New arts-focused event to highlight businesses and tie together Route 45 communities
A new week long event will tie together communities along Route 45 for a celebration of arts.
Route 45 Getaways is designed to connect Pine Grove Mills and Millheim while highlighting the nearly 50 businesses and organizations on the 25-mile stretch of state Route 45 between the towns, event organizers said. It will kick off July 31 and will run through Aug. 8.
“There is so much happening between these two points on the map — wineries, farm tours, bed and breakfasts and farmers markets,” Liz Grove, owner of Pine Grove Hall, a sponsor of Route 45 Getaways, wrote in a press release. “And we want to celebrate that by creating a kind of auto tour that showcases these businesses and brings people to them.”
The first weekend will focus on Millheim, with Elk Creek Cafe and Pisano Winery hosting live music, according to the website. The second weekend will focus on Pine Grove Mills, with 814 Cider Works and Pine Grove Hall hosting a series of live music events.
The event is designed for both locals and tourists, which isn’t usually an easy thing to develop, David Pribulka, Ferguson Township manager, wrote.
“The biggest challenge is creating an experience that will emphasize both novelty and tradition,” wrote Pribulka. “Residents who have lived their entire lives in this community should be able to discover something they never knew about. And people and families visiting for the first time should go home with a love and appreciation for the culture that has shaped our values for generations.”
Millheim Borough Council President Robert Zeigler said he hopes that participating in this event will show that Millheim is willing to partner and work with other municipalities and groups for the sake of building community.
He’s looking forward to the opportunity to bring people together through the arts, which, he said, is what people need after being tucked away due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The arts unify people and bring them together regardless of background, beliefs and ideology,” Zeigler wrote. “After a year or so of putting ourselves in isolation, such isolation highlighted to me the need to have more events and opportunities to celebrate what many take for granted.”
The event is sponsored by Elk Creek Cafe, Pisano Winery, Pine Grove Hall, 814 Cider Works and the Centre County Farmland Trust, in partnership with Ferguson Township, the Millheim borough and the Pine Grove Mills Small Area Planning Advisory Committee. Route 45 Getaways was awarded a $9,000 grant through The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and the Centre County Board of Commissioners, and received financial support from Ferguson Township.
