‘True gem of an event.’ How the Snow Shoe carnival unifies the Mountaintop community

Every summer the Snow Shoe Carnival comes to town, bringing with it some of the best food, entertainment and social life to be found “on the mountain,” as locals call it.

You can grab a bite to eat at the pierogi or barbecue chicken stands, then wash it down with a milkshake and play carnival games and ride various rides until the night ends.

Even with all the festivities, there’s more to the carnival — which kicked off Tuesday night — than just a crowd of people having a good time. To some, it’s a sign of unity and family, and to others, it’s a means of bringing in precious funding for the fire company and other nonprofits.

Take Snow Shoe Lions Club President Jerry Hefferan, for example. Hefferan was born in Moshannon, but as a child his family moved to Butler, where he now lives.

Now that he’s retired, Hefferan spends three to four days a week at his property in Moshannon and has been involved with the carnival decades, calling the carnival a “can’t-miss event,” and praising it for all it does for the community.

“This carnival is important to me and it’s important to the people that live here,” Hefferan said. “It’s truly this town’s marquee event every year and even if it’s just for a week or so, it never fails to bring everyone together.”

In the five days that he spends working the carnival, he can recall more friendly faces who recognize him than he can in his home city of Butler, he said.

“It’s a true gem of an event,” Hefferan said.

Nicole McClellan, a member of the Snow Shoe Fire Company and a primary organizer of the carnival each year, agrees — even if organizing an event of this magnitude in a small town every year takes months of prep work, with each year seeming to bring new challenges.

“You wouldn’t believe how much time and effort it takes to pull this carnival off every year,” McClelland said. “A lot of people come here with the notion that it’s just a week’s worth of effort, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Every year the food needs to be ordered, the game, ride and food vendors need to be secure, we need to clean up the park, organize the place and then we can finally begin to think about setting up for the week.”

Despite all the work that goes into making the carnival happen each year, according to McClellan, it’s all worth it.

“It’s a lot — some years we doubt that we can even pull it off — but in the end we always do and it’s always worth it,” McClellan said. “This carnival brings people together that have had long-standing feuds for years. It erases hate, even if it’s just for a week, and I love that.”

While the event may unify a community, the carnival also provides valuable funding for the various nonprofits in the area, including the Lions Club, the fire company, the Snow Shoe VFW, the Snow Shoe EMS and many more.

Sharon Nilson, the Snow Shoe EMS chief, knows firsthand what it’s like raising money at the carnival, considering she’s been doing it for the last two decades.

“I’ve been helping out at the stands here for around 20 years and I’d do it for another 20 if I could,” Nilson said. “The carnival is one of the biggest money makers for us, along with all the other nonprofits here. Without this raffle stand and the money that we make doing other things here, I don’t know if we, among others, would be afloat truthfully.”

The Snow Shoe Carnival started Tuesday and continues through Saturday. On Wednesday, the Snow Shoe parade steps off at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday is kid’s night at the carnival where children can receive half-off wristbands.

On Saturday, the carnival will close with a fireworks show at 10:30 p.m. — one of Hefferan’s favorite parts about the event.

“Every single year that I’m here I make sure that I never miss the fireworks show,” Hefferan said. “If you come to the carnival for anything, make sure you see that show. I’ve seen firework displays all over the place and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen any that I enjoy as much as I enjoy these ones here.”

The Snow Shoe Carnival is one of many summer events that support local first responders. The Pleasant Gap Fire Company Carnival will be held Thursday-Saturday.