Festival at Marshall Park runs through Saturday
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Gionna Curry-Jones, 5, of Uniontown shows her delight as she spins around on the swing ride at the Fayette County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team’s annual Spring Festival Thursday evening at Uniontown’s Marshall Park. The festival continues through Saturday evening at Marshall Park.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standa
Fayette Couty Sheriff’s search and rescue team member Matt Shettel introduces his rescue dogs Nanomi (left) and Cameron to Gretchyn Lowry of Dunbar while she was visiting the search and rescue’s Spring Festival Thursday. The Spring Festival will continue through Saturday evening at Uniontown’s Marshall Park.
Marshall Park has been turned into a midway for the next few days for the annual spring festival to help support the Fayette County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team.
Teresa Andrus of Uniontown has been organizing the festival for about 15 years. For the past four years she has been working with Brian Thomas of Thomas Family Amusements of Connellsville, who brings the rides, food booths and games for the midway.
“It’s good, clean fun for the kids,” Thomas said.
Andrus said there will be additional entertainment Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 7 p.m. each night.
“Friday we have a DJ, the Music Man, from 7-10 p.m. Saturday we’re having the Yough River Band. We’re asking everyone to come out Friday and Saturday. This is the first time we’ve had a band, so everyone bring your chair,” Andrus said.
The event will start around 6 p.m. Friday and at 3 p.m. Saturday, Andrus said.
Several members of the search and rescue team will be on hand each day of the festival, which began Wednesday after the Americanism Day parade.
Search team members Valerie Faris and Matt Shettel were at the festival with three of their rescue dogs, Cameron, Nanomi and Herbie. The dogs were an instant hit with children at the festival.
“May I see your puppy?” 5-year-old Taylor Hettenschuller asked Faris about 12-year-old Herbie, a shepherd-collie mix. She went on to ask about the dog’s orange rescue vest.
Faris explained that Herbie is a working dog and has done rescue work for the past 10 years. He also does pet therapy visits at nursing homes, which helps him when he works on searches for missing Alzheimer’s patients, Faris said.
Taylor Hettenschuller was at the festival with her 3-year-old sister Haley and her father, Jim Hettenschuller of Uniontown.
Brianna Norris, 9, of Uniontown, accepted kisses from Shettel’s nearly 2-year-old lab mix Nanomi.
“I’m a dog person,” Norris said. “These dogs were in the parade. I remember this one.”
Midway games like the ping-pong ball toss were popular with Candice Thorpe of Uniontown who bought baskets of balls for her 4-year-old niece and nephew to toss.
“I love being an aunt at times. Each time (the festival) comes around, I always bring them,” Thorpe said.
Sha’Maurie Mosley, 13, of Uniontown, was at the festival after marching in the parade Wednesday and again Thursday. She would probably be there each evening until the festival closes.
“I like the food and the rides,” Mosley said.
The Uniontown Middle School cheerleader said she also enjoyed spending the festival evenings with her friends.
“The crowd’s been real good. We haven’t had any major problems and the crowd has been steady,” Andrus said. “We’ll be here again next year.”