Zelienople packed for annual festival
ZELIENOPLE — Smiling faces of all ages graced the sidewalks of the borough Saturday, the first day of the two-day Zelienople Country Fall Festival.
The sunny sky and blowing, fiery leaves set the scene for the annual festival, which was swarming with folks looking for an unusual craft, a piece of artisan jewelry, unique Christmas present or tasty treat.
Vendors on three corners of the intersection at routes 19 and 68 sold everything from coat hooks attached to classic novel covers, license plate birdhouses, alpaca apparel, sparkly tumblers, crocheted items, seasonal tea towels, handmade skateboards and art made from silverware.
The fourth corner of the intersection hosted the many food purveyors, who were busy dishing up fare for hungry attendees.
Young children enjoyed “Bounce Boulevard” along Spring Street, as well as horseback rides. A soup and sandwich lunch was available at St. Paul Lutheran Church. The annual chili cook-off saw festivalgoers rate submissions from both restaurants and residential kitchens. Families viewed the festival from a hay wagon pulled by a tractor, and police stopped traffic every few minutes at the intersection to allow droves of happy shoppers across to peruse the booths they hadn’t yet seen.
Anna and Tyler Landman of Bellevue, Allegheny County, decided to check out the festival Saturday.
“Anna heard about it from someone at work,” Tyler said. “We like it. There are lots of vendors and good food.”
The couple, who enjoyed a gyro and some root beer for lunch, agreed the festival was larger than they had expected.
“We like small-town events like this,” Tyler said. “The community ‘feel’ can be lost in bigger cities or places where people are more spread out.”
Anna carried a tote for her purchases.
“I like how many local vendors are here,” she said. “We like to support this stuff.”
Barbie Cessar, of Zelienople, invited her college friends — Taylor Love, of Leechburg, Armstrong County, and Marcella Puglia, of Erie — to join her at the festival.
The three bought matching rings at the festival to commemorate their friendship.
“When she said, ‘Fall fest,’ I said, ‘Say no more,’” Love said. “I honestly love it. There is just a ton to do.”
Cessar was attending her second Country Fall Festival.
“It’s the embodiment of what fall is, which is the community and being outside,” she said.
Puglia said it was fun to see what each of the three friends gravitated toward among the hundreds of vendors.
“There’s something for everyone,” she said.
The Wiedemeyer family, who recently moved to Zelienople from Cranberry Township, enjoyed the food and vendors at the festival.
“It’s pretty fun,” said Damien, 15. “There’s a lot of stuff. I got honey sticks.”
He said the festival is very similar to the borough’s Horse Trading Days event in the summer, but with a fall twist.
“It grows the community and lets people know what is here,” he said of the town’s festivals. “It might show people something they like, and they’ll come back.”
Vanessa, 11, said the festival was fun, if a little cramped for those who struggle with large crowds.
Vanessa succumbed to a prank by her father, Nick, and brothers, who told her to taste some popcorn they assured her was not spicy.
“They’re liars. They’re all liars,” Vanessa said. “I had a little piece and it burned.”
Vanessa planned to look for books at the festival, as she does almost everywhere she goes.
She also appreciates the festival and the friendly borough of Zelienople.
“We used to live in Cranberry, and the first week we lived here (in Zelienople) we had more people say ‘Hi’ to us than we did in four years there,” Vanessa said.
Jon Audia, of North Hills, enjoyed tasting the hearty selections at the chili cook-off and perusing the local vendors.
His poodle, Dale, sniffed the various delectable scents wafting through the borough, as did the many other dogs trotting alongside their owners at the festival.
Audia said such events give people a reason to explore other communities.
He attended the Country Fall Festival for the second time Saturday.
“We’ll probably make it an annual event,” he said.
