Friday, May 18th, and Saturday, May 19th, was the 37th Annual May Mart Festival in Indiana, PA.  The festival is held at the White Township Recreation Complex/S&T Bank Arena and is the annual fundraiser for the Indiana Garden Club.  

In addition to numerous nurseries providing a wide selection of annuals, perennials and shrubs, over 100 vendors and crafters sell unique items at the show.

The event features plants and crafts both inside the building as well as outdoors.  In the photos below, you can see the beautiful array of plants and flowers available for purchase.  As you can see, there were many nurseries and individuals there with a great selection to choose from!   

  

Once entering the building, directions to the arenas are clearly marked.  Entering the left arena, we found the "Indiana Garden Club Orphan's Court" - which are homeless plants just waiting for you to adopt them.  They come directly from the gardens of members of the Indiana Garden Club and are ready to be planted immediately. 

Also located in this arena were additional nurseries and individuals selling their annuals and perennials!

 

Also available for purchase in this arena were numerous craft items as well as Amish-made furniture including, swings, gliders, rockers, arbors, planters, picnic tables and much, much more!

The second arena was brimming with crafters and also included a kids zone.  In the kids zone, kids could choose to make a craft or plant their very own herb - taking it with them free of charge when they left!  What a fun, hands-on activity for the children!

 Here you can see the many crafts that filled this arena!

 

The traditional Mushroom Sandwiches and Strawberry Pies were available at the Indiana Garden Club Food booth located in the Indoor Food Area of the Ice and Recreation Center.   These two food items are the annual items served at May Mart every year!

   

Additional food, such as ice cream, hot sausage sandwiches and funnel cakes were also available for purchase inside and outside the center.

Also in the center court area, live entertainment was provided by locally talented performers.

What a fun way to spent the day - enjoying some delicious food, looking at beautiful flowers and shopping for crafts.  May Mart is a great place to check out some super deals on plants and flowers for the upcoming summer season.  With free admission and parking, May Mart is an excellent place to visit - be sure to mark your calendar for next May!  

St. Patrick's Day Parade 2012

The annual St. Patrick's Day parade that marches down Philadelphia Street in Indiana, PA was held on Saturday, March 17th.  A remarkable number of spectators arrived for the delightful parade on this incredibly beautiful early spring day!

Below you can see photos from Philadelphia Street.  Notice the vivid blue sky, completely absent of clouds, that was full of warm sunshine.

Below are photos taken about 20 minutes before the start of the parade.  As you can see, a large crowd gathered for the parade this year!  Many took this great day as an opportunity to get outside and enjoy local entertainment.

Getting closer to the start of the parade - these were taken just before 11am!

Those in attendance seemed extremely grateful for the beautiful and unseasonably warm temperatures that day.  With a high in the low 70's, no clouds visible for miles, it was a picture perfect day to spend outdoors.

Finally, the parade is about to begin!

Downtown Indiana organizes numerous activities throughout the entire year, including their "Lovin' Downtown Every Second" Event and parades such as this one.

Indiana County Commissioners Rodney Ruddock, Patricia Evanko and David Frick enjoy the holiday festivities.

Here you can see a local bagpipe band approaching the area.

Check out their amazing melodic music!

Members of the Indiana Players entertain the crowd.  The Indiana Players are a non-profit community local theater located in Indiana and offers audiences the best of dramas, mysteries, comedies and musicals. 

Below are photos of more local groups, such as brownie, girl scout and boy scout groups, marching bands and more, participating in the parade. 

Children enjoyed the friendly gestures from participants in the parade who tossed out candy, St. Patrick's Day bead necklaces and fridge magnets.

The start of the procession of fire trucks and emergency response vehicles from area departments signaled that the parade coming to a close.  Everyone, especially the smallest of spectators, enjoyed the display and sounds of these vehicles.

This great parade on such a beautiful morning was a great way to "kick-off" St. Patrick's Day celebrations.  Be sure to check with the Indiana County Tourist Bureau or Downtown Indiana in March next year for the date and time of the 2013 parade!