Regatta on, rain or shine
PORTERSVILLE — While her drive is only about five minutes to get to Moraine State Park, Cinnamon Hainley rarely takes advantage of having the 16,725-acre park containing a lake with 42 miles of shoreline in her figurative backyard.
This weekend is different though, because she and her 8-year-old son, Steele Hainley, will be spending time there for the annual Moraine State Park Regatta.
The regatta has a number of free activities that showcase the park’s centerpiece in the 3,225-acre Lake Arthur, but Hainley spent time Friday putting together wooden building kits with her son and trying the food at the park, in anticipation of their favorite event Saturday night — fireworks.
“This is our favorite thing to come to here,” said Cinnamon Hainley, of Prospect. “And who doesn’t love fireworks? I love fireworks.”
The south shore of Moraine is open all day throughout the weekend for the regatta, and it will house vendors selling food, crafts and more, as well as organizations that are providing family-friendly activities for the event.
Some activities include tours of Lake Arthur on the Moraine Preservation Fund’s pontoon boat, Preston’s Pearl; paddle boarding and kayaking; and the building kits that the Hainleys made.
Amanda Becker, owner and event planner of Appleseed Events, said organizers are anticipating that Saturday and Sunday will be busy with visitors.
“We’re expecting large crowds,” she said. “They’ll start coming in for the 5K race tomorrow and the boat races. And the fireworks are always a big draw.”
The lake had to be cleared Friday night for a time because of inclement weather, which Becker said the staff is monitoring to maintain safety at the regatta. Although there is always potential for weather to delay activities, Becker said many regatta attendees still stick it out at the park.
“We are on rain or shine,” Becker said.
Becker also said she was looking forward to the children’s activities planned for the regatta this year, because they were scaled back last year.
The wood building kits are located under a tent near the water, and Jo Annette Cynkar, flooring specialist at Home Depot, said they can be fun for all ages.
“Kids can come build one of the kits and take it home with them,” Cynkar said. “What we’ve been working on is trying to get them all built so people know what we have.”
Sofia Mowen, 8, and Ellie Mowen, 7, both of Mars, were hanging out at the Specialty Outdoors tent, where Russ Cawthorne had plenty of animal skins they could try to identify.
Their grandparents, George and Anita Long, of Cranberry Township, said they thought the regatta would be a good weekend activity for the family.
“We saw there were a lot of kids’ activities, so we decided to come,” said Anita Long.
Although the water activities were put on hold Friday evening, employees of outdoor department store Public Lands were ready to loan out paddle boards and kayaks once the weather cleared up.
Alan Hough, climbing wall associate at Public Lands, said the regatta is a good time for people to try out kayaking or paddle boarding, because the materials are free to use and staff members can provide tips on their use.
He said kayaking is always popular, but paddle boarding has been gaining popularity in recent years.
“There is a time for both,” Hough said. “There is a fair number of people paddle boarding, because it’s more of a full-body workout. Kayaking is a little easier, but if you fall off, it’s way easier to get back on a paddle board.”
A schedule of activities for Saturday and Sunday can be found online at morainestateparkregatta.org.
Becker said she believes anyone can find something to enjoy at the regatta.
“We try to accommodate as many people as possible,” she said. “It's a good way for people to try out activities they had never done before.”
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