McKees Rocks ‘Feastival’ showcases local efforts
Driving down Chartiers Avenue — a small strip of businesses highlighted by a pizza place, a bar and grill and an Eat ‘n Park — you might not guess that the main drag of McKees Rocks could support about $7.3 million in restaurant spending.
A recent market study conducted by the McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation arrived at that figure about potential demand, but found that just $1.5 million of that spending is going to the borough’s downtown business district.
Part of the reason why, as the community group explains on its website, is that McKees Rocks remains “threatened by concentrated poverty, high vacancy rates, and negative public perception that has increased over decades of decline.”
On Saturday, however, a daylong summer festival showcased the group’s efforts to turn things around and the potential that exists in this town along the Ohio River.
“The Feastival has really mirrored our organization’s growth,” said Taris Vrcek, executive director of the group. “This speaks to the future that we see for this community, which is a place where anybody can thrive.”
In its fifth consecutive year, the McKees Rocks Feastival has grown tremendously from humble beginnings, Mr. Vrcek said. In 2013, the event was hatched under a 6-by-6foot tent in a municipal parking lot, he said, and maybe a few hundred people showed up to hang out.
The group has since branched out with partnerships with businesses like Grey Area Productions,