Friday, November 5, 2010

Hartslog Heritage Day

Google 'Hartslog Day'. This one of those small town, day long festivals out in small town America, but, Hartslog Day puts most of them to shame. It's not the shear size, because it has drawn approximately 10,000 visitors into Alexandria, PA every second Saturday of October, for 25 years. Surely one of the outstanding aspects of this festival is that it occurs in a town who's population is approximately 400 people. OK, 2000 if you count properties that are not within the boundaries of the borough.

For 6 or 7 years, I personally invested 3 to 5 days a year setting this festival up. The reason I worked for Hartslog day? It was the main fund raising day for the 3 main churches in town, the fire company, the ambulance service and the scout troops. One church, the Presbyterians, claims that it made over a months worth of offerings by selling hot dogs, bean soup, and soda. They claimed they wouldn't have been able to remain open without Hartslog day. Well, I digress a little, but Hartslog Day keeps essential organizations I listed above far, far healthier, if not alive. THAT is why I spent quite a few volunteer hours hanging signs, moving picnic tables, setting up pavilions, moving and setting up performance stages, bring the chairs and other stuff Don Litzenberger stored in the basement of the Alexandria Library, and plenty other good hard work. So, please get it straight, that festival isn't a self-serving event for the Hartslog Heritage Museum.......it's THE major fundraiser for key civic groups in Alexandria, PA.

Somebody send me an email and give me a nudge and I'll set up a page for the event. Though I no longer live in the immediate area, I made an investment in that community, and I wouldn't mind a bit to help promote the event through some better documentation that this little blog.

addendum: To Don Litzenberger, Sam, John, Charlie, and many others who pitched in, if you can read this, thanks for the experience. Great working with you guys, Peace. To every complainer that never realized what this day did for the genneral good of the people of Alexandria, or those who did and never lifted a finger to help, all of you can go to hell.

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