council or administration, though, as many worked tirelessly at last year’s arts festival.
“From what I hear, those guys did a lot of work, including the mayor’s office,” Sprankle said.
He admitted the arts festival takes time and money and is a big commitment.
“Obviously, I’m bummed out, but at the end of the day we are all part of the same community,” Sprankle said. “Saxonburg is a brand, and we all want to help grow the brand.”
Octoberfest will be held the second weekend of September this year at the fire hall grounds.
