Apr 18, 2017 3 min read

David Bradford returned to Washington Tuesday – Tax Day – to issue a call to arms.

“Our beloved festival, celebrating our rebellion against an unfair tax, is in peril. We call on the good merchants of this region to keep our celebration alive,” said Bradford. “Our patrons have been generous to this endeavor, but, alas, some are leaving to fight for other causes. The coffers must be replenished.”

Portraying the famed leader of the Whiskey Rebellion, Clay Kilgore, executive director of Washington County Historical Society, joined Whiskey Rebellion Festival co-chairs Tripp Kline and Joe Manning at the Main Street Community Pavilion. The goal of the display was to call attention to the 30 percent funding shortfall to run the four-day event, which Kline said is a “huge number to fill in a short amount of time.”

The festival celebrates the 1794 uprising of hundreds of Western Pennsylvania farmers who opposed a federal excise tax on whiskey.

Manning, a Washington councilman, said some long-term commitments from sponsors have ended.

“We need to find substitutes for those,” Manning said.

He and Kline declined to identify the entities that are no longer financially supporting the event.

The four-day festival, which is free to the public, is run by volunteers. Funds raised are used to pay performers, for promoting the event and for associated fees and licenses.

First held in 2010 as part of the city of Washington’s bicentennial celebration, the community event was so popular organizers decided to hold it annually. It features historical re-enactments, children’s activities, frontier arts and crafts, food and beverage vendors and national musical acts.

In 2015, about 20,000 visitors attended.

“This isn’t a for-profit enterprise. This is something we do for the community because we believe in the history of Washington and how important it is to help our businesses,” said Kline. “We really see the festival as an economic development tool, not just a four-day event in the middle of the summer. We see an opportunity to brand Washington, the city and the county, as the home of the Whiskey Rebellion.”

Manning and Kline attribute a lot of festival success to the triumph of the weekly farmers market, which occurs on Thursdays through the summer. He said businesses support these events because they bring people into the community.

“There are festivals all over the country, but there’s only one place that can have a Whiskey Rebellion Festival. And that’s the heart of what this is all about,” Kline said. “We have something unique to sell. We have a unique marketing hook that truly gives us a leg up when it comes to putting on something that celebrates our history.”

Organizers continue to plan for the event, scheduled July 6-9 at the Community Pavilion on South Main Street. A historical, nondenominational church service on the Sunday morning of the festival has been added to the roster.

A GoFundMe account, at http://www.gofundme.com/whiskeyrebellionfest, has been set up with a goal of collecting $20,000. Kline said the festival board decided to make the financial struggle public in order to give residents a sense of ownership.

“This is an opportunity that allows everyone to participate. You don’t have to have tens of thousands of dollars. You can participate at any level. Every dollar will go directly to the festival,” Kline said. “One of things we’re trying to do is grow and make it more self-sufficient, so don’t have to rely solely on the generosity of corporate sponsors.”