Penn Valley Community Fair adds 5K, car show
TELFORD » It’s a good thing Telford Volunteer Fire Company will be there because this year’s Penn Valley Community Fair is starting off with a hunka hunka burnin’.
The fair, which runs Tuesday through Saturday, June 13 through 17, at Penn Valley Church’s Telford campus at 320 N. Third St., has added the Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Run, a 5K race that will start at 7 p.m. June 13 and follow a course along streets neighboring the church. Central Bucks Gymnastics & Dance will also be performing at 7 p.m.
The name of the run isn’t the only connection to Elvis Presley that night.
“We’re encouraging people to dress up in
any kind of Elvis gear they can get their hands on and go all out,” said Jennifer Fretz, chairwoman of the church’s Music and Events Committee.
Along with prizes for the top race finishers, there will also be an award for the person with the best Elvis costume — to win, though, the person will have to run the full course while wearing the entire costume.
Elvis, himself, won’t be running, but he’ll be there in a classic car heading up the runners, Fretz said. And at 8 p.m., Elvis impersonator Dean Garofolo will take the stage.
The food tent also will have a special Elvis burger that night, Fretz said.
“It’s going to have peanut butter and fried bananas on it,” she said.
While the Elvis burger is only scheduled for one night, Ray Worner, who serves in various fair roles, including heading up the food tent, has come up with some other special burgers for the week, Fretz said, including a Big Rube, modeled after a Reuben sandwich; a southwest burger; a four-meat “meatzilla” burger; and a doughnut burger with doughnuts instead of a hamburger roll.
Proceeds from the fair, which is being held for the fifth year, will benefit Keystone Opportunity Center, the Telford Volunteer Fire Company and the Indian Valley Public Library.
Wednesday, June 14, has round one of this year’s Indian Valley Voice Off competition at 6 p.m. Nate Butler, a former contestant on “The Voice” who helped with the judging last year, will again be back to judge one of the nights this year, Fretz said.
All of the judges in the contest are professional musicians, she said.
There are several contestants returning from previous years, as well as new entries this year, she said. Winning performers receive both a cash prize and studio time.
“It’s really a tough decision by the end,” said Pastor Adam Larew, associate pastor of Journey Church in Warrington, which is part of the Penn Valley network and was previously called the Bux-Mont campus.
“Each year, it’s gotten better,” Larew said of the
Voice Off.
“We have legit singers up there. It’s not just like a kids’ talent show,” Fretz said.
Wednesday night’s entertainment also includes Jack O’Leary, who takes the stage at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 15, has the chili cookoff from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Although there are other prizes, having the winning chili also brings bragging rights, Larew said.
Entertainment that night includes the Mariachi Son Ranchero mariachi band at 6:45 p.m.
“They’ll mainly be in the food tent area with the chili cookoff,” Fretz said, “but they’ll also be walking around doing their thing.”
Thursday night’s entertainment also includes Anakai Ney at 8 p.m.
This year, a car show, which will be run by the East Penn Modifiers Club, is being added to the fair. It will be Friday night, June 16, starting at 6 p.m.
There is no preregistration to have a car in the car show, Fretz said.
“Anybody can come and just drive up and register at the gate,” she said.
Since this is the first time for the car show at the fair, it’s hard to say what to expect, but they’ve been told that if the weather is good, at least 100 cars may be entered, she said.
Friday night also will include entertainment by Figs at 6 p.m., the Indian Valley Voice Off semifinal round at 7 p.m. and the Kris Yeaworth Group at 8:30 p.m. Yeaworth’s classic rock and oldies music fits in well with the car show,
Fretz said.
Saturday, June 17, has Family Day activities from 2 to 5 p.m., including kids’ crafts, pony rides, face painting, a roaming magician, an obstacle course by the Telford Volunteer Fire Company and free books from the Indian Valley Public Library.
Larew is master of ceremonies for the week in the guise of Dr. Un, a character that is an outgrowth of one he started at a men’s retreat, he said.
“I put the ‘un’ in fun,” Larew said.
“He’s very natural with this. He’s very fun, very interactive,” Fretz said.
This year, a Fun with Dr. Un event is being added at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. It will include having people come up on stage for family centered games, Larew said.
“A lot of times, I’m just kind of catching people as they’re passing by,” Larew said. “My hope is they’ll sit and we can draw a large crowd and really make it like an event on stage as opposed to just me being goofy and throwing out candy and prizes as people are walking to rides or wherever.”
The Give & Take Jugglers will perform 5 p.m. Saturday, with the Voice Off finals at 6:30 p.m., Farmer Boyz at 7:30 p.m., Right Tyme Players with Raiena Graham at 9 p.m., the fireworks at 9:30 p.m. and Right Tyme Players again at 10 p.m.
The fireworks, by Celebration Fireworks, are choreographed to music.
Information about the fair, including how to sign on as a volunteer, is available at the church’s website, pennvalleychurch.org. About 150 people are volunteers at the fair, Fretz said.
One part of the fair that most people don’t get to see is a breakfast the church holds Friday morning of the fair week each year for the carnival workers, Larew and Fretz said.
“That has really blossomed into an amazing testimony and ministry,” Larew said.
“It’s a whole smorgasbord, basically, and it’s all just people that volunteer to bring that in,” Fretz said. “We just have breakfast with them. We talk to them. We hang out. We just find out who they are, what their stories are.”
The church also gives the carnival workers a welcome packet, including things such as a map of the area, toiletries and laundry detergent, she said.