CLEARFIELD – Overcast skies and cool temperatures did not deter attendance at the Fifth Annual Harvest Festival on Sunday, as this year’s crowd was 1086.
For five years, Hyde Wesleyan Church has been the site of this community-wide festival open to all area children and their families. Kids and adults enjoyed carnival-style games, face painting, balloon animals, cotton candy, hot dogs, coffee and cocoa, puppet shows, finger printing by the Pennsylvania State Police, an opportunity to meet Dora the Explorer and her friends Boots and Diego, and a “Trunk or Treat” thanks to the generosity of the church members and the community.
A Trunk or Treat is an arena of vehicles with their trunks decorated that are the source of treats for the kids. Thirty-six cars participated, and novel ideas ranged from the Great Pyramid of Giza to SpongeBob SquarePants. Local businesses not only donated door prizes, but also set up vehicles and gave out treats. Each participant needed to plan on having enough candy for five hundred to six hundred children. Many included information about their organizations and services with their treats.
According to community outreach pastor Richard Cox, area businesses and organizations were unparalleled in their support. “We received numerous donations and were able to hold several drawings for door prizes,” he said. “Prizes included four bicycles, a television, a microwave and a host of smaller items from toothbrushes to pizzas.”
Pastor Cox continued, “We appreciate all who turned out to make Harvest Festival 2010 such a success, and we plan to host it again next year.” He acknowledged the following sponsors: the American Red Cross, Cen-Clear Child Services, Clearfield Borough Police, Domino’s Pizza, Dutch Pantry, Fox’s Pizza Den, Fun Central, Jim’s Sports Center, McDonald’s Restaurant of Old Town Road, Meadows Frozen Custard, Old Town Road Dairy, the Pennsylvania State Police, Rainbow Car Wash, Scotto’s Pizza, Sid’s Sub Shop, Silver Screen Video, Subway and the Wal-Mart Distribution Center.