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Thousands enjoy Independence Day celebration

By Rebekah Sungala 3 min read

Afternoon thunderstorms may have put a damper on the Fayette County Independence Day Celebration and Cook-off, but the lightning and thunder wasn’t enough to completely halt the annual festival. Festival goers – there to have a good time, sample cuisine and listen to music – huddled under tents as the rain began, falling lightly at first.

However, the rain shower soon turned into a torrential downpour that proved too much for the faint of heart. Many people scurried to their vehicles to wait out the deluge, which lasted several minutes. A few braver people remained under the tents, determined to wait the storm out.

Muriel Nuttal, executive director of the Fayette Chamber of Commerce, said weather is always the wild card when it comes to an outdoor event. Nonetheless, Nuttal said chamber members are prepared for bad weather, come what may, and have plans in place.

“We always buy rain insurance,” she said.

Before the rain and thunder showers moved through the area, Nuttal deemed the annual Fourth of July picnic a success, saying it was a great opportunity for local businesses and a good time for people to get together and have fun.

The Chamber of Commerce has sponsored the Fourth of July event for the last 12 years. Always held the Sunday before Independence Day, the event attracted more than 25 Fayette County vendors this year that set up booths and sold food and beverages this year.

There was also a rib cook-off contest with two prizes handed out: one to the winner of the blind taste test and one to the winner of the people’s choice contest.

“We try to showcase area talent. It is important that we keep it as local as possible,” Nuttal said, noting that Chamber of Commerce members begin planning the summer event in January.

Nuttal said the daylong celebration, which starts at noon and ends at dusk with a firework display, attracts between 12,000 to 15,000 people on average every year.

“It’s become a tradition,” she said. “People look forward to it.”

Nuttal said crowd attendance seems to increase every year.

Luckily, there’s plenty of parking, since the festival is held in the field next to Sears at Uniontown Mall.

“It’s a fun day. The crowd usually peaks around 4 to 5 p.m.,” Nuttal said.

Unfortunately this year, that’s when thundershowers rolled through the area, keeping the crowd at bay until later in the evening. The rain quit around 5 p.m.

Chamber member Ron Romeo, owner of Romeo & Sons, was not disheartened by the rainy weather.

“This is a huge event. It’s always packed,” he said. “Later this evening, there will be people elbow to elbow.”

Romeo said he remembers when Uniontown didn’t have a Fourth of July celebration or fireworks, and he said he’s glad the community now has something fun to look forward to every year.

Nuttal credited chamber members, who she said work well together and support each other.

She said the annual Fourth of July event would not be possible without the help of all the volunteers who attend planning meetings months in advance and arrive around 7 a.m. the day of the event to set tents up.

“This project would be absolutely impossible without the support of the members of the chamber,” she said. “We have a dedicated chamber membership.”

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