Sewickley Harvest Festival draws 6,000 people despite spotty weather

Kelsey Taroli could not stop smiling at the Sewickley Harvest Festival earlier this month.

The 9-year-old and her family had just moved this summer from Chesapeake, Va., to the borough and were in the midst of one of its largest community celebrations.

What made her smile the widest was not the bouncy house, games, candy or give-a-ways at the various booths.

It was Allegheny County Police mounted patrol horse, Jimbo, an 11-year-old Percheron. He was the main attraction at a children’s public safety area by the borough building along Thorn Street.

“It was fun, and the horse was very nice and cute,” Kelsey said. “I read a lot of books about horses and they are much bigger in person than they are in the books. I want to be a horseback rider. Two of my friends go horseback riding already and they’ve been teaching me some stuff.”

Kelsey was accompanied by her older brother, Ryland, 11, and their parents, Lisa and Anthony Taroli.

“I love it,” the mother said. “I like the community feel.”

County community relations officer Bobbie Bertalan rode Jimbo.

The 34th annual autumn celebration presented by the Rotary Club of Quaker Valley and Kiwanis Club of Sewickley took place Sept. 6.

Both community groups had information booths set up near some of the food vendors.

The Kiwanis Club sponsors Key Club groups in multiple school districts.

Several Quaker Valley High School Key Club members did some hand and face painting as part of a community service opportunity in the Kiwanis booth during the festival.

Charlotte Sinclair, 12, of Sewickley was one of many youths who took advantage of the free activity. It was extra special as the student who painted Charlotte’s hand was her sister, freshman Abigail Sinclair, 14.

“It’s really fun being able to walk around and you get to see everyone,” Charlotte said. “The whole community’s coming together to see all the shops. Most of them are going to help donate for other things.

“It’s really nice to be helping other people.”

Charlotte said she chose a spider because Halloween is her favorite holiday, and was happy to share a creative experience with her sister.

“It’s really nice knowing that she’s helping the community, too, and she did really good (artwork),” Charlotte said.

Organizers estimate about 6,000 people participated in the festival, which was a few thousand below expectations.

There was some heavy rain in the morning and a light drizzle during some of the festivities.

“I think weather had a lot to do with it, but it’s a good crowd,” Rotary president Rich Hays said. “Most of the vendors said they did pretty well. I get a kick out of seeing people here with their families and pets.”

Brief history

The festival originated in the 1940s to help local farmers. It took place in a field near the Sewickley YMCA before being moved to the main streets.

It was also previously run by Sweetwater Center for the Arts and leaned more heavily on the arts compared to food at that time.

The festival was later dropped until the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs began working together in the 1980s to bring it back.

Something for everyone

More than 130 vendors participated. They included artisans, food and drink providers, local nonprofits and people running for public office.

One of the more popular food vendors was Uzi’s Pastries from DuBois. Owner Uzi Kornhauser brought 18 varieties of cheesecake as well as various cookies and other desserts.

Sewickley Valley YMCA had a plinko game and gave away seven-day free trials. There were various jewelry crafters and candle makers as as several garment dealers. One such apparel provider was Rhonda Androlia of Big Beaver, Beaver County.

She created Mittens for Memories in memory of her brother, Gary Morris. The retired maintenance man for Blackhawk School District was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at age 56. He died at age 68 in 2021.

Androlia said the small business grew from a gathering of caregivers, family and friends who were helping her brother.

“We started it for therapy for the caretakers,” she said. “We started making crafts just to have a day off. … We did anything — wreaths, refinished furniture. We made house decorations, wall hangings, just anything.”

The men’s and women’s mittens became very popular. They are made from upcycled wool garments and hand sewn. A portion of the proceeds go toward Alzheimer’s research.

They have donated about $62,000 in nine years.

Androlia has brought Mittens for Memories to numerous functions at school districts and communities throughout Western Pennsylvania. This was her third year at the Harvest Festival.

“It’s very therapeutic, not just for us,” Androlia said. “We find people come to us and just want to tell their stories. We’ve seen we are an outreach for other people, not knowing that’s what we were going to do. Now, because my brother’s gone, it’s more of an outreach.

“There’s not a family out there that’s not been touched by Alzheimer’s. Everybody’s effected by it. They are very supportive. It’s a beautiful area.”

Political booths were relegated to the Sewickley Eye Group parking lot.

Organizers said that move helped create more space for small businesses along Broad and Thorn streets. Many food vendors set up along Broad Street.

Cochran Hose Company had an open house. Volunteer firefighters helped children put out a fake fire with a working hose.

Krista Largaespada of Sewickley used her cellphone to recorded a video of her son Luka, 6, doing the activity.

“It’s our home,” said Largaespada, a 2002 Quaker Valley grad. “I’ve grown up here. My kids are here. It’s a fantastic community. You get to do these things with our kids and the firefighters are a part of the community.”

Firefighters also brought out their trucks for families to explore and shared fire safety information.

“We absolutely look forward to doing this every year,” said firefighter Sarah Dietz. “The Harvest Festival is a great event. It brings a lot of people into Sewickley. We love getting to show what we have, introducing ourselves to community members and just having a great day. We’re very fortunate to have seen a lot of families visit the fire station.”