Fall comes early with Summit Hose festival in Tarentum

The first day of autumn isn’t until later in September, but kids are back in school, the Steelers are on the field again, and the days are getting shorter — close enough for Summit Hose to hold its annual Fall Festival in Tarentum.

Until last year, the festival was held on the last Thursday through Saturday of September. Like last year, it’s being held a couple weeks earlier again this year, from Thursday through Saturday— just a bit ahead of the first day of autumn on Sept. 23.

“The seasons are about to change. It feels like fall to me,” Assistant Fire Chief Tarek Masaoud said. “If Starbucks is putting out pumpkin spice lattes, we can call it the Fall Festival.”

Moving the festival up has worked out well, Masaoud said.

“It was a little warmer out and the people seemed to respond better,” he said. “That time of year worked better all around in general.”

The festival will be held along First Avenue and in Riverview Memorial Park. Hours will be 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday.

First Avenue will be closed to traffic.

Admission is free.

There will be food, live music, crafts and carnival and other entertainment, including bingo.

“There’s literally things for everybody to do,” Masaoud said. “We try to hit every age group and appeal to everybody.”

Three bands will be performing — Classic Brew Band on Thursday, American Pie on Friday and The Cause on Saturday.

A last-minute addition is Cheyenne Tirk, a student at Knoch High School, who will be performing on her acoustic guitar from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday. She does Beatles covers, Masaoud said.

Children will be able to pick a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch and decorate it.

The festival is not just a fundraiser for the fire department, Masaoud said.

“It’s more for the community to get together and utilize a beautiful park that we have,” he said. “Everything we do is based around the community and trying to make it a better place.”