New agricultural area highlights 47th annual edition of Butler Fall Festival
BUTLER — The 47th annual Butler Fall Festival, held on Saturday, Sept. 28, brought in about 180 vendors and more than 7,000 people to the heart of Butler.
“I just think it’s a tradition,” said vice president of the festival Dahn Kilroy on why residents continue to flock back each year. “We do this every year, and they know what they’re getting. They know they’re getting vendors, and we’ve targeted it more toward arts and craft vendors. It’s always going to be a lot of fun and great food.”
This year’s was the second installment of the event since it was brought back to its original home after a brief stint at a park close by because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In each year of its existence, the festival also hosts a car cruise and live entertainment, including bands, acoustic acts and DJs for the duration of the day. Recently the festival committee, led by Kilroy and president Christina Green, had talked about introducing something more interactive for children to keep them just as entertained as the adults shopping up-and-down the street.
The mission was accomplished this year by welcoming the Butler County Farm Bureau, which set up a lively agricultural area in the First English Lutheran Church parking lot. The area’s purpose was to entertain, but also to educate youths about agriculture.
“We wanted kids to have a fun place to come, but really start to learn about the different careers related to agriculture because farmers are getting older,” said Linda Halstead, who serves as the Butler County Farm Bureau co-secretary and co-chair of the Women’s Leadership Committee. “You don’t have to just be a farmer. You can be a scientist who studies the soil or a truck driver. There’s just so many things that touch on agriculture, but I don’t think kids know that.”
Parents were more than happy to bring their children in to explore a large John Deere tractor, play various games and listen to demonstrations by 4-H Club members.
“This is my first time (at the festival). I was visiting my mom in the neighborhood, so we came down to see what was going on,” said Ruth Garvey, a Pittsburgh resident. “I think it’s fantastic to see where everything comes from. We’re in the city, so we’re very far from some rural agricultural areas, so it’s cool to be able to have some hands-on exhibits and learn about things.”
Just a few hundred feet up the road, Prospect resident and Sonia’s Sanctuary president Sonia Sacco set up a tent at 9 a.m. and brought a tame dog, sheep, cat and rooster to promote her nonprofit animal rescue.
She has about 65 animals on her property that are ready for adoption. The festival was the perfect chance to educate and entertain children who stopped by to pet her animals.
“I just wanted to gain followers, promote adoptions while finding homes for all these animals,” said Sacco on attending the festival as a vendor for the first time. “The animals definitely draw everybody in, and they’re all so friendly. These are all good examples of each breed. It’s nice to expose the public to these animals that they wouldn’t normally be around.”
