National Road Festival celebrated all along Route 40
Route 40 was abuzz this weekend with horse-drawn wagons, festivals and countless yard sales.
It was all part of the National Road Festival, which takes place along 90 miles of the Historic National Road through Somerset, Fayette and Washington counties.
Janice Dunker has helped organize the annual local festival in Scenery Hill since the 1980s. She also owns Jan’s Tea Shoppe, which sits along Route 40 in the historic village.
“Nineteen seventy-four is when the festival originally started, and we’ve had a festival every year except the pandemic. But we still consider this 50 years for the festival,” Dunker said.
The National Pike Wagon Train stopped in Scenery Hill Saturday before picking their trail back up the next morning. The wagon train is a traditional part of the National Road Festival, and this year featured about a dozen wagons and several horseback riders making their way from Washington to Brownsville for the National Pike Steam, Gas and Horse Association’s Steam Show.
Before the wagon train makes it to Scenery Hill, they stop at the Tradesmen’s Inn for a traditional lunch. Jared Dunker, Janice’s son, owns the Tradesmen’s Inn.
Jared Dunker said that every year, a group of friends volunteer their time to help him barbeque chicken for the National Pike Wagon Train participants.
For Janice Dunker, the National Road Festival is a chance for people to visit and experience Scenery Hill. Dunker notes that the area used to be more lively with other businesses, and while her store remained over the years, others have retired or passed away.
“We’re here, and we try to make this so people will come, so people will see our town. Because we have a lot of history here,” Dunker said.