Plum Community Festival Returns

Mike Doyle is looking forward to everything about the Plum Borough Community Festival, with just one exception: the dunk tank.

Plum’s council president and several other borough officials will put themselves on the line at the festival’s dunk tank to raise money for the Boy Scouts.

However, as long as he’s protected by Plexiglas, Doyle said he’ll be okay.

“We’ll have a great couple of days,” he said. “It’s long past due and we’re thrilled.”

The festival returns this year after a brief hiatus, bringing back familiar festivities including games, foods, and what Doyle called one of the best fireworks displays around.

A nearly two-decade summertime fixture in Plum, the festival took a break in 2009. In 2010, a one-day Family Night event filled the gap.

Festival organizers cited the economic downturn in 2008 as a major reason for the hiatus, as well as the need for another group to ally itself with the festival.

This year, the Plum Borough Rotary Club stepped up as that ally.

“They were looking for someone to pass the torch to,” Mike Thomas, a Rotary member said. “They did their tour of duty so to speak.”

Thomas also is Plum Borough manager.

Jim Yamnitzky, a director on the Plum Community Festival Board, said the Rotary is bringing new ideas and a new spin on the event.

“It’s coming along very nicely,” he said. “We’re very happy with the way things are going.”

Yamnitzky said the Community Festival board is serving in more of an advisory role now.

One of the new additions to the event is its dual purpose—aside from providing some family fun for Plum and the surrounding areas, it will also serve as a fundraiser for community projects.

This year will be the first time it has done so, according to Thomas.

Money raised by the event will be used by the Rotary to provide scholarships for Plum seniors, he said. It also will help fund the $20,000 amphitheater the Rotary has committed to build.

“The Rotary’s whole theme is to give back to the community,” Yamintzky said.

The group will give plenty to Plum—from the sounds of it—with just Community Festival activities alone.

“There’s a lot going on, there really is,” Thomas said. “I think for our first year back, we’re going to be good.”

He’s expecting about 40 different participants including vendors and community groups.

Live music, professional wrestling matches, and entertainment for kids—like fun slides and moonwalks—are just a few of the attractions offered this year.

And that’s not all.

“We’ve got some really good food vendors,” Thomas said. “And we’ve still got some of the community groups.”

Among the hot foods will be cheese steak hoagies and chicken wings from King’s Family Restaurant and pulled pork sandwiches.

Cool treats will include ice cream, snow cones, and Hawaiian Ice.

The grand finale of the event will be the Zambelli fireworks display on Saturday night.

“They’re fantastic,” Doyle said. “You’d think you were downtown.”

Plum Community Festival

The festival will be held Friday, July 29, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday, July 30, from 2 p.m. until the end of fireworks display. The Larry Mills Park, which is on Fontana Drive, will host the festival.

For more information: http://www.plumcommunityfestival.com/index.htm

Want to help?

Volunteers are still needed for the festival's set up and tear down. Set up begins at 9 a.m. today, July 28, and will be ongoing until 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. Tear down begins on Sunday, July 31, at 9 a.m. and lasts until 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. Volunteers can help at any time and do not have to take part in set up or tear down all day. Anyone interested can call the borough office at 412-795-6800 or just stop in to help.