Markus McGowan brought his family to the carnival-like Mammoth Fest in Mt. Pleasant for the first time Sunday.
It won’t be the last, the Jeannette resident said.
“I love it,” he said. “The rides, games, food — everything is great.”
Sponsored by Westmoreland County Parks and Recreation, the event in Mammoth Park has been drawing crowds for close to 40 years, according to communication coordinator Lauren Titterington.
She expected more than 10,000 visitors to come through the gates.
“The weather really helps,” she said, noting the picture-perfect day with temperatures that climbed into the mid-70s.
The goal, county Park Coordinator Chris Panichella said, is to provide family-friendly entertainment at a relatively low cost. Admission and parking are free, and unlimited ride tickets cost $5.
“You can’t beat it,” said Abby Trich of Mt. Pleasant. “We come every year. The rides alone are worth it.”
Her 2-year-old, Hayden, was just old enough to get a taste of the amusement park-style rides. He loved the motorcycles but cousin Nic Hill had to soothe Hayden on the swinging pirate ship by covering the toddler’s eyes.
In addition to rides, the festival grounds were filled with food vendors hawking just about everything someone might have a taste for. There were burgers, gyros, deep-fried cookies, Polish platters and icy drinks.
Entertainment was aimed at all ages, with arts, crafts and bingo. Two bands took the stage throughout the day. The Jaded Lips delivered a blend of garage rock, soul and indie hooks while Saddle Up blasted country rock.
Panichella said festivalgoers could peruse more than 60 craft vendors selling everything from handmade fishing lures to salt and pepper shakers made from beer cans. There was face painting, candle making and a petting zoo.
“Vendors kept calling up until yesterday,” he said. “So that part has really grown this year.”
Last year saw about 40 vendors, he said.
Zy’eir Mack, 3, of Greensburg focused all his attention on the inflatable obstacle course.
“I love it,” he yelled, as he peeked out from the netted finish line.
Up next for county parks and recreation is the Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival at Twin Lakes Park.
The event, July 2-5, features 50 live performances, 220 arts and craft vendors, heritage and history demonstrations and ethnic food booths. For more, visit westmorelandpa.gov.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source triblive.com ’
