Plans are taking shape for Oil City’s 45th Oil Heritage Festival later this month.
This year’s festival theme is “Let the Games Begin” with a board game theme. The celebration is scheduled Thursday through Sunday, July 20-23.
A number of pre-festival events beginning Saturday, July 15, are also on tap.
A number of popular attractions, such as the parade and queen contest, have been part of the festival almost as far back as the first year in 1979.
Participating in the parade is free, Williams said, adding that anyone who wants to enter a float but doesn’t have a flatbed truck should talk to the chamber because many local businesses and landscapers have trucks they are willing to use for parade floats.
The parade, which will step off Saturday, July 22, rain or shine, is one of the festival’s biggest draws, Williams said.
Music, as usual, will also be a festival highlight as the popular Pittsburgh-area band The Clarks will make a return visit to Justus Park on July 22.
Opening for the Clarks this year will be Sickness, a local teen rock band.
Fireworks will follow the music that night.
The Clarks, a band that has been a fixture on the western Pennsylvania music scene for 35 years, has drawn big crowds to the park both of the last two years.
Local headliners Lawyers, Guns and Money will perform in Justus Park on Friday, July 21. The Bus Brothers will open for Lawyers, Guns and Money.
Other musical acts lined up either before or during the festival include Echo Valley, the Pine Valley Boys, Angel Blues & the Prophets and Mostly Brass.
Another longtime tradition at the festival, the queen competition, has been part of the festival every year since the celebration’s second year in 1980.
Maureen and Lee James, have volunteered to organize the queen competition every year since the beginning, Williams said.
“Because of ambitious volunteers, the kids activities have gotten a reboot this year,” Williams said, adding that there has been tremendous support for the kids events from local businesses and organizations.
The Junior Olympics has been moved to Wednesday evening July 19, a time that is easier for working parents to attend, Tessa Byham, the chamber executive assistant, said.
The Junior Olympics was previously held on Thursday morning of the festival week, Byham added.
Community Services of Venango County is taking charge of the children’s fun fair Thursday evening, July 20, in the Central Avenue plaza, Byham said. Previously, Youth Alternatives ran the fun fair.
On Saturday, July 22, another long running festival event, the Izaak Walton children’s fishing derby, will be held at Waltonian Park.
Several other children’s activities are also on tap, including a Touch a Truck event Thursday, July 20, and the bike rodeo Saturday, July 22.
Festival-goers can look forward to other old favorites as well such as the art show, artisan and fine craft festival, library book sale, car show, YWCA spaghetti dinner, the FLEX ice cream social and the Oil City Firefighters 5K run/walk.
The Oil City historic church tours will be held Saturday.
And the Venango Region Catholic School festival will start Thursday, July 20, and run for three evenings at the St. Stephen School parking lot.
Pre-festival events include the Hop Homan & Chops Cunningham memorial softball tournament and the FLEX Bike ‘n Brew.
Buttons will be on sale and basket raffle tickets will be available at the festival headquarters at 42 Seneca St.
Williams noted that the chamber is still accepting donations for raffle baskets.
A schedule will be available on the oilheritagefestival.com website for people to print out, Williams said. She added that the chamber will still print some schedules that will be available at the chamber office.
The schedule will also include a large QR code to access additional information on the website.
