People’s Choice Festival is working to return to Boalsburg. Here’s what to know

The People’s Choice Festival of Pennsylvania is heading back to the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg this July after spending four years at the Grange Park in Centre Hall. Festival co-director John Madison said the event couldn’t survive at its Centre Hall location, where attendance and engagement declined.

FULL STORY: After split, Pennsylvania Military Museum reunites with People’s Choice. What changed?

Here are some key takeaways as festival preparations continue:

• The 32nd annual People’s Choice Festival is set for July 9-12 on the museum grounds in Boalsburg, where the event debuted in 1993.
• The festival lost roughly 50 artists and 11 food vendors during its four years in Centre Hall. “We just couldn’t draw a big enough crowd out there,” Madison said.
• Museum director Chris Kuhns, who started last June, said People’s Choice volunteers will now handle parking and keep the proceeds. Parking is expected to cost around $10 per vehicle.
• The return required approval from the Pennsylvania Historic Museum Commission in Harrisburg and coordination with local officials from Harris Township and the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau.
• The Pennsylvania Military Museum plans to set up an outreach and exhibition tent at the festival featuring works from U.S. Marine Corps combat artists and appearances by living historians and reenactors.
• The museum will remain closed through the summer as a $3.4 million renovations project continues following significant delays. Past data shows the festival did not boost museum attendance even when it was held on the grounds.
• Festival organizers say they are in great need of volunteers and sponsors. Interested applicants can register through the festival’s website or email Madison at john@madisonshatr.com.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.