Perkasie Borough ushers in fall with annual festival
The rain may have dampened Menlo Park Sunday, Oct. 7, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the Perkasie Fall Festivalgoers.
In its 21st year, the festival offered musical entertainment, food and business vendors and a petting zoo.
Joshua Aniskevich, the Perkasie parks and recreation director, said WKLs wDs KLs fiIWK yHDU RUJDNLzLNJ WKH festival.
“It’s pretty weather contingent, but we got hit last year worse than this year,” he said.
He estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people showed up to the event, which is smaller than the usual 5,000. He also said in other years there had been four rows of vendors, and this year there were two. Of the 60 or so planned vendors at the event, about 27 showed up, he said. It cost $25 to have a booth, $50 to have a food vendor and $50 to have an entertainment vendor.
The festival was supposed to feature a moonbounce, but the rain created a safety issue, according to Aniskevich. Instead, there was an eight-passenger train for kids to ride.
Pat Kaempf, of the parks and recreation department, said the money from the vendors goes toward paying
for materials, such as those for the scarecrow contest, and toward payment for the two bands.
The Sadie Green Sales jug band, featuring Timothy Walker and David Driskell, played traditional and homemade instruments, such as a guitar, a saxophone, a washtub bass and a saw.
“They’re world-renowned. They’re a big draw for the festival,” said Aniskevich.
Unsafe at Any Speed, a local folk band that plays 1960s-style music, also provided entertainment.
“I intend to offer them a repeat entertainment performance, as well as the Sadie Green Sales band,” Aniskevich said.
At the animal arena, children could feed and pet goats, ducks, chickens, sheep, rabbits, doves and an Argentinian llama. There were also two ponies, which children could ride for $3.
Amber Amore, a resident of Perkasie and frequent Perkasie fall festivalgoer, came with her brother and son. Her son, Kyle, fed a sheep in the petting zoo and expressed interest in the rabbits.
“There’s really not as many people as there would be, but the rain wasn’t going to stop us,” Amore said.
At the Hilltown 4-H booth, Paige Kolldziejski, 9, and Lily Cecere, 8, showed off their homemade stationary created with tissue paper, watercolors, markers and UDIfiD bRws.
Tami Polichetti, who ran the booth along with with eight or nine members of the club and IRuU WR fivH SDUHnWs, sDLG HLOOtown 4-H has been involved in the festival for a number of years. Her goal for the day was to reach out to the community and inform them about Hilltown 4-H and also to fundraise for the club. Polichetti and her two helpers, Paige and Lily, were selling baked goods, such as cookies, funny cake, brownies and peanut brittle made in the 4-H candy-making club.
Hope Fisher, who ran the Styles Salon booth, offered services for kids, such as color rub (temporary hair color), false eyelashes and feathers for kids’ hair.
“We’re having a fun time. The kids are having a blast,” Fisher said.
Two popular activities at the festival were decorating pumpkins and building scarecrows for the scarecrow contest.
At the pumpkin decorating corner, Karen Kemmerer, a real estate agent from Perkasie who helped organize the activity, said she had participated in the festival for at least 10 years. Some of the festivalgoers had decorated pumpkins as princesses, aliens and In- dians, she said. One child was already thinking about how to decorate a pumpkin next year, according to Kemmerer.
“There were more vendors other years, but it’s still a lot of fun,” Kemmerer said.
The scarecrow contest, which Aniskevich said was probably the most successful event at the festival, was $5 to enter.
Barbara and Nelson Hollenbach, who Aniskevich said were his “A-team volunteers,” manned the scarecrow table. Along with volunteering for the festival, the Hollenbachs are also involved in the Family Fridays events — another Perkasie Parks and Recreation project on the second Friday of each month.
“We want to make sure people have fun and get the most out of the park,” Barbara Hollenbach said.
The scarecrow contest’s fiUsW-SULzH wLnnHU wDs Stephanie Mason Lombo from Sellersville. Her scarecrow, which was titled “The Incredible Hulk,” won her $50. Second place went to Guth Kids Care from Guth (OHPHnWDUy. ,Ws GDUfiHOG scarecrow won the school $25. Third place went to Ginny Kling, of Perkasie, who won $10 with her “Mr. Scarecrow” creation.
“It’s a fun fall event. On a nice day, it’s packed,” Kaempf said, who was vol- unteering with the scarecrow contest. She and Betty Jarrett, also of the parks and recreation department, said they liked to give an opportunity to the community to see each other and get outdoors.
“It’s an opportunity to see your neighbors. I think it’s important to have an attachment to the community,” Kaempf said.
To see more photos and video from Perkasie
Fall Festival, visit PerkasieNewsHerald.com!