Street fair, fireworks celebrate Fourth of July

A huge crowd came to Monongahela to enjoy Friday night’s festivities.

Danika Young of Monongahela rides “Molly” on Third Street to deliver a copy of the Declaration of Independence; an annual tradition at the Railroad Street Fair.

Hundreds of people packed the streets of Monongahela Friday night for the annual Railroad Street Fair and Fourth of July fireworks show.

The street fair took place on Third Street, with the main viewing area for the fireworks located at the Aquatorium along the river. The street fair hosted local organizations and multiple vendors.

Hundreds of people walked along the Aquatorium in search of the perfect spot for fireworks amid a variety of food vendors. Among the choices were loaded fries, Chinese food, BBQ, ice cream and lemonade.

The street fair also featured entertainment from local musicians, dancers and more. There was a lot to buy and try, and there were also some fun things to learn about, such as insects.

Mary Gall, also known as “Mary the Bug Lady,” had around a dozen different insects to look at. From tarantulas to large cockroaches, she offered fun facts about all of them.

“I don’t sell anything except for educating when I go to schools,” Gall said. “I’ve done one school for 10 straight years, and then I do a lot of home school things. But I want people to know that insects are so much like us.”

Gall travels to multiple cities and other states, including West Virginia, to share her knowledge about entomology. Friday was her first time at Monongahela’s street festival.

Vinnie Candelore, the founder of VC2 Art LLC, had a booth where he invited people to help him create a painted mural to display somewhere in Monongahela.

“What I do with these live pop-ups is I invite the community up to the canvas with me to have a conversation while we paint together,” Candelore said. “Talk about things we like about Monongahela, talk about what it’s like to be from this town, and the history of the town, wherever the conversation goes.”

Candelore hoped to use inspiration from their conversations to paint the mural. He didn’t know where the mural would go, but hopes it will reflect the community and commemorate the Fourth of July celebration.

Doug Plance of the Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of Pennsylvania, had a booth seeking members for his organization while educating passersby about corn farming. Plance invited people to grind corn and make bird feeders out of corn cobs.

Friday was Plance’s first time at the street fair, but he said he’s always been familiar with the Monongahela area.

“This is very nice,” Plance said about the fair. “I drive through this area a lot, and just going to like Washington County, and I live in Westmoreland County, so this is a shortcut for me. So this is a beautiful town.”

Friday’s event ended with hundreds of people along the Aquatorium to watch the fireworks finale at 9:45 p.m.