Thousands return to Larry Mills Park in Plum for Summerfest
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A carnival atmosphere, new community group and food vendor area combined with warm weather and no rain were all part of this year’s Summerfest in Plum.
The annual seasonal celebration returned to Larry Mills Park on June 24-26 after being canceled last year due to the pandemic.
Patrons responded in kind with at least 3,000 people visiting the recreation site off Fontana Drive.
Kenley Scanga, 4, of Plum was among the many children who played games and rode rides. She won a prize for catching three plastic frogs at one of the booths with the help of her grandmother, Mary Wilson of Swissvale.
“It’s a carnival!” Kenley said while claiming her prize.
Kenley’s parents, Louie Scanga and Maria Domino, recently moved to Plum from Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood.
“Nice neighbors, love the peace and quiet; and this is really nice,” Scanga said.
Organizers crafted a new layout giving C&L Shows of Mt. Pleasant more space for their rides and games while local community groups and food vendors had their booths at another side of the park.
Non-food vendors such as insurance agencies and home improvement companies were not part of the layout in order to help with social distancing.
There also were no live bands or other performances.
“It gave us a little more room to work with up here,” said event coordinator Mona Costanza. “The stage takes up a huge area, and we didn’t want people congregating around the stage this year.
“That’s all something that we’re going to look at at our wrap-up meeting. We might build upon that. The layout’s perfect. Moving forward, I think you’ll see this next year.”
Summerfest planning usually begins in January. Organizers coordinated everything in about month after state officials lifted some covid restrictions.
“Once we knew that restrictions were lifted outdoors and we could have a larger crowd, we just started and pulled it off,” Costanza said. “We have a great team to work with. We just come together and know how to make it happen. Three days (of) perfect weather. I have not been to a festival that has had three days of perfect weather.”
There was limited parking at the event. Many patrons parked at Amplify Church along Saltsburg Road. Organizers had to add a third full-size school bus from the Plum School District to shuttle guests to and from the church.
A.J. Robinson, 7, of McKeesport tested his strength at one of the carnival games. He swung a mighty mallet to ring a bell and win a toy gun. A.J. said he loved everything about the festival.
His father, Quincy Robinson, said it was their first time at Summerfest and the family had a great time.
“We’re enjoying it,” Robinson said. “I was tired of sitting in the house. It’s great to be able to come out and the kids have fun.”
Mayor Harry Schlegel recalled the festival’s roots, when it was called Community Days years ago.
“We used to have three fire trucks and saw a couple food things — that was it,” Schlegel said. “Now, it’s grown big-time. I can’t say enough about the staff all the way down to public works. These guys made it happen.”
He commended Costanza, other administrators and volunteers.
“This is what the community does,” the mayor said. “People step up.”
Food vendors included Penn Hills-based Pappy’s Kettle Corn, Strada Italian Street Food, Pittsburgh Smokehouse and ByGone Wines.
Rain Dropz, which offered bubble tea and lemonade, was run by Jennifer Lynn Pusateri and her daughter, Kali.
“I never knew this was a thing until my mom told me about it,” Kali Pusateri said. “It’s very family friendly and everyone seems to be having a good time. My kid’s loving it. There’s things for your toddler to do. It’s nice.”
Her son, Dakota Delgado, 2, pushed around an empty stroller and showed off various dance moves.
“He’ll do this all night,” Kali Pusateri said. “I can trust to let my son run out 10 feet in front of me and still be able to see him and trust no one’s going to do anything. If anything, they interact with him. Mostly everyone’s from Plum. I know just about everyone.”
Other festivities included a graduation ceremony for the Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department’s Junior Fire Academy.
Chief Jim Sims and other fire station officials gave the 27 cadets their various certificates and commended their dedication and hard work during the weeklong camp.
Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office had a search demonstration with one of its bloodhounds and the state police flew in one of its helicopters.
A Zambelli Fireworks display closed out the festival Saturday night.