Ford City Park was full of people looking at vendor booths, buying food, and looking at 125 classic vehicles during the car show Sunday afternoon.
FORD CITY - The 2017 Summer Fest will come to a close tonight with fireworks.
The summer festival began Friday night with an opening ceremony from the Ford City Park gazebo. As droplets of rain sprinkled to the ground during the musical presentation of the Festival Choir, local residents continued to arrive. They stood in line of the various food tents, for horse-drawn carriage rides, and to experience riding in the back seat of a Monster Truck.
Jason “Mailman” Slee pauses to wave at the crowd while he performs at the Gazebo on Sunday afternoon during 2017 Summer Fest.
During the ceremony amid various county row office elected officials, a local organization received a round of applause. The Ford City Eagles was honored on stage for their contribution to bring fireworks to the conclusion of Summer Fest on Monday night.
Armstrong County Judge James Panchik offered the opening address. He spoke of the days he and his family lived in Ford City. He called out the spirit of community that continues to emanate from every street and avenue.
Optimism did not waiver among festival volunteers despite overnight rain into Saturday morning. Co-Chairperson Karen Buccieri said the weekend was fabulous.
“The race happened at 9 o’clock (on Saturday). The rain came at 10 o’clock. It was out of here in no time. We opened on time. The parade went well. The day went well. It was beautiful.”
Buccieri outlined activities for this afternoon.
Artist David Buccieri prepares to paint the face of 3-year-old Tilia Kuntz of Cowansville. David was a professional face-painter at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, MN. He has a degree in Fine Arts from IUP.
“Prior to fireworks, at 1PM, we have commissioners coming for the dunking booth. At 2PM, we have a Bubble Party - the Radioactive Events Center will be here with their Bubble Machine for two hours so the kids can come and play.”
The Kittanning Community Band will perform at 5PM, followed by a classic rock group, “This, That and the Other Thing” from 7-10PM. The fireworks will begin promptly at 10PM.
When asked how the volunteers were reacting to all the work with little sleep, Buccieri gave a smile with her answer.
“A little bit hectic because its bigger, but we are doing well.”
Summer Fest Co-Chairperson Denise Lasher said the Monster Truck known as “Daddy’s Nightmare” had mechanical issues yesterday afternoon. Due to the safety of the riders, the owner of the truck made a decision to cancel the remainder of the show at the festival. Lasher thanked owners Bob and Amy Grill and their crew for the joy that all the riders experienced while the truck was in operation.