Penns Valley celebration to continue with Crickfest

The Penns Valley Conservation Association will host the 14th Annual Crickfest celebration on Sept. 4, with all proceeds from the event supporting PVCA’s environmental education programs within the Penns Valley Area School District and community.

Local food, music and organizations with a family and community spirit have been the foundation of the festival since it began in 2003. Each year new activities are added and the programming is expanded, but the feeling of Crickfest remains the same.

“The people and organizations that make Crickfest possible, from the sponsors and donors, to the food suppliers and vendors, to the volunteers and musicians are locally rooted,” PVCA Community Outreach Chairwoman Martha Hoffman said. “This year we’ll have the well loved events from years past: duck races, the silent auction, the Sweet Creek Cafe Bake Sale and excellent local music, but we are shifting the way food is done and have a few additional activities.”

The PVCA is a membership-based watershed association headquartered in Millheim. Since 1993, the nonprofit has relied upon the support of community members, local businesses and grants to protect and conserve Penns Valley’s waters, farmlands, forests and the heritage upon which its vibrant rural quality of life depends. Functions of PVCA include stream bank restoration and implementation of best management practices with local farmers, economic and cultural engagement and environmental education in the local school district and community.

Since its incorporation, PVCA has successfully lobbied for exceptional value designation of portions of Pine and Elk creeks, a special recognition of outstanding water quality. Through watershed preservation projects in addition to designation of exceptional value streams, PVCA works to ensure that Penns Valley remains a beautiful destination for families, fly-fishermen, outdoor enthusiasts and the locals who are able to explore and enjoy the waterways.

“The simple pleasures of life go hand in hand with the local economy in Penns Valley,” Hoffman said. “The woods and streams for hiking, fishing and paddling, and the small locally owned businesses are part of what make these valleys a destination.”

PVCA has employed an environmental educator in the Penns Valley Area School District since 2004, whose job is to engage students in both the classroom and in the field utilizing the resources of the Penns Valley Environmental Center.

Hoffman was elected to the board of the PVCA in October 2015 to take over the community outreach committee chair position from Barb Lange.

“The Community Outreach Committee is in charge of organizing all of our community events and meetings, publicizing these events and creating and distributing our quarterly newsletter,” she said. “Barb has been involved with PVCA since it began, and has been a driving force behind Crickfest since it first began in 2003. She is a tough act to follow.”

Prior to joining the PVCA board, Hoffman was on the board of the Millheim Business Community and worked with them to organize community and cultural events in Penns Valley.

Attendees at this year’s Crickfest can expect to hear everything from Americana to rock ’n’ roll to oldies. Featured bands include Chicken Tractor Deluxe, Chris Rattie, Gnarled Knuckles String Band, The Delverados and Spider Kelly and Ruse, along with many guests.

Food vendors for this year include EcoVents and the brand new Nomad Kitchen Food Truck. Both businesses are valley-based and source their product from local purveyors.

Visitors can bid on a variety of donated items at the silent and bag auctions and win a weekend getaway at the Triple Creek Lodge in Millheim, or a hand-wired tube guitar amplifier from Valley Luthiery.

Visitors can learn something new at the education tent, with speakers Tess Weigand and Josh Brock, of Commonwealth Hops, and Brian Kinney, of the Organic Garden Center.

There’s also a lids’ tent that has art projects, scavenger hunts and more, and duck races for kids of all ages. Try your luck by picking a duck to win the race, or just splash around in the inviting water.

Other featured kids’ activities include Creek Music and Critter Poems, Crickfest Olympics, bottle rockets, face painting and storytelling through yoga. Children can also meet some friendly farm animals with Mountainside Homestead, supervised by the knowledgeable Homesteader Dan, and learn about local wildlife at the Shaver’s Creek tent.

Part of PVCA’s mission is engaging community members in conserving our natural, cultural and economic resources, and Hoffman feels that Crickfest embodies this goal.

This story was originally published September 1, 2016 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Penns Valley celebration to continue with Crickfest."