From staff reports
Clarion Blueprint Community, Inc. is sponsoring the first “Clarion Summer Fest” which includes a festival event to be held on the first weekend of June.
The event is designed to attract community members and overnight tourists to visit Clarion throughout the summer.
The festival will host pop-up shops along Main Street where local entrepreneurs will sell unique products.
All three of Clarion’s local craft breweries, Lost in the Wilds, Mechanistic, and Clarion River Brewery will host a brewery crawl throughout the summer in celebration of the festival, featuring special food, live music, and a brewery crawl discount card for special gifts and giveaways.
The theme for June’s festival is Clarion’s Big Outdoor Festival, which invites visitors to explore local trails, rivers, and bike paths.
The following is a schedule of June events for the Big Outdoor Festival:
Friday, June 3
9 to 11 a.m. Hike the loop at parking off Main Street behind CUP’s Suites on Main dorm parking lot. A volunteer will greet people with maps at the Loop trailhead. There will also be a volunteer at the riverfront along the trail to explain the development of the Loop Trail. This is about a two-mile hike.
4 p.m. Brewery crawl at Clarion River Brewery, Lost in the Wild, and Mechanistic Brewery
8 p.m. Night bike ride at the trailhead on U.S. Route 322 (by O’Neil’s and Dairy Queen) It is a 12- mile ride, for ages 16 and up.
Saturday, June 4
8 a.m. to noon kayaking at Toby Bridge, Clarion River
8:30 a.m. 11-mile point-to-point biking time trial starts on Rail 66 at the Farmington Township Community Park in Leeper and finishes at North West Hardwoods (one mile south of Marienville). This is a competitive bike race so electric or motorized bicycles are not permitted.
9 to 11 a.m. Hike the loop at parking off Main Street behind CUP’s Suites on Main dorm parking lot.
9 to 11 a.m. Hike the North Country Trail at North Country Trail Trailhead just west of the Clarion River Bridge on State Route 322. There will be two hiking options, a three-mile hike (about 60 to 90 minutes) or a six-mile hike (about 2.5 to 3 hours). Volunteers will be present to give maps and will shuttle participants to the start of the hike. Participants will hike back to their car.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pop up shops at Main Street in Clarion
11 a.m. Children’s nature hike at the bridge on Doe Run Road (.3 miles west of the Clarion River Bridge) for children ages 8 to 12; a teacher will lead the children on a 1.25-mile hike (about one hour) along the beautiful Scenic Loop of the North Country Trail. Pre-registration is required.
4 to 7 p.m. Concert at Mechanistic Brewery. Music is by the Garbarino Family Band featuring Jim Garbarino, Pat Linnan, Christian Hayes, and Mike Watkins.
5 p.m. Concert at Sixth Main Street in Clarion; concert features Richard and Friends
A Brewery Crawl will be held at Clarion River, Mechanistic, and Lost in the Wilds Breweries.
For more information, contact event coordinator Nancy Hanna on Facebook or email clarionsummerfest@gmail.com.