Laurel Caverns festival to feature cave tours
As a little girl, Doreen Tanner of Fairchance hiked up the mountain to Laurel Caverns. She helped sweep the floors and pick up trash so she could play in the caves. “It was like my back yard,” she said. “I hold it very dear to my heart.”
As a grown woman who now manages Laurel Caverns, she and her co-workers noticed that many visitors come from outside the region. Other than church youth groups and the Scout programs, many locals have yet to venture into the caves, hunt for fossils or play 18 holes of miniature golf.
They speculate that people from the community may have simply put off visiting Pennsylvania’s largest show cave or overlook it because it’s not a distant spot to vacation.
By hosting a festival, Tanner hopes locals will come by and enjoy the vast “back yard” she loves. The Cave Festival will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The festival is free, but there are costs associated with caving and a few other activities. In the event of bad weather, the festival will move indoors.
“We were trying to look for something that would open up Fayette County’s eyes to what we do,” Tanner said. “We thought a festival would be a good idea – just invite everybody up.”
The festival will include a variety of activities for all ages. Families may participate in caving excursions, browse displays set up by various organizations or play in an interactive room set up for youngsters. A band will perform free of charge on Saturday afternoon, and a mineral vendor will sell a variety of hard-to-find boxed specimens, according to Lisa Hall, director of cave studies.
In an effort to give back to the community, Laurel Caverns will conduct an auction Sunday afternoon. All proceeds will benefit the Crime Victims’ Center of Fayette County. Some pieces to be auctioned off include antiques and coupons donated by local businesses, as well as items from the gift shop.
“We’re reaching into the community where the needs really are,” Hall said. “We just felt that would be money well placed.”
The visitors center will display the entries from its photo contest. The categories include the cave environment and Laurel Highlands. Those 17 and under will be judged separately. The winners will receive prizes such as free tours or a season pass, according to Hall.
In the evening, candlelit tours of the cave will allow the public to experience how people explored the cave before electricity. They don’t typically offer these tours, according to Tanner.
Two other guided tours through the caves will take place throughout the daytime. The family tour includes a sound and light show. There is a cost for adults, and the children’s fee is based on the child’s age.
Those wanting to explore further should experience the deep cave trip. Adventurers will have the opportunity to walk and crawl through parts of the cave completely undeveloped, which means there are no lights or paths. There is a cost for the three-hour excursion, and participants must be at least 12 years old.
Beginners and more experienced cavers will enjoy being submersed in what Hall refers to as the cave’s “pristine environment.” On their way down the 44 stories to the cave’s bottom, they will come upon underground streams and waterfalls.
Laurel Caverns recently added a zip line. The ride down this 300-foot cable is offered at a cost. Because of the popularity it has already generated, the zip line will become a permanent attraction, according to Hall.
For the brave, public rappelling has offered a thrill at various drop points. Outside the cave, customers may rappel approximately 30 feet. Two points remain inside the cave, Devil’s Staircase at about 40-feet high and the Tyler James Grim Drop at about 35 feet.
Instructors assist to ensure everyone’s safety. Customers will have a safety line attached to them, so they cannot fall. Many Boy Scout and Girl Scout groups earn badges rappelling, and a grandmother got up the nerve to do it on her 90th birthday, according to Tanner.
“Once they make up their mind that they want to do it, they all love it,” Hall said. “They come out of the cave with big grins on their faces.”
There is a cost for public rappelling, and customers must be at least 12 years old. Those who participate in a cave tour will receive a coupon for a discounted price.
Children and parents can touch and interact with rocks, minerals and fossils usually placed behind glass in the Discovery Room. Giggles, the clown, will make appearances with balloon animals. Additionally, children will have the opportunity to have their faces painted and create sand art.
Children will learn about caves and the sport of caving in a playful environment. They may crawl through a simulated cave and dress up in some caving equipment.
All ages will enjoy the 45-minute nature hike through the forest complete with a fossil hunt. During the fossil hunt, everyone may forage the surface of eroded areas for seashell fossils.
“The kids will have a chance to grab a thing for a scavenger hunt,” said Hall. “They can do that on their own or that can be part of the hike.”
To alleviate some of the festival’s costs, many organizations will donate their time and expertise. Thus, Laurel Caverns can offer many activities for free.
“If we can offer it to them for free, then we’re going to do that,” said Hall. “We’re really thinking of the community.”
The Mid-Atlantic Karst Conservancy will provide information pertaining to the conservation and study of caves as well as how their organization works with cave owners to keep access to caves open to the public.
The Pittsburgh Grotto, one of the oldest caving organizations in the United States, will have material on the sport of caving as well as safety concerns. “Caves are a unique environment that can be hurt easily or can hurt you easily,” said Chairperson Dave Ruth. “As long as you come prepared correctly, caves are a safe and fun place to be, especially if you take care not to hurt the cave in any way.”
Their speaker, Paul Damon, will talk about the cave before it became commercialized and was known as Dulaney’s Cave. The passageways people walk through on the upper tours were crawlspaces then, so the sand and clay had to be dug out according to Ruth.
Kevin Patrick, a professor of Geography at Indiana University, will hold a book signing for his book published in the fall of 2004, “Pennsylvania Caves and Other Rocky Roadside Wonders.” While this book targets recreational cavers and cave owners, the novice interested in geology and tourism will enjoy it according to Hall.
“The caving community is already pretty familiar with [the book]…” he said. “I would love to get it out there and let the general public know about it.”
This book focuses on how geology has evolved into tourist attractions such as caves, boulder fields, rock cities and many more. Patrick included the individual histories of caves in Pennsylvania, nine of which currently open to the public and seven now closed. Patrick included information on Laurel Caverns as well as its history.
He explained that the general public might believe all caves look the same, so they don’t tour many of them. “Every single one of them is different,” he said. “They’re like snow flakes.”
On Saturday evening, Hall will give a bat presentation to clarify some common misconceptions, such as the beliefs that bats carry diseases, don’t see well or have aggressive tendencies. Hall explained that bats are non-aggressive, cleaner creatures with excellent eyesight.
“A lot of these myths are completely wrong,” she said. “The numbers are dwindling, which is why they’re being protected by federal law. We’ve got to get a hold on this.”
Laurel Caverns plans to hold this festival annually. Hall believes it’ll provide an excellent opportunity to educate the public about the environment in a fun, adventurous manner.
“Hopefully, we get all types of people,” she said.
“We really hope that we’ll tap into the whole Pittsburgh area.”