Greene County Historical Society and Museum to present 50th annual Harvest Festival
Courtesy of Greene County Historical Society and Museum
The Greene County Historical Society’s annual Harvest Festival always a wide array of activities for festivalgoers, including the popular blacksmithing demonstrations. This year’s event will be held Oct. 9 and 10 the county museum.
Courtesy of Greene County Historical Society and Museum
History will once again come alive at the Harvest Festival through Civil War re-enactments, which will include members of the 140th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Co. A.
Courtesy of Greene County Historical Society and Museum
One of the many highlights of the annual Harvest Festival is the re-enactment of historical battles. In this archived photo, re-enactors representing the 140th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and the 2nd Virginia Infantry fire a volley at the end of a battle to clear rifles.
The Greene County Historical Society and Museum is set to to celebrate the golden milestone of its annual fall harvest celebration.
The 50th annual Harvest Festival will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 9 and Oct. 10 at the museum. The festival will once again feature a wide array of crafts and entertainment, food, history re-enactments, historical demonstrations and much more.
Museum administrator Matt Cumberledge said he is looking forward to this year’s event because it will combine new features with a deep appreciation for the past.
“The Harvest Festival is an event that brings Greene County history full circle,” he said. “Those who attend get to experience and learn from the past and use that knowledge to take forward into the future. This festival is a true celebration of what Greene County is about.”
Volunteer Janice Rohanna said although there were challenges in coordinating this year’s event, everyone involved with the festival is excited about showcasing the area’s deep harvest heritage.
“We are really looking forward to highlighting the ‘harvest’ aspect of the festival,” she said.
The festival will officially kick off with the traditional opening ceremony on the museum grounds at 10 a.m. Saturday, and will feature many demonstrations and exhibits throughout the weekend, including several new attractions and a few favorites.
Once again, history will come alive at the festival through a Civil War re-enactment both days at 11 a.m. and also at 3 p.m. Sunday, all behind the museum.
Live entertainment also will be featured both days at the festival in the barn. Musical performers scheduled to appear include Heaven Bound Ministries at 1 p.m. Saturday and gospel singer Jason Woods at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Jefferson-Morgan High School’s drama club will perform a skit in the barn at 2 p.m. both days, and there will also be a church service in the barn at 10 a.m. Sunday.
The museum will present a special activity titled “The Haunted History of Halloween,” which will take place in the barn at 1 p.m. Sunday; and a skit titled “Trouble on the Tracks” at the train tracks on the grounds, beginning at 3 p.m.
“We are staging a train robbery, to celebrate the restoration of the quarter-mile track on display at the museum,” Cumberledge said. “This will be a culmination of much hard work that was done for that restoration project. And I would like to specifically thank Dave Jones of Brave for spearheading the WW&RR project. His long days of hard work have not gone unnoticed, and his passion has been infectious.
“Without Dave’s hard work we wouldn’t be able to feature the second No. 4 locomotive for the first time in years at the 50th annual Harvest Festival,” he added.
There will also be cannon demonstrations on the grounds at 2:30 p.m. both days, as well as a historical lecture in the barn at 4 p.m. Saturday. Other demonstrations being offered throughout the weekend include pottery and blacksmithing.
The festival will also present a pepperoni roll competition at 12 p.m. Saturday and an apple pie competition at 12 p.m. Sunday. Both competitions will take place in the barn.
Craft and food vendors and children’s activities will also be available throughout both days.
Admission for this year’s festival is donation-based.
New this year will be a free shuttle service and a fireworks display.
Festival attendees are being asked to park at Waynesbug Walmart, at the end of the lot near the yellow donation bins. The shuttle service, which is sponsored by Fox Ford Service and Waynesburg Moose Lodge and Family Center, will start at 9:45 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. both days.
“We truly thank our generous donors for helping make so much of what we offer during the festival possible,” Rohanna said. “It is a testament of our communities that provide great support through monetary donations and/or many volunteer hours and efforts. It is that support that enables the Historical Society to offer this wonderful festival every year.”
For the first time ever, a fireworks celebration will be held at the festival to commemorate its 50th anniversary. The display is scheduled for Saturday at dusk, with a rain date set for Sunday.
And, festival organizers said the museum’s “dungeon” will be open to the public for viewing.
For more information, call Greene County Historical Society and Museum at 724-627-3204 or visit the society’s Facebook page at www.greenecountyhistory.org.