Volunteers tinkering away ahead of Peter Pan-themed Vandergrift Artfest

Vandergrift will be made of art, food trucks and pixie dust Sunday for the 17th annual Vandergrift Artfest.

This year’s theme, “Forever Neverland,” will be unmistakable for the thousands of people expected to attend from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday along Grant and Columbia avenues in the borough’s downtown area.

Pallets painted with scenes from the imaginary island already line the streets.

On the day of the festival, more than a dozen music acts will perform on an outdoor stage decorated as a pirate ship. For those seeking the sounds of Neverland, the Casino Theatre will host youth singers and dancers starting at 1:30 p.m as they perform songs from “Peter Pan,” “Hook” and more.

Attendees are encouraged to come in costume. Nana’s Costume & Mending Shop on Emerson Street is sponsoring a contest with $50 prizes for the best costume in three age groups.

“What really kind of moved the meter for us is we started theming it three years ago,” said Lisa Dormire, who chairs the Artfest committee. “People seem to really love the themed events.”

In 2022, organizers went with an “Alice in Wonderland” theme. Last year, it was “The Wizard of Oz.”

Local business are getting in on the action, too.

Allusion Brewing Co. is launching a limited-run peanut butter chocolate porter Sunday — a reference to Peter Pan brand peanut butter — and, starting Tuesday, customers at Grant Avenue Coffee Co. will have their pick of speciality drinks such as the Lost Boy Latte and Neverland Chai.

Robert Buchanan, president of the Vandergrift Business Association and owner of Allusion Brewing, called the weekend “huge” for local businesses, many of which fall within the borders of the festival.

For his brewery and taproom, only Oktoberfest generates higher traffic.

Community members embrace the theme each year, but art is still at the center of the festival.

Dormire said about 85 vendors will be selling their paintings, pottery, custom clothing and more.

An art exhibit will be open from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and during festival hours Sunday at the Vandergrift Market on Grant Avenue. A character meet and greet and basket raffle also will be housed in the building Sunday.

Festival-goers can grab a bite from more than 25 food trucks — some of which have never parked in the Alle-Kiski Valley, according to Dormire.

Long popular among Vandergrift residents, the festival increasingly attracts attendees from all over Western Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh. Anyone looking for easy transit can take a shuttle from Allegheny Plaza in Allegheny Township, which will run both ways from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

As the event grows, so does the demand on volunteers. Dormire said there are about 10 volunteers who plan the event and another 20 who pitch in the day of the event, but more are needed.

“If anything could cause it to stop, it would be the lack of volunteers,” Dormire said, recalling how the Festa Italiana di Vandergrift came undone a few years ago under a small, aging committee. “We’re always looking for more volunteers.”

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Dormire at lisa.dormire@gmail.com.