SLIPPERY ROCK - Visitors to this year's VillageFest on Sept. 11 in Slippery Rock might think they are in the wrong town for a moment.

That's especially if they visited last year's summer celebration and remember the orange barrels and other signs of construction that were prevalent. This year's celebration proves to show off an almost complete Main Street, along with an event that will be twice as big as last year, according to organizers.

The development group, Slippery Rock Development Inc., is finishing a $5.3 million revitalization project downtown that included new sidewalks, streetlights, trees, traffic lights and other improvements. The project, which began in spring of 2003, has no ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled yet.Jane Burger, member of the events committee of Slippery Rock Development, said the utility poles will be removed by the time the festival starts.VillageFest will be a daylong event, starting with a 5K run and two-mile walk at 8:30 a.m. and ending with a square dance at Slippery Rock Fire Hall in the evening.

All the underground work has been finished and utilities will be switched over to those lines before the festival, Burger said. That means overhead wires will be removed - a long-awaited step in the project."We should be all done, except for the final paving," she said.That includes Main Street from Maltby Avenue to just past New Castle Street and the parking lot behind the First National Bank of Slippery Rock. State Department of Transportation crews are expected to complete that work in later September.The street will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and all alleys joining Main Street will be blocked as well. Some cars will be able to park behind the bank, but free parking and shuttle services will be available from Giant Eagle on Grove City Road.There are two reasons the festival will be bigger than last year, mainly the addition of Slippery Rock University students and the addition of Heritage Day events on Sunday, Burger said.Last year's summer festival was held before students returned and on a separate weekend than Heritage Day, an annual event that has been held for more than 10 years on Morrow Way at Slippery Rock University.

Beyond that, there will be more vendors, more activities for children and college students and more live music, Burger said.The day will also honor those who lost their lives during the events of Sept. 11, 2001, with a ceremony in Memorial Park at 10:30 a.m., according to Jennifer Sproat, events committee member.Other additions for this year include unique business contributions like a horse-drawn carriage ride at Kimberly's Image Consultants and hot dog eating contest at the Hot Dog Shoppe.Businesses have stepped up to be a big part of this year's festival, Sproat said. Those who don't have storefronts on Main Street will still be present with tables or booths at the fest.Even as she listed other additions to the festival, Sproat agreed that the biggest change this year is the look of Main Street."The street will be clean and safe, and we will have sidewalks in place," she said.If anyone has questions or concerns on Sept. 11, they should look for volunteers who will be easy to find by their bright yellow T-shirts, Sprout said.For more information about VillageFest, contact Ken Galione, 724-794-9780.