Traditions celebrated during Fort Ligonier Days festival

“Honoring Historical Traditions” is the theme of this year’s three-day Fort Ligonier Days festival, which will kick off Friday with more than 300 food and crafter booths, live musical entertainment and tours of Ligonier’s reconstructed 18th-century fort.

Food, crafts and wine-tasting will be available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

As many as 60,000 people typically gather for the festival’s parade, which begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at the east end of Main Street.

Highlights of this year’s procession through town include a a custom-built vehicle inspired by the “Batman” comic books and a team of six massive Percheron horses pulling the Spring Mount Hitch from Tyrone.

“These animals are spectacular,” said festival Chairman Jack McDowell.

Paradegoers also can watch for a rare 1931 DeVaux sedan restored by Bill and Carolyn Krall of Latrobe and bands from area high schools including Ligonier Valley, Greater Latrobe, Derry Area, Hempfield Area, Greensburg Salem, Franklin Regional and Jeannette.

Fort Ligonier, an important British outpost during the French and Indian War, will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. all three days. Reenactors will be in the fort beginning Saturday, helping to bring history to life.

Artillery demonstrations are scheduled at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday and at 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is charged for fort visitors, except for those younger than 17, who get in free Saturday and Sunday.

The 1758 Battle of Fort Ligonier is the historic event remembered during the festival, but the celebration has grown to mean many more things for the community and for those who visit.

“There are so many traditions that are related to Fort Ligo­nier Days,” said McDowell. “Many families come together then for reunions, and high school classes are starting to use it to schedule their class reunions.”

Food and entertainment

Visitors who are drawn for the food and entertainment will find many new offerings.

McDowell noted food booths have expanded to include a new area near the Ligonier Valley School District administration building on West Main Street.

“We have some of the best festival food in America,” he said.

Hungry attendees will find everything from cotton candy to hot sausage and crab cakes.

Those 21 or older who would like to sample craft brews, spirits and vintages will find a group of distilleries in the Mellon Park lot and a wine-tasting area on the front lawn of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, both on West Main.

Acoustic music will be featured all three days at a new entertainment stage in front of Mack M. Darr Co. Inc. on West Main. The town’s central bandstand serves as the Smail Automotive Main Stage, which also has a lineup of bands each day and will host the festival’s opening ceremony at noon Friday.

Parking will be available at Ligonier Valley High School on Springer Road and at Laurel Valley Golf Club on Route 711 south of Ligonier. Shuttle buses to the festival grounds will be provided from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Pets, backpacks and open containers are prohibited at the festival.

Visit fortligonierdays.com for more information.