The Tamaqua Historical Society will present its 37th Annual Tamaqua Heritage Festival on Sunday October 10 from 10 to 5 PM in downtown Tamaqua.
The Tamaqua Heritage Festival is a celebration of our history and culture as well as Fall foliage and harvest time! The Tamaqua Heritage Festival has become a long standing community homecoming which draws family, relatives, friends, neighbors and visitors together in downtown Tamaqua to enjoy the fall foliage season and spend time together. The event is held rain or shine.
The Tamaqua Heritage Festival includes a large craft and street fair spread over several blocks selling all kinds of handmade crafts, seasonal and holiday creations, works of art, street wares and so much more! Every booth has something special and unique to offer. Many local non-profit organizations, school groups, churches, scouts, fire police and fire companies always participate with information booths or selling fundraising items.
Great food is always on everybody’s mind the day of the festival as they smell the tempting aromas of all kinds of homemade, ethnic and other popular festival foods scattered all along West Broad Street. Items include homemade soups, chili, bleenies, pierogies, halushki, pit beef and pulled pork sandwiches, barbecue, fresh tapped birch beer, home baked goods, wood fired pizza, fresh cut fries, steak and sausage sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, fresh squeezed apple cider, kettle corn, cotton candy, funnel cake, volcano drinks, moonshine, shish kabobs, stuffed grape leaves, fried Oreos, ice cream, sundaes, milk shakes and more!
If visitors are more in the mood for a sit-down dinner with family, stop in one of our fine down town restaurants or sandwich shops. It’s all good! Stoker’s Brewery Company located on Mauch Chunk Street not far from the Five Points intersection, will be open from 12 to 5 with special seasonal brews.
150 free flu vaccinations will be offered for anyone under 65 at St. Lukes Tamaqua Primary Care Center on Railroad Street. Lehigh Valley Health Network will have a booth setup on West Broad Street with their information. Unfortunately, the Tamaqua Historical Society Museum at 118 West Broad Street will remain be closed during this festival as we prepare for interior repairs to water damaged areas the Museum and Annex that happened several times this past Summer.
The Historical Society will have sale and display tables in front of the Museum the day of the festival. T
he 1848 Hegarty Blacksmith Shop at the corner of Hegarty Avenue and Nescopeck Streets will be open with blacksmith Don Campbell offering tours of the 173 year old shop and explaining its history as the oldest continuous run business in Schuylkill County when it ceased operations in 1974.
The 1801 Moser Log Home on East Broad Street is closed presently for safety access reasons and will hopefully reopen sometime next year.
The Historical Society recently completed demolition of the blighted single home in front of the Moser Log Home providing better visibility and eventually better access to the first house in Tamaqua. The Tamaqua Heritage Players group, part of the Tamaqua Historical Society, will be strolling throughout the festival area dressed in period clothing.
The Jukebox Cruisers Car Club will present a car show on South Railroad Street from 10 to 3 PM. Everyone is welcome to display their antique or classic street rod car, truck, or motorcycle. No preregistration required and there will be no judging, just show up the morning of the festival. Vehicles should enter from the intersection of Spruce Street and South Railroad Street.
Three ‘Peoples Choice Awards’ will be presented and the first 50 vehicles to arrive will receive custom Tamaqua Heritage Festival dash plaques.
The Tamaqua Victorian Hi-Wheeler bicyclists will hopefully make an appearance riding their vintage 1890s Hi-wheel bicycles in period costumes and showing off their skills during the day. This was once a popular pastime in Tamaqua during the 1880s when we actually had a local bicycling organization known as the ‘Tamaqua Wheelmen.”
Padora’s coal fired Italian Bakery will be open for visitors from 10 to 3 just a short walk from the train station. Padoras still operates their original one hundred plus year old Anthracite coal-fired brick oven baking the best Italian bread found anywhere!
A variety of music around the festival area includes the WMGH Polka Program live broadcast with Polka Joe Manjack from 10 to 1 in front of the Museum, DJ Shawn from 1 to 5 in front of the Museum Annex.
The antique steam calliope will be playing music from 11 to 4 near the Five Points. The Faculty Brass Band will be strolling throughout the festival area from 12 to 3. Oldies music will be heard throughout the car show area from 10 to 3.
Leiby’s Carriage Service will be offering horsedrawn trolley rides around the festival featuring their beautiful Belgian draft horses starting on Berwick Street. If you are into antiques or decorating, stop by Tink’s Antiques on South Railroad Street, The Five Points Mill or Tap S Trees specialty shop on East Broad Street to check out their latest acquisitions.
A caricature artist will offer color or black and white caricature sketches on West Broad Street while you wait. An exhibit of the railroad photography of Oren B. Helbok will be featured at the Tamaqua Community Art Center on Pine Street from 12 to 3. Children and adults alike will love the open house at the Tamaqua Anthracite Model Railroad Club at the corner of West Broad Street at Nescopeck Street. See their large operating layout on the second floor of the former Masonic Building as they model the railroads from the greater Tamaqua area and beyond. Also the Carbon Model Railroad Club will have their operating HO train layout inside a replica railroad caboose near the Museum. Children’s games, bounce house and amusements will be located on South Railroad Street.
For further information or to register last minute as a vendor, contact Dale at 610-597-6722 or by email to dalefreud@gmail.com. Be sure to LIKE us on Facebook to follow all of our Tamaqua Historical Society projects and events throughout the year.