Leechburg prepares for 13th annual Pink Day fundraiser

Leechburg is preparing for its 13th annual Pink Day, a celebration and fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation established in 2011 by Gary and Vicki Peterman of Gilpin.

The event is an all-day affair that shuts down Market Street from First to Third streets.

This year’s event will start at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 21 on Market Street with registration for a 5K walk, hosted by IPG Fitness. The rest of the day’s activities, including live music, food and craft vendors, a car cruise and family activities, will kick off at 10 a.m.

Sherry Price, the event’s coordinator and Leechburg Pink Day secretary and treasurer, said about 110 product vendors will be in attendance. Local businesses also will participate in the festival.

A variety of goods will be available, Price said, as organizers try not to double up on any type of products sold.

“We do try to add something new every year,” she said. “This year, we’re doing puppet shows for the kids.”

The shows will be performed on the second stage by the Pittsburgh Puppet Company.

At 4 p.m., a “foam party” will feature foam cannons shooting bubbles all over Market Street. There will be a silent auction, a 50-50 raffle and Pink Day shirts for sale.

“We have a lot of breast cancer survivors, fighters and family members of people with breast cancer attend the event,” Price said. “It’s become something they look forward to.”

Community history

The Leechburg Pink Day nonprofit organization and festival started with something as simple as a flower. In 2010, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation began the Invincibelle Spirit Campaign for a Cure and raised funds through the sale of the “Invincibelle Spirit” hydrangea.

The Petermans sold the flower in their Leechburg gift shop, The Gifted Garden, which closed in 2020 during the pandemic.

“With every sale, a dollar was donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation,” Price said.

Price said Gary decided to formulate an event around the campaign. That’s when Pink Day was born.

“We had our first Pink Day, and there were about 100 people who attended,” Price said. “We had, maybe, 10 to 15 vendors on the sidewalks on Market Street, and that was the beginning of our event.”

The present Pink Day looks very different from that first year. Last year’s event drew around 12,000 people, Price said.

“We’re really excited about the growth,” she said. “It’s always nice to see Market Street flooded with people wearing pink and supporting breast cancer research.”

The nonprofit organization

In the past few years, Price said, the nonprofit group has been able to collect and donate between $30,000 and $40,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at the end of the year.

The group usually hosts three events per year to reach that total, but members canceled their fundraiser in July because of extreme heat.

“I don’t expect our donation to be that high this year,” Price said. “It’s OK, because I feel whatever donation we make still helps the cause.”

Price, a breast cancer survivor, said her mindset about the festival has shifted from feeling the need to beat the donation amount each year to just wanting to host a really nice event where people enjoy themselves.

“If people want to spend the day with us, they should bring a lawn chair and come hang out with us,” she said.