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Brownsville to host inaugural Riverfest

By Cindy Ekas cekas@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read
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Brownsville Councilman Mike Walters wanted to do something special for the community, so he decided to build an event around one of the borough’s most beautiful and unique assets: The Monongahela River.

“The river is a big deal, so I decided that we needed to showcase the river to bring people into our town, so they can see what Brownsville has to offer,” Walters said.

And that’s what he and other organizers hope will happen during the inaugural Riverfest, set to take place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 13.

Activities will begin at the amphitheater in the center of town where 25 food and craft vendors will be set up, Walters said. Some of those vendors include Christian Klay Winery in Chalk Hill, the Ridge Runner Distillery in Chalk Hill, food vendor Loulou’s Barbecue in Brownsville and the U.S. Army.

The Sandwich Shop & Deli, a business that Walters and his wife opened on April 15, 2020, will also be on hand, serving sandwiches, deli meats and cheeses, salads and a full coffee bar.

Walters said a new parking area has been created next to the Union Station Building and the former Bee Bop’s Lumber Co.

“We now have a great place for people to park when they visit Brownsville,” he said.

Walters, who works as the general contractor for Americon, said his company is in the process of constructing a new arch over Brownsville Avenue and installing an outdoor movie screen where movies will be shown during the event.

He added that John S. Excavating also has done a lot of work to get ready for the event.

“Without John S. Excavating, we wouldn’t have the parking lot or the arch,” Walters said. “They have contributed a ton of work to help us get ready for this event.”

Walters said he is hopeful Riverfest will be well attended.

“We had 544 people say they are coming or are interested in coming on our Facebook site. It sounds like we are going to have a large attendance. That is great news for our first year,” he said.

In the future, Walters said he wants the borough to construct new boat docks at the wharf so people can access the Mon River.

“Two very large sponsors are working on securing the money for the future project,” Walters said. “It’s in the design phase right now.”

Walters said the Perennial Project, a nonprofit organization that works to beautify the community, has also assisted him in getting ready for the event. Joe Barantovich is the president of the group.

“Joe has been instrumental in helping me with the event,” Walters said. “He has helped me with the arch, the movie screen and all of the cleanup. He is physically out there cutting grass and planting flowers.”

Brianne Bayer Mitchell is serving as the marketing director and event organizer. Her husband attorney Mitch Mitchell is one of the event sponsors, according to Walters. Other event organizers include Scott Bradford and Melissa Balla O’Brien.

Walters said his son, Cameron, a 19-year-old art student at PennWest California, designed the logo for the event.

Picker’s Pub and Grub located at the corner of Bank and Market streets will be hosting a band from 2 to 5 p.m. in the parking lot.

“They are going to have a beer wagon and drink and appetizer specials,” Walters said. “They will also have games and a beer wagon.”

Other bands at the amphitheater include Wizdom from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Yough River Band from 2 to 5 p.m. and Post Fifth from 5 to 9 p.m.

Also, from 5 to 7 p.m., there will be open house tours of the “Maria’s Lover’s” house, which had been turned into a bed and breakfast.

The event will also include a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m.

One of the highlights of the event will be an “Anything that Floats Contest” which will feature trophies and prizes. Friends of the Brownsville Free Library will be giving away books at the event.

A VIP party will take place at 9:30 p.m. for platinum sponsors who contributed $1,000 or more for the event.

“We have raised enough money to pay for everything,” Walters said. “Vendors and participants are free this year. We didn’t want to charge people to attend and not have a good attendance for our first year.”

So hopeful is Walters that Riverfest will become an annual attraction for Brownsville that the date for next year’s event has already been set. Riverfest 2023 will be held on July 15.

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