Organizers are gearing up for the 2017 Weekend in the Wilds event, with a number of new vendors and entertainment opportunities available for visitors.
“This year, we’re extending vendors onto a portion of Broad Street and onto West Fourth Street,” said Cameron County Chamber of Commerce Director Tina Johns-Solak. “It’s really neat that it’s growing so much this year.”
There are more than 60 vendors already registered for this year’s event, scheduled to take place this weekend on Friday and Saturday.
“As always, we’ll have the artisans tent and lots of activities for the kids, and a lot of other things that will be really cool and everyone will enjoy,” Johns-Solak said.
New this year will be the addition of several food trucks and a wealth of different options for hungry and thirsty visitors, such as coffee samples from newly-launched company Black Beard Brewing, and offerings from two previous BBQ Competition Champions Papa’s Smoke House and Phartin’ Barts.
“If you’re coming down this year, you’d better not eat first,” she said. “This year, we’ll have two barbecue sellers, a taco truck, Cousin Benny’s Sunset Ice, a lemonade stand, a couple bake sales, Mr. D’s mini donuts, Bison dogs, funnel cakes, chili dogs, and steak or chicken sandwiches. We’ve got something for everyone.”
A trailer owned by the Emporium Borough — once used to haul a piece of equipment that is no longer in service — will be used as the stage at this year’s event. In years past, flatbed truck trailers have been donated for temporary use by local businesses, and, while Johns-Solak stated they are very appreciative of the donations, the organization is happy to have their own equipment for use this year, and in the future.
“It might not look that pretty at this year’s event, but we plan to work throughout the summer to give it a more permanent stage-look and to get everything the way we need it for events. We’re going to keep it open for other community organizations to use, as well, when they need a stage for other events,” said Johns-Solak. During Weekend in the Wilds, she hopes that community members with ideas for making the flat bed look more like a stage will come forward and offer up their suggestions. Organizers would like the portable stage to be ready for prime time by this fall for the next scheduled Chamber event.
Johns-Solak stated that one of the biggest issues event organizers face each year is parking issues on Fourth Street in the area of the event. Parking meters are covered and clearly marked “No Parking,” but many event visitors park in front of booths they wish to visit anyway.
“There’s plenty of parking downtown,” said Johns-Solak. “We really need to keep those parking lanes open for safety reasons. With all the booths on the sidewalks and all the people walking along the streets, we need those spaces empty for visibility and to give pedestrians a little extra room.”
Johns-Solak pointed to a number of alternate locations for parking. There are spaces available on both North and South Broad streets; along side streets including North Chestnut, Third and Fifth streets; in the West Creek Rail Trail parking lot off South Chestnut and Third, and various other locations. Parking is free in the Emporium Borough on the weekends.
“We thank local business owners and residents for their compliance with the no parking requests, but we need event visitors to do the same. It’s really a safety issue,” she said.
Two streets will be closed for portions of the weekend in conjunction with the event. South Chestnut Street from Fourth Street to Third Street will be closed from 7 p.m. on Friday night until approximately 5 p.m. on Sunday evening to accommodate the artisan tent and related activities, while a section of Cherry Street for one block on either side of Fourth Street will also be closed. The children’s area is located on the corner of Fourth and Cherry, and the road closure gives more space for activities and an added level of safety for participating kids.
Events on Friday include the Barbara Moscato-Brown Memorial Library Book Sale from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.; a Pie & Ice Cream Social featuring homemade desserts, Penn State Creamery ice cream and entertainment by the Merry Melodies will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. with a Quilt Show in the sanctuary hosted by the Cameron County Quilters; an open house at the newly-announced Hygrade Inn Bed & Breakfast from 4 to 8 p.m. at the B&B’s location just down from the old Fourth Street School; and a free family movie night with popcorn and drinks at the Cameron County Christian Center.
On Saturday morning, the event kicks off with the annual Bigfoot Hunt hosted by Mountaineer Search and Rescue. Licensed hunters can begin looking for “Bigfeet” at sunrise. Licenses are available through Friday at the Chamber, Sinnemahoning Tavern, Driftwood Saloon and the Bear’s Den in Sterling Run.
Vendors booths, food trucks and activities will begin at 9 a.m. Artisans will again be located under the tent on South Chestnut Street. Among them will be local artists Teresa Genaux selling hand-knitted alpaca wool items and Flo Mason with upcycled artwork, Jackie Coble of DuBois with pottery and Kathleen Gnan of St. Marys with canvas photography.
A children’s area will be located in Singer’s Auto parking lot, courtesy of the Cameron County Conservation District, Cameron County Outdoor Youth Activities (CCOYA) and Storm Football. Alpacas will also be at the mini-park for kids to interact with. Legacy will provide live music from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on the stage, followed by the Bigfoot Calling Competition and hunt prize awards ceremony at 2 p.m.
Raffle tickets are currently available at the Chamber for three drawings to be held Saturday afternoon: Storm Football is raffling a BBQ smoker and a $100 Valley Meats gift card, Guy and Mary Felt Manor Auxiliary is raffling a basket full of lottery tickets and Storm Cheerleading is holding a Chinese Auction.
The annual fireworks show will finish up the event, scheduled to begin between 9:30 and 9:45 p.m. from the high school football field. The field will open at 7 p.m., with drinks, food and music available, to give plenty of time for spectators to pick out their seats in the grandstands.
For more information on Weekend in the Wilds, contact the Cameron County Chamber of Commerce and Artisan Center, or check out the website at cameroncountychamber.org.
