36th annual Historic Old Annville Day makes debut on Lebanon Valley campus

Historic Old Annville Day held its 36th annual street fair on Saturday, this time on Lebanon Valley College’s campus.

Visitors could check out streets full of vendors, food trucks, musicians, and local organizations looking to connect with the Lebanon County community.

Doug Nyce, chair of the Friends of Old Annville committee for Historic Old Annville Day and vendor coordinator, said 202 spaces were sold for the event, but some people decided not to show due to the rainy weather forecast.

“But overall, I’m very pleased with the turnout. Lots of vendors followed through, most of them, and we seem to be getting some people,” Nyce said. “I was worried about the fact that it was a new location, that people wouldn’t know that, and they’d see that there was nothing on Main Street and go, ‘No, I guess there’s not Annville Day today,’ but they seem to be coming out.”

The event was typically held on U.S. Route 422, or Main Street, running through Annville. Officials would redirect traffic to Clear Spring Road for the hours the road was unavailable.

Because of an impasse over detours with North and South Annville townships, organizers switched to LVC’s campus. Nyce said they might stay at the campus for another year or two while the bridge over Clear Spring Road is repaired, but they hope to resume discussions with the townships to move the street fair back to Route 422 in the future.

Read More: Friends of Old Annville share update on Historic Old Annville Day’s move to LVC

Nyce said the Annville-Cleona School District also offered its campus, but they decided to choose the area closer to the historical downtown area that the event celebrates.

He said they typically see around 8,000 visitors across the event’s the five hours, but this year they anticipated around 5,000 because of the weather and venue change.

Historic Old Annville Day isn’t just about celebrating the town’s history. It’s also about community and getting back to one’s roots.

The event coincides with the Annville-Cleona High School’s reunion dinner on Friday night, he said.

“People come to eat, and they come to see their friends and relatives and maybe people they haven’t seen for a while,” Nyce said.

Julia Reis sat behind her table for her Intuitive Witchery business. She offered tarot readings and had several products available for purchase.

Originally from North Lebanon and now living in Harrisburg, she said she saw the event on Facebook and decided to book a spot and spend the day.

She said the turnout was better than expected considering the weather. She said she didn’t have a specific financial goal coming out but was hoping to beat the $50 fee she paid.

Allison Alonso, owner of Groomers on Main, had a table where visitors could guess how many dog treats were in a container to win a prize. She said they’ve come to Historic Old Annville Day for many years, and it’s a great way for her to connect with the community she works in.

“I just think it’s good to have happy things and positive things — really just promote your own town, promote the family, the togetherness, the community,” she said. “It’s nice to support the community and keep stuff like this going because so many of the little, quaint things are disappearing.”