Three New Inductees To Festival Hall of Fame To Be Honored Sunday

On Sunday, July 3, at 4:00, inductees into the 2022 Hall of Fame will be honored at a ceremony on Folino Entertainment Stage. Please be on hand to honor these individuals who have contributed substantially to the Ellwood City Arts, Crafts, Food, and Entertainment Festival.

The Festival Hall of Fame was established in 2018. Hall of Fame souvenir booklets from 2018 and 2019 are still available, and contain stories of the previous inductees. Stories about this year’s inductees are published in the Festival tabloid, which has been distributed locally. It will also be available at the Festival Information Booth all three days of the Festival.

Nominations for next year’s 2023 Hall of Fame will be accepted until August 17, 2022. Nomination forms will be available at the Information Booth of the 2022 Festival. Forms can be mailed to the Festival, PO Box 176, Ellwood City, PA 16117, or call the General Chair, Raylene Boots, at 724-971-7784.

2022 Hall of Fame inductees who will be honored on Sunday are as follows:

Loccisano Family

The Loccisano family is well-known in the community for their strong support of local organizations and events. The Ellwood City Festival is just one of the events supported by this family, who owned and operated Loccisano’s Golden Dawn for more than 100 years. They not only donated regularly to the Festival, they also provided many local food vendors with the needed supplies for this fundraising event. This family embodies the civic commitment and social values of Ellwood City businesses.

Larry Chappell

Larry was affectionately known as “The Voice of the Festival.” He volunteered for over 20 years at the ambulance tent, which served as the hub of information on the grounds of the Festival. Larry made announcements of all manner of things, including ‘lost and found,’ fireworks, free shuttle, and parking. Larry served at the Festival until his passing in December 2005. His wife Bonnie took over where Larry left off, and continued to make announcements from the ambulance tent until 2016.

Sam Pawlowski

Sam is a volunteer in so many things, and it was while he was working at Christmas in the Park in 1989 when he was recruited to the Festival committee by Tom Martz. Sam has always worked on the Festival grounds committee, laying out the park in the week before the Festival. Sam served on the Festival committee until this year, when he spent time educating other volunteers to mark spaces for the vendor booths. No one person can perform all the tasks of this one man – a true profile of a committed volunteer.

Previous Hall of Fame members include the First Class of Inductees, Hall of Fame 2018:

• Mary Wiley – It was at the suggestion of Mary Wiley’s daughter Alicia Strope in 2018 that the Hall of Fame began, so it is fitting that Mary Wiley was the first inductee. She was general chair of a revue in October 1980 called “A Stroll Through the Park”. The idea for the Festival grew after a revue was held at the Lincoln High School auditorium. It was written by Joe Ferrara. The revue garnered $1400 that were earmarked for “a civic project,” which eventually became the Ellwood City Arts, Crafts, Food, and Entertainment Festival. Its first year in the park was 1981.
• Tom Martz –  Tom Martz, also known as “Mr. Festival,” was General Chair from 1989 until 2011. Tom was known for overcoming any obstacles to a successful Festival. That is, except the weather! He noted that, “We don’t mind a little bit of rain. If people leave, they always come back!” There have only been nine General Chairs during the history of the Festival, Tom having the longest tenure of 22 years.
• Dom Viccari –  Dom was part of the Festival event since its beginning, although he didn’t officially join the committee until 1989 as Parking Chair with Pete Greco. Dom served for 35 years, remaining on the committee until 2015. It was his position as advertising director at the Ellwood City Ledger that led to the first “Festival, “ a three-day business promotion on the main street of Ellwood City. It was Mary Wiley’s idea to move the event from Lawrence Avenue to Ewing Park, which Dom said was the best idea ever. The Festival’s first year in Ewing Park was 1981.
• Holy Redeemer –  This group is best known for their famous pepperoni puffs, and the long line for puffs is a local legend! They have been a food vendor in the main shelter since the very beginning of the Festival in 1981. They start preparations in January for the daunting task of preparing typically 10,000 puffs, as well as meatballs and shells. Over the years, they developed a “shells only” line to alleve the wait for those wanting only shells and no puffs.
• Brok’n Pic – This local band’s first gig was the 1981 Festival, where they performed on the back of a flat-bed truck that was parked on the old basketball court. Few realize that the name Brok’n Pic came after a storm blew a tree onto a band member’s truck while they were rehearsing, so the name comes not from a broken guitar pick, but a broken pick-up truck!
• No Money Down – This local band also played at the very first Festival in Ewing Park in 1981, but as Electric Mayhem. They later changed their name to No Money Down, and played the 2018 Festival as a reunion of the first two bands. They have memories of a rainy Festival in 1985, when the band truck had to be towed out of the mud behind the entertainment stage.

Second Class of Inductees, Hall of Fame 2019

• Joe Ferrara – As the writer of the revue “A Stroll Through the Park,” Joe was part of the Festival ever since the beginning. He served as Entertainment Chair until after the 2008 Festival. His philosophy was that of tradition – he liked having the local dance studios perform, one each day. He scheduled one gospel group each day. His daughter Lauranne said, “If anybody loved that Festival, it was my dad. He wanted everyone to enjoy it as much as he did.”
• Pat Marinaccio –Pat Marinaccio was involved from the very start of the Festival committee, and remained a member until 2008, representing the Ellwood City Art Club. He is credited with helping to organize the Festival Juried Art Show for many years. Pat also used the CADD program to construct an accurate map of the Festival grounds. He served for several years as Grounds Chair, working to set up the placement of the Festival craft and food booths.
• Larry “Hoss” Crable – Larry Crable (pictured, right) affectionately known as “Hoss,” was the Festival blacksmith. He worked his craft at the Festival since 1983, selling his hand forged ornamental and functional metal pieces. His most popular piece was the shepherd’s hook, and many can be spotted in the community still today. He loved educating visitors while he crafted his work. His area at the Festival became a gathering space for his family, who could find him by listening for the sound of his hammer – they knew the greatest weekend of the year had just started. “Hoss” didn’t just love his craft, he loved seeing everyone who stopped by his tent.
• Eric Rayner – Eric Rayner has been on the Festival committee since 2019 as the Fireworks Chair. His goal is to ensure the fireworks are adequately funded. As he stated, he wanted them to be “bigger, badder, louder, better!” His motivation was his memory of the traditional fireworks, as well as wanting the tradition to continue for his son, Ryan. To achieve that goal, he conducts fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for the fireworks.
• Ellwood City Wolves Club – This group starts in April to clean the shelter in preparation for their biggest fundraiser of the year – the Ellwood City Festival. The funds they raise serve to provide scholarships and grants to local young men and women. They serve fish and lamb sandwiches and dinners, all ingredients and paper products purchased locally. Lamb is the biggest seller for the Wolves at the Festival.
• First United Methodist – As Holy Redeemer is famous for their pepperoni puffs, the First United Methodist Church was famous for their apple dumplings. This group started out serving other foods, but once they started selling apple dumplings, it was so successful, it became their staple. They typically sold nearly 2500 dumplings each year, and offered ice cream and cinnamon sauce on the dumplings. First United Methodist has been a part of the Festival since the very beginning, and participated until 2018.
• Rotary Club -Rotary has been part of the Festival since the beginning, both as a food vendor and also a builder. The Rotary Club has built Shelters #3, 5, and 9 in Ewing Park as well as the Folino Entertainment Stage. This stage has been in use since its dedication in 1983, thanks to the Rotary Club. They served sausage sandwiches for many years, and the sandwich/drink combo for only $6 was referred to as “The Best Deal In The Park.” In recent years, they served root beer floats.