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Road fest marks significant anniversary

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Observer-Reporter

A wagon train nears the S Bridge at Route 40 and Route 221 as it rolls across Washington County on the National Road in this 2015 photo.

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Observer-Reporter

In this 2015 photo, Sean Knox helps his daughter, Kyra, fill a container with sand at National Road Festival in Scenery Hill.

Conceived by George Washington and realized by legislation adopted during the Thomas Jefferson presidency, the National Road is the first federally funded highway in the United States.

Construction of the more than 600-mile highway began in 1811 in Cumberland, Md., and would reach Vandalia, Ill., by 1836, although sections in between were yet to be finished.

The road runs through six states, including the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania.

For the past 45 years, Somerset, Fayette and Washington counties have celebrated the road during the National Road Festival, held the third weekend in May. This year’s festival is particularly significant because it marks the 200th anniversary of the completion of the road from Cumberland to Wheeling, W.Va.

Donna Holdorf, executive director of the National Road Heritage Corridor, said there will be many events to mark the anniversary. The best place to keep track of them is on Facebook.com/nationalroad and nationalroadpa.org.

From 5 to 8 p.m. May 20, a special dinner at the Stone Pavilion in Washington Park in Washington will launch a cookbook of food found along the National Road from different eras. Reservations for the dinner must be made by calling 724-437-9877 by Tuesday. The book has a tentative release date of late September.

Like it has since the inception of the festival, two components of the National Road Wagon Train will participate in this year’s festivities. One section will head west from Cumberland with stops in Grantsville, Md., and Addison, Farmington, Hopwood and Uniontown.

Another section will head east on Friday from Claysville, with arrival in Scenery Hill from 3 to 4 p.m. Saturday for supper and overnight camping. Around noon on May 20, the wagon train will arrive at the Waleski Farm in Richeyville, then head to the National Pike Steam, Gas and Horse Association around 3 p.m.

For the past 25 years, Chuck and Bunny Waleski have participated in the festival, largely as a fundraiser for the local 4-H club. They sell food items as do other organizations like Cub Scout, Boy Scouts and church groups.

“In addition to concerts in the barn on Saturday and Sunday, we’ll also have a Johnny Cash impersonator on Saturday,” Bunny Waleski said.

On Saturday, the LeMoyne and David Bradford Houses in Washington will offer free admission.

In Scenery Hill, live entertainment will start at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday on the stage across from Jan’s Tea Shoppe. The town’s shops will be open all three days of the festival and vendors will set up near the hardware store, the Beck-Ringland Tavern and the post office. Fireworks are set for dusk May 20.

Beallsville also will host vendors during the festival near the Route 40 Deli.

In Malden, the National Steam, Gas and Horse Show will offer free admission from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with live entertainment Saturday and May 20.

In Brownsville, Nemacolin Castle will feature live entertainment, Revolutionary and Civil War encampments and other activities both days, with ghost tours offered from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday. For the complete schedule, go to nemacolincastle.net/events.

The Monongahela River, Railroad and Transportation Museum in Brownsville will have a train exhibit on the lower floor from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and May 20.

More events will take place through the year.

From July 5-8, the National Road Heritage Corridor will cosponsor the Whiskey Rebellion Festival in Washington, and have a booth in the Farmer’s Market Pavilion

On July 28, a Great Gatsby event will celebrate the era of the auto on the National Road at the newly-reopened Century Inn in Scenery Hill. Attendees are encouraged to wear Gatsby-period attire for the event that will include live music and heavy hors d’oeuvres in the inn’s gazebo and gardens.

On October 27, a National Road Symposium will be held on the campus of Washington & Jefferson College. Details will be posted on nationalroadpa.org and on Facebook, as will information about the online store for clothing and memorabilia related to this year’s 200th anniversary. On November 3, a Taste of the Road Dinner prepared by chefs and celebrity chefs will be held at a yet-to-be-determined venue.

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