Crickfest to celebrate waterways, work of conservation association

Penns Valley Conservation Association will honor water and the people in the watershed at its 15th annual Crickfest on Sunday.

“It is a celebration of our waterways and the work that the conservation association does,” PVCA Executive Director Rebecca Bragg said.

The daylong event features live music from Eric Ian Farmer, Spider Kelly, The Hot Mamas and Susquehanna Jamcrackers. LeRoy’s Infamous UpTexas BBQ, El Gringo Taco Truck and Nomad Kitchen Food Truck will provide the grub.

Crickfest — held at the confluence of Pine, Elk and Penns creeks in Coburn Park — features rubber duck races, farm animals, water bottle rockets, a silent auction, workshops and more.

Penns Valley is a farming community, and people are busy all summer long, with barely a chance to catch their breath, Bragg said.

“I just love that it’s sort of an opportunity for the community to get together and celebrate the end of summer,” she said.

The purpose of Crickfest is to raise money for the environmental education program that PVCA provides to Penns Valley Area School District at no charge, Bragg said.

PVCA provides a variety of programming to students of the school district, Bragg said, including field trips to places like Muddy Paws Marsh and R.B. Winter State Park, in-classroom visits from PVCA’s environmental educator, Jim Flanagan, and a school garden.

Bragg said the conservation association works hard to fundraise so that the programming can be free to students.

PVCA believes that education is the “great equalizer,” she said.

Crickfest is free to attend, but there are plenty of opportunities to donate to support PVCA’s work, she said.

The event will take place rain or shine, and well-behaved dogs on short leashes are welcome.

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Crickfest to celebrate waterways, work of conservation association."