This Sunday, thousands of people of all ages and occupations are expected to gather at the Washington County Fairgrounds for the region's first Roughneck Fest celebrating Pennsylvania’s growing natural gas industry. Events including cook-offs, arm-wrestling, and a boxing match will help raise money for the PA Firefighter’s Athletic League.
While the festival was designed with the image of the Roughneck worker in mind, festival coordinator Pam Blaker said it will be a day for everyone to enjoy.
“It’s just a fun-filled day for all the workers to come out and have a good time. There is a kid’s entertainment area, so it’s family-oriented, so if anyone wants to bring their children out there’s a whole big-bounce house, and giant Pixar slide, and trackless trains, so lots of stuff to do for the kids,” Blaker said.
Competitions such as a rib and chili cook-offs will be held throughout the day as well as a strong man show, a truck show, mechanical bull riding and euro bungee jumping. There will also be children’s rides and live bands performing through the day.
Blaker said she has received positive feedback from people not just from Washington County but throughout the region as well.
“We’re actually pulling people from the Towanda area, from Indiana, PA, from Ohio, I have talked to several people in West Virginia that are coming, so we’re pulling people from all those areas, not just in Washington, and Greene, and Fayette,” Blaker said.
She added she plans making it an annual event for the community. “After Sunday, we’re going to sit down and evaluate, talk to different people and see what they would like to see next year, what worked, what didn’t work, what we can bring back, what we can improve upon,” Blaker said. “So, we are definitely going to do it every year and make some changes and adjust as we go along,” she said.
For additional festival information, visit www.roughneckfest.com.
