Penn Township Fall Festival to continue 17-year tradition

The 16th annual Penn Township Fall Festival aims to live up to its original motto this weekend.

“Our original concept was to continue bringing the community together,” festival co-chair Robert Kuster said.

Kuster and fellow co-chair Michael Ginsburg came up with the idea for a fall festival when the township celebrated its 150th birthday in 2005. Two years later, the first festival was held.

It has remained a staple in the township since, only pausing in 2020 because of the pandemic.

This year’s festival will kick off at 5 p.m. Friday at Penn Township Municipal Park in Harrison City, featuring a variety of food, carnival rides and entertainment.

Parking will be available onsite, but there will also be shuttles running from St. Barbara’s Church and the Penn-Trafford High School stadium lot throughout the weekend.

Opening night

The Trafford American Legion and Penn Township commissioners will host the opening ceremony at 5:30 p.m on the main stage.

Brothers in Praise from St. Barbara’s Church and No Bad Juju — an eight-piece R&B, soul, rock and pop ensemble — will perform later in the evening. The park will close at 10 p.m.

What to expect

Saturday’s activity starts at 10:30 a.m. with the annual parade, led by grand marshal and Penn-Trafford High School nurse Lisa Popovich. The parade will travel from Community Church Harrison City down Route 130 to the high school stadium.

At noon, the Penn Township Municipal Park development project — which began in 2011 — will be officially unveiled to the public in a ceremony on the main stage.

A car cruise — featuring classic cars, muscle cars, corvettes, trucks and motorcycles — will run from noon to 4 p.m.

To show a car, register online at www.ptarc.org by clicking “register online” and scrolling down to the car cruise item. The registration fee is $5.

Performances will be held on the main stage throughout the day, including the Penn-Trafford Community Band, Trafford’s Dynamic Music Studio, and Restless Ray and The Rockets band.

The winners of a Berry Pie Contest and Chili Cook-Off will be announced at 5 p.m.

Those interested in competing in the chili cook-off or pie contest can submit their entries at the fall festival booth by 1 and 1:30 p.m., respectively. Prizes for the contest include $125 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third.

All pans, pots and utensils must be retrieved by 8 p.m. Saturday.

The evening will conclude with a display by Zambelli Fireworks, starting at 9:30 p.m. Kuster said this is typically the largest draw of the festival.

The festival committee aims to see 6,000 to 8,000 attendees throughout the weekend each year, Kuster said.

He hopes the tradition of the festival is passed down to the next generation.

“The people that were there as kids are now bringing their kids,” Kuster said. “It’s evolved like that.”

Community Church Harrison City will host a worship service at 11 a.m. Sunday, the last day of the festival.

The park will open at noon, and the Penn-Trafford High School Choir will perform on the main stage at 3 p.m. Closing ceremonies are slated for 5 p.m.

For more information about the festival, visit www.penntowshipfallfestival.com.