Oakmont celebrates all things fall during annual festival
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Despite a tenuous beginning with the weather, the Oakmont Fall Festival and Halloween parade went off as planned Oct. 30.
Costumed children and their parents marched down Allegheny River Boulevard to kick off the day.
The Riverview marching band led the 10 a.m. parade to celebrate the day’s festivities. The full festival swinging into high gear immediately after. Organized by the Oakmont Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by The Greater Pittsburgh Tree Service, the Oakmont Fall Festival has been going on in town since 2019, and local residents appreciated rolling the parade and festival into one event.
Anne Alcorn, who marched in the parade with her 4-year-old son Odin, who was dressed as panda, said, “It’s really nice for the whole community to do the Fall Festival in addition to the parade. This is just a lot of family-friendly fun.”
The festival featured over 25 different vendors and booths lined up along Allegheny River Boulevard, and children were invited to trick or treat at both the booths and the local businesses following the parade. Local resident Rick Winter, who just recently moved into the area, said, “For the community, this is just a wonderful thing. That’s the thing about Oakmont is everyone is just so friendly.”
Some of the highlights of the day included musician Jake Rubenstein playing live guitar under the Oakmont clock tower, Urbana Boutique’s princess inside of a giant globe waving at all the children, magician Weird Eric with balloon art, tarot card readings sponsored by Moonbeam Cafe, Oakmont-based author and cartoonist Joe Wos signing autographs and creating animal drawings and a face painting booth.
The local branch of KeyBank also had a booth set up, and they had a miniature Plinko-style game (from The Price is Right) in which festival patrons could drop a chip onto the game board and win a prize depending on which slot the chip landed in. Lorri Donatucci, the branch manager said, “Everyone’s been having such a good time. It’s just been a lot of fun, and everyone’s having a good day. Personally, I really enjoyed the parade.”
The festival also featured several food booths, including Pappa’s Gourmet Popcorn, Franktuary, Atria’s and Crooked Creek Distillery, who were selling hot coffee and hot cider along with adult beverages. Meredith Baustert, who co-owns the distillery with her husband Dave, said, “It’s been a very receptive and very engaging crowd on a nice, brisk, and fun fall environment. We’re enjoying the fact that the rain held off. It’s just a wonderful fall day.”
The Chamber of Commerce also sponsored a scarecrow contest, in which competitors created scarecrows, which lined the walkway through the center of town. Festival attendees were then invited to vote on their favorite, with the winner receiving a prize. Chamber Director Karen DeTurk said, “It was so nice to see the community come together after a rough year, and it was nice to see smiles on all the kids faces.”