The sun was beaming, creating an 80-degree afternoon. A combined scent of gyros, tacos, barbecue and pastries wafted through the humid atmosphere.
Children cheered in the splash park and music filled attendees’ ears. The American flag flew high in the air, displayed by an aerial fire truck.
This scene made up the inaugural Bethel Park Arts and Music Festival, held along Park Avenue on July 27.
The day was dedicated to shedding light on local artists and musicians, while raising money for Bethel Park Recreation, the Bethel Park Education Foundation, Bethel Park Community Foundation, Bethel Park Historical Society and Bethel Park Public Library.
Andy Amrhein, owner of Evey True Value Hardware on Library Road, had been imagining this event for the past 10 years and was “beyond words happy with it.”
“It met all my expectations, and I have very high expectations,” said Amrhein, who also is vice president of the community foundation and a member of the education foundation
After adding up the school bus driver head count, the number of maps handed out and a police estimate of attendance there were approximately 5,000 people who came to experience the day, according to Amrhein.
Not only did locals show up for the activities, but people from Cleveland, Columbus, Morgantown, Altoona and Harrisburg made an appearance.
Amrhein explained the day was successful due to the team of people involved. Whether it was the media, the volunteers, the policemen, the firefighters or the emergency services “everything was effortless,” he said. “It’s nice to put a quality team together and you let everyone do their job and they do it well.”
There were zero incidents throughout the day. Tri-Community South EMS fielded one bee sting and gave out six bandages.
Some food trucks and artists left the day early because they unexpectedly ran out of supplies.
“The artists that I spoke to said they were doing very well for a one-day event. That they did better at our one day than they did at the 10 days at the Galleria,” said Christine McIntosh, executive director of the library and member of the festival committee.
There were an eclectic range of artists spanning from water color to photography, with authors and jewelry makers also filling the scene.
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Maria DeSimone Prascak and Johno Prascak were two of the premiere Pittsburgh artists in attendance. The couple shared a booth displaying their high-energy and Pittsburgh-themed artwork.
Prascak said it seemed like the festival had been occurring for years, despite it being the first time.
“It ties in art, music and food. That’s the big three,” he said. “It’s wonderful to be with these other artists here.”
Mary Ellen Phillips and Katie Colborn were two Bethel Park residents who attended the event after seeing it posted on Facebook. Phillips was surprised by the amount of local artists the community has.
“It puts us on the map,” Colborn said.
She explained that people who visited the event may leave thinking Bethel Park is a nice place to be.
Sandy Kolod is a watercolor artist from Pittsburgh who attended to sell her work. She heard about the festival through being a member of South Arts Pittsburgh.
“It brings the community together,” she said. “It’s a way to even expose the schoolhouse.”
Her reference was to the Schoolhouse Arts and History Center at the corner of Park Avenue and South Park Road, the former academic building that serves as the historical society headquarters. Skip Hornak, who is a member of the board of directors for the historical society, agreed that the festival was beneficial to not only artists, but the schoolhouse.
In October 2016, the society took on the challenge of cleaning up the building, the original section of which dates back to 1905. Over the past eight years, with the help of grants and fundraising, the historical society was able to make a substantial renovation. The building now contains Reginald’s Coffee Shop and provides a space for people to rent.
“An event like this really helps,” Hornak said. “It introduces a lot of people to the building and what we’re doing here. Hopefully, we’ll get a few donations and maybe we’ll get a few rentals out of it.”
Historical society members believe the festival drew the biggest crowd inside the schoolhouse since it was built, according to Amrhein. He said that Julie Koczko, co-founder of Reginald’s Coffee, told him she met many first-time customers.
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Amrhein attributed the success of the event to the support of the municipality.
It took many partnerships throughout the community for the festival to occur without charging a fee to artists looking to participate.
“(I am) very proud we were able to pull this off,” Amrhein said.
The festival committee plans to continue the event in future years, with enhancements such as more artists and kid-friendly activities.