County festivals gear up for summer
As the hot summer months approach, the community organizations and Butler County mainstays that organize some of the season’s largest events are already hard at work.
Festivals across the county saw large turnouts last year as residents emerged from a year of stricter COVID-19 safety precautions eager to participate in outdoor activities.
The nine-day-long Big Butler Fair in Prospect, a county attraction for more than 160 years, drew around 100,000 attendees in 2021. Vice president Gavon Slater hopes to replicate those numbers this year, though he worries that inflation threatens to put a damper on attendance.
“One of the things we are thinking about is the gas prices. Is that going to affect people coming?” Slater asked. “During the event, we talk to so many different people, and they come from all over the place.”
Despite those concerns, Slater says the festival’s preparations have not significantly changed. The vendors from last year have all returned, he said, which is “promising.”
“After 166 years, we’ve kind of got it down pat,” he said. “Children that came with their parents grew up, and they’re bringing their children, and their grandparents. It goes way back. It’s interesting, especially when you talk to the people — they all have interesting stories.”
He added that the festival, which takes place from July 1 to 9, has “something for everyone.”
“It’s one of the biggest fairs in the state,” Slater said. “There’s something for all ages, and I think we have the best carnival there is.”
The Horse Trading Days festival in Zelienople brings crowds each year to the town’s Main Street. The event, which is running from July 21 to 23 this summer, gathered tens of thousands of visitors into town in 2021 to bring attention to local Zelienople businesses.
“I think that not only did we see the turnout last year because of people coming out of COVID, but we’ve seen some of that energy roll into the Open-Air Market this year as well, with incredible turnouts for the beginning of that,” said Matthew Edwards, executive director of the Zelienople Area Business Association, which runs both events.
“People are still not taking it for granted,” he added. “These events are fantastic and something we definitely want to do, so they’re still getting excited for them even a year or two down the road.”
This year’s Horse Trading Days festival will bring nationally acclaimed Celtic band Gaelic Storm to the stage for a performance on July 23.
“One of our goals this year was to make sure the event kind of built to the end,” Edwards said. “We’ve got some exciting planning for some different things that we think will help to ensure (people attend) as well.”
While higher prices impact all parts of the economy, Edwards said he doesn’t expect it to be a huge obstacle to the celebrations.
“We know that (inflation) is something that’s going on, so we’re trying to stay ahead of it more than we normally have to. The biggest issues we’ve seen are shipping times, but it’s an easy fix — we just get prepared earlier.”
In Cranberry Township, the Community Days festival, managed by the Cranberry Township Community Chest, saw upward of 32,000 visitors last year over a three-day run.
“We expect to go over that this year,” said Audrey Rattay, Community Engagement Specialist at Cranberry Township. “With every year, we just continue to grow.”
The festival continues to add new events, like a “Battle of the Badges” sand volleyball competition between township emergency services officials. This year’s event takes place from July 14 to 16.
“As far as vendor numbers go, we are well over last year, almost back to 2019 numbers with food vendors, business vendors, and nonprofits,” Rattay said. “We have over 150 vendors. We have done some additional mailings here just this week, so I anticipate adding 30 or 40 more in the next few weeks.”
Last year, parking was free for visitors due to sponsorship from T-Mobile. Rattay said the township is still looking for a parking sponsor this year.
“With CTCC being the host of it and it being a fundraiser event, I think that’s also helped with attendance and sponsorships and everything, because all the money stays in Cranberry,” Rattay said. “All of our funds go back into the township, as well.”
The event’s funds typically benefit a specific project within the township. This year’s festival will fund a renovation of the Kids Castle playground, according to Cranberry Township Community Chest president Bruce Mazzoni. The renovations will include new playground apparatuses, a kid-sized zipline, additional surface space, a grand entranceway and child-friendly seating options.
“For the Kids Castle, we decided to step in really quick,” Mazzoni said. “It’s going to be done quickly also. It's not a full-year project from that standpoint.”
Mazzoni anticipated there would still be lots of enthusiasm for this year’s festival.
“(With) another year under our belts, people are a lot more experienced and vaccinated and boosted. I do think more will be out this year than because of all that,” he said. “I still think people are cautious. I still keep a respectful distance from people when I go shopping. We’re in an open-air atmosphere and well spread out. I think people will be excited to get back out there.”
Rattay agreed, especially from a standpoint of business involvement.
“Even last year, right out of the pandemic and going into this year with a little bit of it hanging around, businesses still want to get involved, nonprofits still want to get involved,” she said. “It's still the place to be in Cranberry for July.”
