May 20, 2002 By Bryan O'Keefe For The 4 min read

Despite cool temperatures and scattered rain, hundreds of local residents still visited Brownsville on Sunday for the conclusion of the 29th annual National Road Festival. While event organizers were disappointed with the weather, they were still happy that people came out to celebrate the National Road and its local historic roots.

“We have had lighter attendance because of the weather but we are still blessed with a very loyal following,” said Brownsville Mayor Norma Ryan.

“There have been pike festivals when it has been sweltering hot and then sometimes you get a cold year. There is nothing you can do about it. We are just happy that we are able to share with the world all of the history in this area,” Ryan said.

Both the Nemacolin Castle and the Flatiron Building were home to various activities throughout Saturday and Sunday.

At the historic castle, dozens of local vendors crowded the front lawn, Civil War re-enactors gave lessons in history and acoustic guitar player George Petrosky and local country music band “Hi Ryder” entertained visitors.

“This is the first chance we have had to come to the festival this year, but we really enjoyed the music and just the whole atmosphere,” said Karen Whetzel of Hiller as she sat on a picnic table at the castle.

Joined by her 8-year-old granddaughter, Taylor Roebuck, Wheztel said that the festival is an annual event for her family.

“We come up every year. It’s very exciting,” Whetzel said, with Roebuck nodding her head in agreement.

Near the entrance to the castle, several Civil War re-enactors were dressed in authentic military uniforms, adding to the historic flavor of the afternoon.

“It’s a very nice festival. Nobody is here to get rich. We are just here to kick back and enjoy some food and music,” said Rick Murdock, a Civil War re-enactor from Waynesburg.

Murdock is part of Knapp’s Battery, a Civil War artillery unit that was comprised of soldiers from southwestern Pennsylvania.

Originally founded by local native Jospeh Knapp in 1861, the battery saw action in some of the most famous battles in the Civil War, including Gettysburg, Antietam, Chattanooga, and Atlanta.

Murdock has been a member of Knapp’s Battery for 27 years and was happy that the re-enactors were able to take part in the festival.

“We have done this several years in a row now and it’s a great experience. We are happy to be here,” Murdock said.

Down the road from the castle, other activities were being held in the downtown area, both at the Flatiron Building and the new Brownsville Wharf Riverside Park.

In the first floor of the Flatiron Building, local actress Emily Lapisardi of West Brownsville was performing a historical impersonation of the famous Swedish soprano Jenny Lind.

Meanwhile on the second floor of the Frank L. Melega Art Museum, artist Marie Lint was showcasing her own talents by painting with water colors a throughout the afternoon. Lint was also the featured artist in the Melega museum this month and several of her works were on display for the general public.

“This is my first time in the art museum for pike days but it has been a wonderful experience,” Lint said.

Having known Melaga through the Uniontown Art Club, Lint was excited that her own work was now included in his museum.

“It’s great to be included in the museum. The work of his that is still here is fantastic,” Lint said.

Ryan was also excited that Lint was able to demonstrate her talents for pike festival patrons. “It’s an added attraction having such a gifted artist live in the museum,” Ryan said.

The Flatiron Building itself also has a special connection to the National Road Festival as the building was officially opened during the festival weekend in 1997.

“It’s always the celebration of this building as well,” Ryan said.

Reflecting on the success of this year’s festival, Ryan looks forward to making next year’s celebration even better.

“We are pulling all the communities together to make this a better festival next year. We want to have it so people can come to Brownsville and have something to do all day,” Ryan said.

She also hopes that the historic wagon train would consider coming to Brownsville as well, a tradition that stopped two years ago.

“We really want to get the wagon train to come here next year. It would really be neat,” Ryan said.