CLEARFIELD CO., Pa. (GANT) – If you have been suffering with cabin fever during the COVID pandemic, Clearfield may have a cure for you.
(This article was provided by our News Partner GantDaily.com. Photo courtesy of Steel City Time Machine.)
The weekend of May 22 and 23 will have a variety of events all in one place: the Clearfield County Fairgrounds in something being referred to as “More in May Festival”.
The organizing of this mega event began with Visit Clearfield County, the county’s tourism agency, scheduling its chainsaw-carving event in May, causing Clearfield County Fair Manager, Greg Hallstrom to hold its planned spring craft fair and Fair Food Court that same weekend.
This endeavor continued to grow when Ken Starr of Starr Hill Winery agreed to move the Groundhog Wine Festival, which is usually held in February, to that same weekend.
The festivities kick off on Thursday, May 20 with the Fair Food Court, starting at 11 a.m. Vendors will be there through Sunday, May 23.
Last year a food court event was held in place of the cancelled Clearfield County Fair. It had approximately 29 different vendors, which was down a bit from the fair’s usual 140 food vendors due to COVID restrictions.
A fall food court was also successful.
The 15th annual Groundhog Wine Festival features area wine, beer and this year, moonshine. It will be held outside at the track from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 22.
Pres-sale tickets which are available online from the winery Web site, starrhillwinery.com/ghwfest-tickets-2021 or at the Starr Hill Winery Store at the Clearfield Walmart, are $25 but if you are a designated driver for someone, you can get a discounted ticket. The cost at the door is $30.
Fifteen different wineries will be represented along with five distilleries and 20 other miscellaneous vendors, according to Starr.
Each business will be bringing a tent to enable the festival to continue, rain or shine. Music will be provided by Kevin Dale and Benn Herr.
Included with the festival is an appearance of the “Steel City Time Machine,” which is a real 1982 DMC DeLorean converted into the iconic car from “Back to the Future” and the sequels.
“It has been fully converted inside and out, into the most iconic, most recognized pop culture car on the planet, and is named as such because it resides in Pittsburgh, Pa.,” according to its Facebook page.
Filmmaker Spencer Folmer is also expected to make an appearance and Starr Hill Winery will be featuring its new “Rock House Wine” in honor of the History Channel’s “Alone” winner, Roland Welker.
This is one year the wine festival will not be sold out because as an outdoor event, they have room for up to 15,000 people, Kenn Starr noted.
He is hopeful this will bring people to Clearfield as it is possibility the first major event in the area, he said.
The second-ever Lumberjack Chainsaw Carvers Event begins at 10 a.m. and goes to 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 22 and from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 23 on the midway. Admission is free.
Each of the 23 carvers will get logs to “create whatever” they want with the items being auctioned off at 3 p.m. Sunday with proceeds to go to a needy area family, according to Josiah Jones, executive director of VCC.
After a year of restrictions, this is “going to be an opening event for the rest of the year.”
“We’re open for business,” Jones stated, adding “people are excited for this event.”
It is always a goal for the VCC to get “heads to beds” and he is hopeful this multi-day celebration will bring people into town possibly even from out of state, giving a boost to the local economy.
“People want to get out and do something,” he noted.
Jones wants to thank their main sponsor, Legacy Resource Partners, for donating 44 white pine logs for the competition.
“If we didn’t have the lumber, we couldn’t do this.”
In addition, a Craft Fair will be held on Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the cattle barn area of the park.
The 83 vendors will be selling craft items, wreaths, pillows, candles, jewelry, books, bakery items, candy, creamery products, as well as have representatives of Mary Kay, Tastefully Simple, Perfectly Posh and Paparazzi.
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