Harmony, Zelienople primed for annual fall festival celebrations
MJ McCurdy was motivated to foster a sense of community when she opened Bottlebrush Gallery on Harmony’s Main Street more than a decade ago.
After discovering that Zelienople hosted a three-day fall festival, she couldn’t figure out why Harmony did not have anything similar on the calendar.
Those curious thoughts are what prompted McCurdy to create Harmony’s Sleepy Hollow Festival. The 12th annual edition of that celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 12 and 13, along Mercer Street and in and around Stewart Hall.
“It began as just a one-day, flea market thing,” said McCurdy. “It has grown to two days, and we have more than 30 vendors, a fundraiser for the humane society, a pumpkin race, costume contest and live music. It’s really taken off, and I’m pretty proud of that. It’s a lot of work, but it’s been well worth it.”
As the treasurer of the Harmony Business Association, McCurdy does everything she can to promote local businesses, but she also makes an effort to encourage cooperation between neighboring communities like Zelienople.
In fact, the bond between the two boroughs is closer than ever as Zelienople prepares to host its 39th annual fall festival on the same weekend, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13.
A kickoff party for the Zelienople Fall Festival will be from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday in the Spring Street parking lot. The evening includes a scavenger hunt starting at 6 p.m. Register at www.zeliefallfestival.com.
Over the years, the two communities have made it far easier to attend both festivals with relatively no extra hassle.
“We’ve been growing it for 12 years, and it’s better and bigger every year,” McCurdy said. “We have a shuttle bus that we arranged to take people back and forth between the Zelienople Fall Festival and Harmony, so people can park their cars, get on a shuttle and the shuttle will take them to the other festival. They don’t have to worry about parking in two different places that way.”
Among more than two dozen specialty vendors, this year’s Sleepy Hollow Festival will feature eight acoustic musicians and four different bands.
The communities have been more than willing to advocate for those providing live entertainment to an audience of thousands that make their way through the streets.
“The music community here is very strong and is involved in what we do,” said McCurdy. “We promote them as well. The Harmony Inn always has a band on both days. The Bottlebrush Gallery, which I own, has a band on Sunday, and Union Brothers Brewing also has bands that weekend, so there’s music all over town. We’ve really expanded on that.”
Organizers have expanded upon children’s activities by bringing in a strolling magician, which McCurdy noted is popular with the younger audience. The event also will offer free carriage rides around town and a new drone demonstration put on by Angle of Attack Imagery, a local multimedia company based out of Beaver County.
Meanwhile, in addition to the usual craft and food vendors, Zelienople’s fall festival will include a chili cook-off from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday along with a tailgate zone and free tractor-pulled wagon rides all afternoon and evening on both days.
