Crabtree church festival known for impressive fireworks display

The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival in Crabtree started 108 years ago with a group of Italian guys sitting around, reminiscing about the religious festivals they enjoyed back in the Old Country.

The festivals, or fiestas, usually involved a solemn high Mass, followed by a procession in honor of the Virgin Mary and fireworks.

Then they had an idea — why not do the same thing here, in America?

One of those men, Nick Matro, was the great-grandfather of the Rev. Justin Matro, pastor of St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, 2538 St. Rt. 119, Crabtree, which organizes the popular festival.

Although the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival is the parish’s chief fundraiser, it has transcended the traditional parish festival to become one of the most popular summer festivals in Westmoreland County.

“It began as a specifically Italian festival, but then it became pan-ethnic,” Matro said. “The rest of the parish was like, ‘How come we can’t be part of it?’ So it became a parish-wide event with a heavily Italian accent.”

The seeds of the festival’s larger significance were planted early, when, in 1912, the Jamison Coal & Coke Co. agreed to close the mine on the day of the festival so the entire community could attend, according to the parish website. Since then, the festival has always fallen around the July 16 feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Today, the festival attracts an estimated 10,000 people to Crabtree over the course of four days. Parishioners still look forward to the Sunday Mass and procession, but the biggest draw for the general public is the Saturday night fireworks, Matro said.

This year’s festival began on Thursday and continues through Sunday. The fireworks show by Keystone Fireworks begins at 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

“It certainly is the highpoint of the parish festival,” Matro said. “For the parish, the high point is still the (Sunday) procession.”

Matro noted that the fireworks is the most expensive part of the festival, but paradoxically the biggest source of revenue.

“The fireworks eats up a good deal of the income (about $25,000), but if there were no fireworks, we wouldn’t have as much income,” he said.

Matro, parish pastor since 2012, said St. Bartholomew’s clears $30,000-$35,000 a year from the festival. Money for the fireworks show is raised mostly through cash giveaway ticket sales and an annual fundraiser at Rizzo’s Malabar Inn, Crabtree.

Other highlights of this year’s festival are a cornhole tournament, a car show, live music, food vendors, amusement rides, games and prizes.