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Summer festival offers fun for all

The folks at the Altoona Alliance Church have been busy the past few months preparing for a community outreach event to be held next weekend that will fill some of the parking lots around the church, located in the former Value City building, beside Planet Fitness, at 3220 Pleasant Valley Blvd.

Summer Fun Fest will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 26 and promises something for everyone, organizers said.

“We have lots of stuff going on,” said Heather Haire. “I think it will be fun.”

While the festival is free and open to the public, some vendors may have items for sale, she said.

Haire said the idea to host a festival was brought up in January or February, when someone asked “How can we get involved and reach out to the community?”

The initial idea was to hold a community outreach event during which people could find out what services area organizations have to offer, as well as learn more about the church.

The festival grew from there and “We’re just kind of going with it,” Haire said with a laugh, adding that the event has morphed from tables laden with information to crafts, a puppet show, a bounce house and inflatable obstacle course, the Tumblebus, story time and free food, among many other activities.

“We want people to come out and check us out,” Haire said of the church, and the group heading the event thought adding some fun events would bring in more people.

The church draws about 300 people each Sunday to services, which are held at 8 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Sunday school is held from 9:30-10:30 a.m. and includes classes for children and adults, Haire said.

The church also has several Life groups, Haire said, noting that it’s the Small Families with Children group, of which she’s a part, that has been planning the festival, along with Assistant Pastor Nathan ZanProoyen. The Rev. Timothy McGarvey is senior pastor at the church.

While the main goal is to reach out to the community, show God’s love and bring more people to church, Haire said they also want to have fun, noting the festival is a way for families to spend the day together doing “fun stuff.”

“We thought it would be a good date (Aug. 26) because it’s right before school is back in session and people are back from vacation,” she said.

Those attending will find a lot of things to do, and if it should happen to rain, the event will go on, but will be moved indoors, Haire said.

Children and adults will receive goodie bags, while supplies last, that will includes activities and information. The bags can also be used to collect items from various tables and children taking part in the Home Depot Kids’ Workshop can put their finished crafts into the bags, as well.

Attendees will be asked to register upon entering the festival area, Haire said. That’s where the goodie bags will be handed out and sign ups for the door prizes will be held.

More than 30 local businesses have donated items for door prizes, she said, including Chuck E. Cheese, Galactic Ice, the Mishler Theatre, the Hite Co., Pedal Power, Papa John’s, Holiday Bowl, AMC Theatres, Fye Music, DelGrosso’s Park, Slinky Action Zone, Altoona Curve, the Meadows and more.

Other featured activities for the day include the Curve Gospel Riders, a faith-based motorcycle group. It will be near the prayer tent.

In addition, Peggy Sollenberger will be on hand with The Puppet Ministry at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. and Richard Hamilton, of RLH Wood Sculptures, will be on-site doing either chain saw wood carvings or drawing caricatures.

Sandy Harshberger, a local poet, will read poetry at 1:30 and 3 p.m. Harshberger will also host story time at 1 and 2:30 p.m.

The Logan Township Police Department will have vehicles on display, and the Local Township Fire Department will bring a fire truck, while AMED will be on hand with an ambulance, Haire said.

Representatives of many local businesses and non-profit organizations will also take part in the event to talk about the services available to local residents. Among those committed to participating are the Altoona Area Public Library, Adventures In Motherhood, Child Advocates of Blair County/Head Start, United Way of Blair County, Home Nursing Agency, Day One Ministries, Precious Life and more.

REV FM will do a live remote throughout the day, and Toontown Clowns will create animal balloons, Haire said.

“Lots of fliers have gone out and we canvassed some neighborhoods to let families and kids know” about the events, she said, adding the group hopes a lot of people turn out to enjoy the festivities.

Haire said that while the initial plans weren’t for an event quite as big as it’s turning out to be, “It’s exciting and we’re trying to stay in it from the aspect that it was planned by us, but was definitely taken over by God, who has a hand in it. We were not thinking it was going to be this big. It’s gotten to the point where we trust God. We’ll minister to everyone who comes through.”

“If we can touch just five people, its more than we were doing before,” she said.

For more information on the Summer Fun Fest or the church, call 944-0171.

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