OIL CITY, Pa. — The Oil City Arts Council and the Oil City Main Street Program are inviting the community to join them August 17 and 18 for two days of family-friendly festivities on Veterans Memorial Bridge and Center Street Bridge in the heart of downtown Oil City.
On Friday, August 17, Veterans Memorial Bridge will be closed to traffic, allowing guests to walk freely and visit all the fun attractions along the bridge from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Live music will be provided by northwestern Pennsylvania’s Dead Level from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and The Probables from western New York will play from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
There will be a variety of food vendors on site, along with kids’ activities, a caricature artist, local artists and artisans, and yoga and chair massage. A beer and wine tent will be available for guests over 21 years of age with proper ID. Bracelets permitting entry to the tent will be available for sale on site, with beer and wine for purchase from North Country Brewing Company and Red Bandana Winery.
On Saturday, August 18, the party moves to Center Street Bridge, between Seneca Street and Route 8. Once again, the bridge will be closed to automobile traffic and open to pedestrians for the 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. event. DJ services will be provided by J’s Sound and Light, with more local food vendors and lots of family-friendly activities, including face painting, caricatures, hula hoops, and exotic birds. The event will conclude with an after-dark LED bridge light show, celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Center Street Bridge Illumination project.
Please note that for set-up purposes, Veterans Bridge will be closed to through traffic on Friday, August 17, beginning at 1:00 p.m. and Center Street Bridge will be closing on Saturday, August 18, at 4:00 p.m.
Free parking will be available on street and at various lots just a short walk away from the events.
“One of the greatest, and sometimes most challenging, things about downtown Oil City is its unique geography, scenic waterways, and the multiple bridges that span the Allegheny River and Oil Creek,” stated Kathy Bailey, Main Street Manager and member of the Oil City Arts Council.
“In 2017, we completed an exciting project to add color-changing LED lights to the arched iron trusses of the historic Center Street Bridge, and the Illumination Celebration we held in mid-August was so much fun we knew we wanted to make it an annual event.”
“This past spring, Kay Woods, another Oil City Arts Council member, learned about another city that regularly shuts down a major bridge for a huge street party, and proposed the idea to do the same thing on Veterans Memorial Bridge. We decided to combine forces and make this a two-day event that will hopefully bring people together from both sides of the Allegheny River, and from all over the region. It’s created a lot of buzz and we are pleased that lots of folks are excited for the party.”
For event updates, follow the Oil City Main Street Program on Facebook or online at www.oilcitymainstreet.org. For more information, please contact the Oil City Main Street Office at (814) 677-3152 ext. 101.