Ford City Summerfest Leaders Step Down

By Jonathan Weaver

The chairpersons for a four-day weekend Fourth of July festival in Ford City have resigned.

Effective immediately, Chair Ben Dinus and wife and co-chair, Rachel, resigned stepped from SummerFest due to ‘personal, professional, and health’ reasons.

Ben– a QMS Manager at Rearick Tooling/JIT in Apollo – said both will continue to work with the rest of the Summerfest committee to make a smooth transition – but that committee members will select new leadership.

“The decision was pretty quick. Within the past month we knew we needed to step down,” Ben wrote in an e-mail exchange. “Our announcement to the rest of the group was right before I let you know (Wednesday). It all happened faster than we wanted, but it had to be done.

“This decision isn’t really optional for us. It was kind of made for us,” he later wrote.

Ben cited new work responsibilities as one of the decision factors.

Rachel also is a full-time marketing student at Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

The road to last year’s inaugural event started as the working “Ford City Area Community Days” after Ford City Heritage Days folded operations after the Summer 2013 event. By the end of December, Ben and Rachel had already established “Ford City Summerfest” and were brainstorming fundraising ideas under the newly-established nonprofit group Ford City Legacy, Inc.

What transpired the months before included a Big Time Wrestling event in the Ford City High School gymnasium in April 2014 that brought such personalities as Pittsburgh-wrestler Troy Martin, who goes by stage name “The Franchise” Shane Douglas and a fishing derby at Crooked Creek Lake in Bethel Township.

Fundraiser ideas have been discussed by committee members since, but nothing is set yet for early 2015.

“We did last years in 6 months with no money and no infrastructure in place. The ground work is laid for this year,” Ben wrote. “All that is really needed is more funding.

“The first year was a huge hurdle. Starting with nothing, having to go through all the legal stuff, getting vendors and talent, nothing was in place. I honestly didn’t think we could pull it off until it was over,” Ben continued. “I only relaxed after the fireworks finished. Slept good that night!

“We put everything into it. Any “free time” was dedicated to planning or meetings or scouting, what have you. A lot of our personal money, everyone in the group in fact, was put toward the first year.”

About 44 food and craft booths and children’s activities were spread throughout Ford City Park during the holiday weekend, as well as a 5K organized through the football boosters, a parade and fireworks that exceeded expectations and reignited community spirit.

The Summerfest committee will decide the new chairperson for this year’s event. Ben said every member is more than qualified and as dedicated.