Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival back for 1-day fall event

Fans of the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival will be able to get a taste of what they’ve missed during two years of pandemic-driven cancellations during a one-day event set for Oct. 2.

The Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Mini-Fall Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Twin Lakes Park in Unity.

“We’ll be able to give visitors some of what they have come to enjoy about the festival,” said Executive Director Diane Shrader. “The opportunity presented itself, and we know the community is ready to get out and about.

“We wanted to provide our vendors an opportunity to sell some of their wares,” she said. “Some of them have had an extremely difficult time through all of this.”

The scaled-down festival will cover one acre, instead of the usual eight, Shrader said.

About 20 to 25 arts and crafts vendors will be present, along with three food vendors and others offering popcorn and desserts. Local wineries and distilleries also will be selling their products.

Local bands will play on the Laurel Stage.

Another festival favorite entertainer, Temujin the Storyteller, also will be on hand. The Pittsburgh-based entertainer and educator weaves tales rooted in African folklore from both the African continent and America.

“He’s a great part of the festival,” Shrader said. “He’s probably been with it since the beginning.”

The park activity building will host displays and demonstrations by representatives of Greensburg and Latrobe art centers and You Are Here gallery in Jeannette.

“Visitors will be able to go in and see some fine art and talk to the artists,” Shrader said.

“We’ll also have some fall activities and gourds, pumpkins, corn stalks and mums,” she said.

Children’s activities will be available.

Festival organizers have scheduled the return of the full, four-day festival for June 30-July 3, 2022. In the meantime, Shrader said, “We want people to know we’re out here, thinking about you.”

Details: artsandheritage.org