Wally Lake Fest: Catch music, crafts, motorcycle ride, boat tours, more
Wally Lake Fest, first held in 2010, remains an annual highlight for the late summer in the greater Hawley Lake Wallenpaupack area. The festival takes place Friday, Aug. 25, through Sunday, Aug. 27, celebrating with concerts, crafts, boats, vintage cars, a motorcycle ride around the lake and many more events.
Wally Lake Fest is hosted by the Chamber of the Northern Poconos. "This celebrates the whole region; it's the end of summer celebration," said Executive Director Debbie Gillette.
The weekend before Labor Day Weekend had typically been the slowest for local businesses as the summer winds down. Since the festival began, she said, local businesses report they do very well, bringing more people together to enjoy what the Hawley Lake Region has to offer.
Each year, new attractions are added, and schedules are shifted based on the feedback the event organizers receive. Gillette said more Friday activities were asked for, so the popular Open Market Fair, held outside the Lake Wallenpaupack Visitors Center, and the Boat Show, held at the high school parking lot, have been extended to Fridays as well as Saturday and Sunday.
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More children's activities have been introduced, including a 40-foot mobile arcade on Friday afternoon at the high school and "small kids' zone" at Gresham's Chop House.
Live music is always big at Wally Lake Fest. There is music by land and by lake — right on the lake, with bands performing on a barge. What started as Battle of the Bands in 2011 was named Wallypalooza in 2015. An instant hit, one may expect to see people lined up on Tafton Dike or enjoying the concerts from their boats, adding to the scene as watercraft anchor in a wide arc around the floating musicians.
Between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday, the Wallypalooza floating stage brings three groups. New to Wally Lake Fest is headliner Ten 02, hailing from Alberta, Canada, and performing pop music. Next is Sydney Irving, back for his third time, with a mixture of country, alternative and pop tunes. Cooper Greer, a rising country music performer from Nashville, is here for the first time.
The South Sid Five plays Friday at 6 p.m., and Mike Miz and the Northeast Extension plays Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Harmony in the Woods.
Ritz Company Playhouse in Hawley hosts "A Bedful of Foreigners," described as a hilarious farce, Saturday at 8 p.m.
On Sunday, catch the tunes live from the Palmyra Public Beach at Lake Wallenpaupack and other venues. Many local restaurants also feature musicians.
The 11th annual Ride for the Lake takes place Saturday at 10 a.m. (or Sunday if it rains). This motorcycle event begins and ends at Wallenpaupack Area High School. Proceeds benefit the work of the Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District in promoting good water quality in the lake. The bikers take a 41-mile loop completely around the lake.
See a restored 1940 REO Speedwagon firetruck at Lake Life Pursuit, 289 Route 507 in Tafton, Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Rent a pontoon boat, kayak, or stand-up paddle board at Lake Wallenpaupack.
Just some of the other activities/events include Wallenpaupack scenic boat tours; "Pollinators and the Effects of Habitat Fragmentation," an educational presentation by Pike County Conservation District; vendor fair; artisan craft fair; brewery tours; car cruise and auction; Van Scott Nature Reserve Scavenger Hunt; sailboat rides; fire company BBQ and a pancake breakfast;
Gillette said that free parking is available at the Wallenpaupack North Primary/North Intermediate and Middle School complex on Atlantic Avenue. Do not park at the high school. There is a free shuttle from the parking area on Saturday and Sunday, with two buses, one red and the other blue, designated for different stops for festival events.
Lighthouse Harbor Marina has been the event's premier sponsor since Wally Lake Fest was started by Downtown Hawley Partnership in 2010. Gillette said that the festival could not happen without help from its many sponsors. The hotel lodging tax also assists in paying for promotion. She said there are many expenses, such as paying for bands, traffic control and marketing. With help of Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau and other partners, the festival is made known far and wide across the northeastern United States.
Visit wallylakefest.com for the entire schedule and other festival information.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Celebrate end of summer at Lake Wallenpaupack this weekend
