For 22 years Slippery Rock VillageFest has been a tradition for many in the community. This Saturday, families, friends, students, businesses and more will gather on Main Street for the event.
The fall festival will start at 10 a.m. and end at 5 p.m.
VillageFest is a way for individuals to come together, meet new people and enjoy the local businesses.
“It’s called VillageFest because we were trying to get people to come to the newly renovated town 22 years ago on Main Street,” Tom McPherson who is in charge of Entertainment for VillageFest said.
Individuals who attend can experience Main Street lined up with local food, shops, vendors and entertainment.
Around Gateway Park there will be a kid’s zone with various games and activities.
Attendees can look out for a magic show, a balloon artist and a caricature artist, as well as participate in musical chairs and a hula hoop contest.
“Well, our objective is to draw people to the area, to see the town, to shop at our businesses, to take advantage. I mean, maybe people didn’t know much about the university to see the school, maybe go to school here eventually, you never know. Just bring people into the community,” McPherson said.
A few months prior to the event businesses and vendors have to apply for a spot on Main Street.
“We put it online, and we sell out within a week or so, two weeks,” McPherson said.
New things that will be offered to individuals are a petting zoo and a photo booth.
Individuals can look forward to a performance from SRU’s Colombian Dance Ensemble Palenque.
“It’s so fun performing at VillageFest, it’s probably honestly my favorite performance we do all year long. We always perform either in the street or in the grass with the whole community surrounding us. And I think it’s just so fun because we get to share the culture of Colombian dance with everyone, and we can feel the energy of everyone supporting us at VillageFest,” Shea Cooper, a senior dance BFA major, said.
This is one of Palenque’s first performances of the semester, though they will be performing many more times throughout the year.
“They can look forward to some interaction and gorgeous costumes and smiling faces and upbeat music. We also have some of our newest members performing at VillageFest this time around, so it’s just gonna be all around a fun experience for us in Palenque, where we’re gonna lift each other up,” Cooper said.
The group enjoys sharing the dance and culture with the Slippery Rock community.
“I think for students, it’s a good way to see what we have to offer, and for other dancers, it’s good if they’re freshmen, or if they’re interested in our organization, to see what we do and maybe figure out if they want to do that,” Lia Palermo a senior double majoring in sport management and dance said.
Palenque will perform at noon on Saturday. Members of the group expressed their excitement for the performance.
“So, I think if there’s one thing people should know about our performance at VillageFest, it’s just that we love what we’re doing and we can’t wait to share it with everyone there. And we wouldn’t be able to do what we’re doing without the wonderful Melissa, and we’re just so excited,” Cooper said.
A shuttle bus service will be offered from the East and West Lake parking lots on campus so individuals can park, then ride the shuttle bus up to Main Street.
After Village Fest is over, individuals can head to the Mihalik-Thompson Stadium to see the SRU football team play against Shepherd University at 6 p.m.
Village Fest has something for all ages and will happen rain or shine.
