CORE OBJECTIVE 2: DISCOVER WESTMORELAND

WESTMORELAND COUNTY COMMUNITIES GATHER ON

As it gets warmer and the ground starts to thaw, everyone looks forward to gathering outdoors again. Thanks to locally recurring events like the Greensburg Night Market, Fridays on Fifth, and the Ligonier Country Market, residents and businesses have places to come together and showcase great food and crafts, and have a good time. These get-togethers not only help bring new people into the community but help support local businesses. This past year marked huge strides for outdoor markets and events, helping to cultivate arts and entertainment and support farm-direct sales and agrotourism across Westmoreland County. As they gain momentum and grow in size, several communities have seen new events pop-up to meet demand.

The Greensburg Night Market wrapped its fourth season, expanding the outdoor market in downtown Greensburg from half a block, to four blocks in 2022. A seasonally recurring market, the event attracts thousands each month, boasting over a 100 vendors offering food, drinks, crafts, and music. The market has been so popular that it not only expanded in size, but also added more dates to its schedule. For the first time ever, the market also moved inside to provide an indoor market event at Live! Casino in Hempfield Township this past winter. The 2023 season will continue to support makers from across the county, and give people from around the area a reason to come and visit Greensburg.

Located in the northern part of the county, the City of New Kensington hosts a different type of recurring event in their downtown with Fridays on Fifth. Created in 2021, Fridays on Fifth feature food trucks along Fifth Avenue in downtown New Kensington. The spirit of the event is to provide a sense of community and bring more patrons to the area to help support the growing number of businesses that exist in New Kensington’s business district. In addition to food trucks, bands play music at Voodoo Brewery’s outdoor courtyard and local businesses are encouraged to stay open later for shoppers. The monthly event is headed into its third season in 2023 and occurs on the fourth Friday of the month.

“Fridays on Fifth have been great on several fronts,” said Tom Guzzo, Mayor of New Kensington. “First, it provides an opportunity for people who live in New Kensington to come downtown, see what all the excitement is about, have some fun, and shop at all the new businesses. Second it is bringing in people from all over the area which is great for our new businesses,” said Guzzo.

He continued, “We’re pulling in thousands of people and they’re getting a chance to see our revitalization in progress. Overall, this event has been phenomenal for our downtown and our city as a whole.”

Also located in the northern part of the county, Vandergrift Borough hosted its first season of Gathering on Grant, a monthly community festival in 2022. Sponsored by the Vandergrift Business Association, the event’s goal is similar to other local markets and events – to draw people into the borough’s downtown, create a sense of community, and support new and existing businesses. The event, which features music, food trucks, arts & crafts vendors, and games occurs on the third Thursday of the month, May through September.

When it comes to regularly occurring outdoor markets in Westmoreland County, there’s one that has been around the block. Located in Ligonier Township, the Ligonier Country Market has been in operation in some form since 1976. A staple seasonal market in the region, it features around 130 vendors every Saturday morning, May through November. From fresh flowers to produce, baked goods and meats, coffee, soap, and even crafts, the market often has live music for all and educational programming for children. According to an online survey conducted by the American Farmland Trust and the Farmers Market Coalition, the Ligonier County Market was voted best farmers market in Pennsylvania for 2022.

Whether it be brand new or well-seasoned, it’s clear that locally recurring events and outdoor markets have become valuable community centerpieces in Westmoreland County. From the Greensburg Night Market to Gathering on Grant, these are only a few examples of events that are helping to cultivate arts and entertainment; build connections; boost community pride and identity; and draw people in to support local businesses. With increasingly more events available, communities are creating a vibrant mosaic of events that showcase the uniqueness of Westmoreland County and help to strengthen the local economy.