Crowd flocks to Sewickley Harvest Festival

Members of the service clubs that organized the Sewickley Harvest Festival are celebrating after the largest fall event in recent borough history.

Nearly 150 vendors and more than 6,000 people were buying and selling a variety of items during the 33rd edition of the festival, held Sept. 7.

It was presented by Rotary Club of Quaker Valley and Kiwanis Club of Sewickley.

“The weather was good for us,” Kiwanis secretary Bob Marko. “We’re glad people showed up. I think the vendors sold a lot things.”

Food vendors were lined up on both sides of Broad Street while artisans, crafters, candle makers, clothing designers and the like were lined up on both sides of Thorn Street.

Quaker Valley School District had several members of its administrative team talking with families and handing out calendars and other information.

Other local organizations that participated included Sewickley Academy, Sewickley Historical Society, Sewickley Valley YMCA and the Sewickley Public Library.

Vendors and patrons

WickyWags owners Michelle and Marty Molyneaux sold soy candles with pet pun names such as “Bark’n Blueberry Cobbler,” “Lavender Retriever” and “SnickerPoodle.”

They give 5% of their proceeds every quarter to animal rescues. They have donated to 16 different rescues since 2020.

WickyWags was on a waiting list last year when they got the call to participate. Michelle Molyneaux said it felt great to be back.

“The festival is amazing,” she said. “Love the area. Love the people. Love the organization. We do a lot of vendor shows in the Pittsburgh area. This is by far one of the best.”

Uzi’s Pastries of DuBois was one of the more popular vendors and a favorite of Rotary Club officials.

“He has good stuff,” said Rotary treasurer Sidney Lauther. “He has excellent poppy seed rolls (and) apricot rolls.”

Rotary past president Rich Hays second Lauther’s pastry proclamations.

It was difficult not to smell the fresh cooked lamb from the Papa Duke’s Gyros food truck.

They served chicken and lamb gyros, stuffed grape leaves and baklava.

People from throughout Allegheny County flocked to the festival.

Mary Krizan of Upper St. Clair brought her children, high school juniors Lucy and Samuel Dowds, with her to Sewickley.

“I saw it online and it’s a beautiful day so we thought we’d come check it out. We love festivals like this,” Krizan said.

It was the family’s first time in the borough. Lucy took home a sweater, perfume and a cat blanket.

“I like to shop and I like little artsy cute things like candles and clothes,” she said. They were fans of the traveling boutique Magnolia on Main.

Erin Anderson of Swissvale said the festival was a chance to connect with friends she had not seen in a while. Her daughter, Sienna Brown, 2, enjoyed children’s activities like face painting.

Residents Melissa Post and Lori Casino said they love it when the borough hosts the festival. Their children, Bennett Post and Mira Casino, both attend Osborne Elementary.

“I think it’s one of the first opportunities of the fall season to really brag about our neighborhood,” Melissa Post said. “Lots of people from other neighborhoods and boroughs come to Sewickley and they see how charming and welcoming and warm we are. We love that chance to show off our bubble.”

Lori Casino called it a block party that you don’t have to host or plan.

“Our town does all the work for us,” she said.

Public safety section

Borough first responders had a children’s carnival in conjunction with the festival.

There was a bouncy house and face painting near the police station. The state Attorney General’s Office lent one of its SWAT vehicles for families to explore.

Cochran Hose Company had its ladder truck out and showcased some of the department’s lifesaving equipment with the help of Valley Ambulance Authority.

Children also got a chance to put out a fake fire under the supervision of firefighter Ben Eichenlaub.

Fire Chief Shayne Quinn said it was a good opportunity to mingle with resident and those from out of town in a nonemergency setting.

“It’s busy,” Quinn said. “The weather’s great. This is probably one of the best turnouts we’ve had for the Harvest Festival. We’re trying to get the word out. Our 150th anniversary is coming up in 2026. We’re going to do a larger open house type thing for that. We have a new ladder truck coming in 2027. We’ve got some things happening. It’s kind of a show-and-tell day.”

Police and firefighters also had some safety handouts for families.

The festival originated in the 1940s to help local farmers. It took place in a field near the Sewickley YMCA before being moved to the main streets.

Organizers said it was also previously run by Sweetwater Center for the Arts and leaned more heavily on the arts compared to food at that time. The festival was later dropped until the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs began working together in the 1980s to bring it back.