Summer is sizzling in Sharpsburg.
The business district has partnered with area nonprofits to show off the best of the borough during a “Spend a Saturday in Sharpsburg” series of events. The next one is scheduled for Aug. 23.
“We want to make sure people know about all the wonderful things happening here,” said Jodi Klebick, executive director of the Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization. “This town really shines in summer.”
Co-coordinator and photographer Megan McGreevy said the event welcomes people to browse the business district along Main Street and also visit vendors who will be set up along North Canal Street.
From noon to 3 p.m., the streets will come alive with food, music, art, crafts and children’s activities.
“Some of the shops will have sales or maybe just prop their doors open to welcome people in,” said McGreevy, a 2008 graduate of Fox Chapel Area High School.
Vendor registrations are underway. Anyone interested can email Klebick at jodi@sharpsburgneighborhood.org.
The event is a take on the Night Markets and First Fridays that are becoming increasingly popular across the area. The idea is to expose people to the commerce and camaraderie of small towns like Sharpsburg.
For the Summer Sizzler-themed event in August, Klebick said there will be a focus on back-to-school with backpack giveaways, rock painting and kindness notes.
“We will gladly accept any supplies that we can donate to school-age kids,” Klebick said.
The Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization booth will host kids’ crafts, transforming pool noodles into fish and a dunk tank with a special guest — Kerr Elementary Principal Katelyn Toth.
Community advocacy group Roots of Faith will provide links to resources including health screenings and employment assistance. Sharpsburg Community Library will have activities for people of all ages – during the spring event, they invited people to create coffee filter flower pots to decorate window sill gardens.
“There’s so much going on in the community and we’re just working hard to get the word out,” McGreevy said.
