Tradition of Forest Hills Festival ‘so fabulous’

ST. MICHAEL –  Carrie Naylor didn’t need to explain why her family drove 112 miles Sunday to return to the Forest Hills Festival.

The stuffed-full bags underneath her husband Jude’s arms said it all.

A homemade wooden bird feeder.

Decorative hand towels.

Sugar-topped funnel cakes – and a large bag of kettle corn that dwarfed all of it.

“We make it a point to come back every year because it’s so fabulous,” said Carrie Naylor, of New Castle, calling the trip a “family tradition.” “I think we’d drive down just for the food.”

With three rows of vendors offering an eclectic mix of food, including sweet, whipped cream-topped crepes, nut rolls and the Buckhorn Grange’s homemade ham pot pie, there was plenty to choose from, alongside dozens of craft vendors Sunday, said Paul Kundrod, fire chief for Adams Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 2.

The fire department, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, organizes the Berwind Wayside Park event annually, setting up its annual breakfast, staging vendors and hosting the event’s annual Sunday night fireworks display.

The latter was what lured Dora Gallagher to the event Sunday.

The Ashville woman said she and her husband planned to grab dinner at the festival before finding a seat for the nighttime display.

“This is our first time here, so we’re looking forward to it,” Gallagher said.

Kundrod said Sunday’s fireworks always draw a crowd, especially among Forest Hills area residents who often have picnics and reunions during the day and then venture down to the park for the evening.

Joe Heider, of Ferndale, who works in the community, said he’s heard about the event from co-workers for years, but never made the trip up the mountain until Sunday.

He brought his children – Joey, Jayce and Lilly – and stopped by the event’s stage to take a selfie with them.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about this festival, and the fact there’s fireworks is a bonus,” he said.

The Forest Hills Festival runs through Monday evening.