Festival attendees work on art projects at a painting station at Portage Area Summerfest last year. Courtesy photo

This weekend, Portage area residents, along with visitors from near and far, will gather at Crichton McCormick Park for the 32nd Summerfest, an event that celebrates community with food, crafts, children’s activities, games and more.

Summerfest is “a huge economic boost to the whole region” and it continues to grow every year with a variety of activities to appeal to as many people as possible, said Duaine Detrick, one of the event organizers and vice president of the festival’s board of directors.

The three-day event — slated for Aug. 9-11 — is a focal point for the area, with many residents building their family and class reunions around the festival weekend, he said, noting it acts like a homecoming for former residents.

“It has become one of those focus weekends where if someone has moved away, that’s the weekend they plan on coming back,” he said, adding about 25,000 people attend the festival every year.

While the event features a lot of fun activities — as well as live music and tasty treats — its impact is felt all year long, as each year Summerfest raises thousands of dollars for small projects benefiting Crichton McCormick Park, the Portage Area Joint Recreation Commission, the Portage Area Volunteer Fire Department and other organizations, said Tom Krcha, the board’s treasurer.

“We have a fabulous crew that work together very well,” he said. “We look forward to it every year and work together all year long.”

Barb Krcha, Tom’s wife, also a board member, is responsible for managing the craft vendors and the basket raffle.

For Barb, the Portage Area Summerfest is all about seeing families together and enjoying themselves. When she’s not working on the basket raffle, Krcha volunteers as a photographer.

“It’s really nice because I get to see the families together,” she said.

Krcha said she remembers taking her daughter, who’s now 38, to Summerfest when she was younger. Detrick said many current board members, like board president Amanda Kline, grew up with Summerfest and are now organizing the event.

“It’s come full circle with some of these people, and they take pride in that,” he said.

Entertainment a big draw

Detrick, who plays in the Three of Hearts party dance band and books the festival’s live entertainment, said Beatlemania Magic — A Tribute to The Beatles was “a huge hit” last year. The band will perform at 7 p.m. Friday.

Bill Kropinak, who leads the band as the John Lennon character, said the Pulaski, Pennsylvania-based band has performed in 32 states over 35 years and “had a great crowd” at Summerfest last year. He said he was amazed by the number of younger attendees who were standing up in the crowd, singing every word of the Beatles’ songs with them.

The band will cover several No. 1 hits from every album The Beatles produced in a span of nearly eight years, starting from the beginning, during which Kropinak said they’ll wear suits like The Beatles wore on the “Ed Sullivan Show” in February 1964. About halfway through the performance, they’ll change into costumes inspired by the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album.

“We get so much gratification out of doing it the right way and seeing the look on people’s faces,” Kropinak said. “But the other side of the whole thing is we touched people in a way that I never thought would be possible.”

A dime-pitch game added last year will return, Detrick said, adding that some of the glasses will contain cash rewards.

“It’s a massively popular thing,” he said of the game. “People will stand there all day trying to win stuff.”

On Saturday, the festivities begin at 11 a.m. with a car, truck and motorcycle show in the park’s back parking lot. Registration is $5.

In addition to several activities for children, a bingo tent and live music by Hells Bells, an AC/DC tribute band, there are many events planned outside of the park, Detrick said.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, the Portage Rotary Club will host a parade on Main Street. The night will culminate at 10 p.m. with the Portage Area Volunteer Fire Department’s fireworks display at the Portage Area football stadium. Detrick said the display will mark the first time in eight years fireworks have been set off as part of the festival.

The events on Sunday, Aug. 11, begin at 8 a.m. with the Portage Rotary Club’s pancake and sausage breakfast at the Summerfest pavilions. At the same time, church services will be held under the bingo tent.

The East Hills Kiwanis Club of Johnstown will host an antique and classic car and motorcycle cruise at 10 a.m., which also requires a $5 registration fee. A basket raffle will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday’s entertainment lineup includes UB the DJ, 10 a.m. to noon; ‘Ole 97 — Johnny Cash and June Carter Tribute Band, noon to 2 p.m.; Magic Mango, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.; Three of Hearts, 3 to 5 p.m.; Russell Wilburn, 4:30 to 6 p.m.; and Pendulum, a Creedence Clearwater Revival Tribute Band.

Festival restarted after pandemic

In 1986, Portage resident Joe Vargo came up with the idea of forming a committee to celebrate the Portage Borough Centennial in 1990 with a festival at Crichton McCormick Park. The event was a success, so the committee decided to create Summerfest in 1991 and held the event annually until “everything came to a screeching halt” in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Detrick said.

He said many of the then-committee members were older at the time and decided to disband the committee. In 2021, a one-day fundraiser was held by a new committee who were able to resurrect the event in 2022.

“Not only did we bring the festival back, but it’s gotten even bigger,” Detrick said. “It’s kind of hard to imagine but it did.”

Even though the event grows in popularity, expenses continue to rise, which is why volunteers and sponsors are “very crucial” to ensuring the event remains ongoing for future generations to enjoy, Detrick said, adding about 50 volunteers are needed to run the event.

“We’re always looking for volunteers … you can never have too many,” he said.

Mike Stager, a co-owner of Stager’s Store, said he often spends time with his family at Summerfest after closing the store. If the event’s organizers run out of supplies, like soda or water, Stager said he or one of his family members will privately open the store after hours to ensure organizers have what they need.

“It doesn’t take much to do,” Stager said, adding the store has been involved with Summerfest from the event’s first year. “If they’re out of something and people are thirsty, we’re more than happy to help. It’s a good community organization, and it’s a really good community function.”

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.