By Michael Rivkin • Vice President, Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency
Well, this year’s Fall Festival is in the history books now . . . another month of crowds and busy shops and music and vendors. Now, time to breathe a bit!
Of course, we did not quite match the weather of last year, with cooler and grey days this year. And late leaves for sure. Still, we saw excellent visitor levels for Jim Thorpe!
Preliminary numbers are trickling in but it looks like the JTTA “Mauch Chunk Lake Shuttle” transported around 14,000 people over the 6 days! Add that to the various other parking options – from the County Lot, Sam Miller Field, various residents and on-street. It’s expected the Train Station will have seen well over 50,000 visitors alone! Any way you look at it, that’s a lot of people milling about our old horse-and-buggy town!
First, many thanks for the patience of our own residents and merchants who need to contend with the increased crowds and traffic and parking woes on a daily basis . . . never easy under the best of conditions. We thank you deeply for your cooperation as we endeavored to manage the crowds. Second, kudos to all, who once again set the stage for the “everyone is Soooo friendly” mantra we hear again and again from our visitors. No small thing, and the envy of our neighboring communities.
Next, words cannot adequately express our gratitude to all the volunteers and folks “in the background” who made Fall Festival possible yet again. Dan Ward, Scoutmaster of Troop 555, and his scouts are PRICELESS. Parking, traffic control, shuttle bus assistance. All “walk the walk” in their mission of civic duty and public service.
Gotta’ also include the Jim Thorpe Boy’s Soccer Team! And not just the youngsters in these groups; moms and dads were out in force too! And our Crossing Guards who worked hand-in-hand with the Jim Thorpe Police to provide visibly improved traffic flow at Hazard Square. Great, great teamwork by all involved in providing us with a high level of public safety and incident-free festival!
The music is always a big draw here in JT, and this year did not disappoint. From local garage bands to regionally known groups . . . all contribute to make the festival a “Must Do” Pennsylvania event. Hats off to Brad Konstas for his expertise and coordination in making four stages possible! And to his minions of helpers scurrying in the dark of night insuring all is in order.
The vendors are of course another great addition, and with an increasing focus on “hand-mades” and unique regional foods, these are a nice addition to the legendary cools shops and eateries in the historic district. Thank You Jen Christman for coordinating!!!
In summation . . . the buzz and the vibe in JT seemingly continues to grow as word keeps spreading about our funky little town. Interesting to remember though that – while cycles ebb and flow through the years – Mauch Chunk was the second most popular tourist town in America back in the boom days! And so while festivals like Fall Foliage can be a strain on locals, they definitely keep the town alive and vibrant and provide the personality so many of us live here for. Again, many thanks to all! See you in 2019!
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