That total is more than triple the attendance of the first installment of the event held in 2024, according to Borough Council President Annette Lewis.

Duncansville Fire Department members selling BBQ chicken dinners sold out nearly three hours after the event began at 10 a.m., she said.

“The first year, we had no idea what to expect, so you don’t know if you’re building on your success or if it’s worse — it’s better,” Lewis said.

Lewis hopes to grow the event even further in 2026, utilizing both sides of the park across Blair Gap Run.

More than 3,000 visitors turned out for the second annual PawPaw Festival held at Duncansville Memorial Park. Mirror photo by Conner Goetz

This year, more than 50 vendors sold a variety of handcrafted items and gifts, as well as pawpaw fruits and saplings.

Melania Jackson and her sister, Shanda, set up a stall to display her “GroovyMoon Creations,” which are a range of Victorian/fantasy-inspired handmade jewelry and crochet garments.

Jackson initially attended Fairy Fest in the park in May, and was asked to come back for PawPaw Festival in September at the invitation of one of the organizers.

“We’re probably going to come back next year since it’s been a really good day so far,” Jackson said.

Mackenzi McClellan drove from Fallentimber in Cambria County to vend at PawPaw Festival for the first time.

Duncansville Mayor Eric Fritz sells lemonade at PawPaw Festival on Sunday in Duncansville Memorial Park. Mirror photo by Conner Goetz

Her “Moss Fairy Art” is made from a collection of bones, crystals and other natural goods foraged and repurposed into a variety of decorative objects.

“It’s going very well, people are enjoying my crafts and saying it’s very unique, I’m very happy with how it’s going,” McClellan said. “It’s the perfect group of people for this type of stuff.”

Ecotopian EarthCare founder Jordan Wild was instrumental in putting PawPaw Festival together, working with the borough to plan each event and providing a number of pawpaws for attendees to sample.

“It’s important to the entire ecosystem. The insects, the birds, native plants are the foundation of our ecosystem, so without native plants, it would be a downward spiral,” Wild said.

Wild spoke on stage early in the day, explaining the history of the pawpaw and the ongoing efforts to restore its original range throughout northern Appalachia.

John Peacefire performs on Sunday at PawPaw Festival, which saw more than 3,000 visitors turn out for the second annual event held at Duncansville Memorial Park. Mirror photo by Conner Goetz

“It’s incredible, a lot of what we’re doing with the educational part of the festival … that is not really taught in school, so it’s definitely a unique event,” he said.

Altoona residents Erica Sommer and Norman Benford came both years of the festival, saying that it has grown noticeably over that period.

“It’s an excellent opportunity to learn about native plants in central Pennsylvania,” Sommer said. “They’re really finding their organizational pattern, it’s really well organized.”

“It’s been successful from the jump, the first year was great,” Benford said.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.

More than 50 vendors sold a variety of handcrafted items and gifts, as well as pawpaw fruits and saplings Sunday at PawPaw Festival in Duncansville. Mirror photo by Conner Goetz