Fort Ligonier Days set for Oct. 8-10
LIGONIER – Final preparations are under way, as the community of Ligonier gets ready to host the traditional Fort Ligonier Days Friday through Sunday, Oct. 8-10. The theme for this year’s festival is “Past Reflections of the Valley,” so expect to find community shops decorated with a colorful, historic theme.
The three-day festival features a major community parade, musical entertainment, crafts, food booths and battle re-enactments at Fort Ligonier, site of a battle of the French and Indian War, which is commemorated by the community celebration.
The popular parade, which will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, will feature the United States Marine Band from Quantico, Va., as well as many marching bands, Shriners’ units, floats, community marching groups, TV personalities, historic groups and color guards.
Besides marching in the parade and performing on the Diamond immediately following the parade, the U.S. Marine Band is also scheduled to perform a free concert at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, in the Ligonier Valley High School auditorium.
A special attraction at this year’s parade will be the Heinz Hitch featuring eight black Percheron horses pulling a replica of the original Heinz Company horse-drawn grocery cart. Also back is the impressive Budweiser Clydesdale’s Eight-Horse Hitch, always a popular attraction.
A special guest band this year is the West Virginia University Band. There will also be a number of high school marching bands, representing Butler, Franklin Regional, Ligonier Valley and Richland. Also in the band will be members of the Greensburg Fire Department, the New Haven Pipe Band and the Polka Chudaks, among many other groups. There will also be floats representing the Maid of the Mist the Ligonier Valley Historical Society, Overly’s Country Christmas, Idlewild Park, Valley School and The Red Hat Society.
For the parade, several TV personalities are expected to take part, including Steve Teeling from WPXI, Jim Burton from WJAC and Sally Wiggin and Don Schwennecker from WTAE. The festival also features three sites of crafts with about 150 crafters. Among the crafts this year will be leather belt and accessories, embroidered linens, scrimshaw etching/wildlife themed jewelry, pottery, dried flowers, canes and walking sticks, watercolors, wrought iron, garden d?cor, scented candles/soap/potpourri, Ukrainian and batik eggs, photography, beeswax ornaments/candles, baskets, and fine art prints of the 18th century. There are also country-style curtains and accessories, hammock chairs, woolen art, hand-painted slate, sheepskin and wool products, and a variety of gourmet food products, including hand-dipped chocolates and fudge, salsa and much more. Signs point the way to the craft sites, which are linked by shuttle service.
A variety of food is available at the festival. About three dozen food booths, offering a variety of sandwiches, beverages, doughnuts and other goodies, ring the bandstand area in the heart of Ligonier.
Special activities for children are offered at Kids’ Korner, which is sponsored by Commercial National Bank and is located at the corner of Main and Fairfield Streets. Crafts and special activities are planned for kids.
Musical entertainment at this year’s festival will include a variety of performers for all tastes. For this year’s big Saturday night oldies street dance, music will be provided by the Vogues, performing hits of the 1950s and ’60s. The street dance will get underway at 7 p.m. at the East Main Street Stage. Other featured music includes Civil War-era music, Irish folk music, South American folk music, bagpipes and drums, bluegrass and Gospel.
The festival will get under way on Friday, Oct. 8, when the food booths and craftsmen’s fair open at 9 a.m. The Fort Ligonier museum will open at 10 a.m. Sidewalk sales begin that day at 10 a.m. Official opening ceremonies will take place at noon on Friday on the Diamond. Musical performances are scheduled throughout the afternoon on all three days of the festival.
On Saturday, Oct. 9, the food booths and craft booths again open at 9 a.m. The Fort Ligonier museum also opens that day at 9 a.m. Merchants will continue sales at 10 a.m. Information about the festival is available on the Ligonier home page at www.ligonier.com or by contacting the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce at 724-238-4200 or by e-mail at Ligonier@ligonier.com.
The parade, which winds down Main Street, follows at 11 a.m. Battle re-enactments will be presented at Fort Ligonier on Saturday, Oct. 9, and Sunday, Oct. 10, at 2 and 4 p.m. with artillery demonstrations scheduled for 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. both days.
On Sunday, Oct. 10, Fort Ligonier opens at 10 a.m. Booths open at noon. The festivities wind down with an old-fashioned band concert at 4 p.m. by the Delmont Area Concert Band in the bandstand. Musical performances conclude that day with a catillon concert at 5:30 p.m.
For the first time this year, a Fort Day 5K Run/Walk will be held on Sunday. The event will be held early to avoid disrupting church traffic. A one-mile Fun Run for kids (12 and under) will be held at 8:15 a.m., while runners will begin at 8:30 a.m. and walkers at 8:40 a.m. The event begins at Ligonier Valley High School and ends at Mellon Park. There is a registration fee. Trophies will be presented to the top three male and female competitors in several age groups. Applications for this event are available through the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Corporate sponsors helping with this year’s festivities include Citizens Bank, LeNature’s, the 66th Senior PGA Championship and the Tribune-Review.
Free bus shuttle service will be provided all three days from Ligonier Valley High School. The shuttle will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The craft loop shuttle bus service will run among the craft display areas from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. No parking is allowed in town or along Route 30 during the event. Designated parking areas are provided around town. No pets are permitted at the festival.
The official festival program, published by the Ligonier Echo, will provide information and a map. Information about the festival is available on the Ligonier home page at www.ligonier.com
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