The Oakmont Chamber of Commerce closed out the summer with a few hundred people at its night market.
The last of three such vendor and community outreach meetings was held on Friday, August 19 in the district’s business district.
Several companies like Oakmont Olive Oil Co. stayed open later than usual and had special offers to mark the occasion.
“The markets have been great,” said owner Sharon Carroll. “We had great weather for everyone. We are not normally open on Friday evenings, but we are open for the market. It’s a great way to bring people back into town to eat at the restaurants and really experience the shops.
“We’ve had a few new openings since the start of Covid. Really to be able to stroll down the street, shop, eat and see what Oakmont has to offer in a nice family atmosphere.”
Participating vendors included Still Mill Distillery, Bygone Wines, Bentley’s Doggie Bistro, Oakmont Embroidery, The Peddler, Potted, Color Street and Elliot Lane Handmade Jewelry.
Oakmont Candle Works debuted its fall fragrances, including warm apple pie, butterscotch and various pumpkin incarnations.
Chelsea Koenig, of Phoenix, Arizona, said she was in town to visit family and had a good time at the market.
She was among those trying drinks from The Juicery in Oakmont.
Vendor Kalee Thornton said it was a great time serving people in her tent.
“It’s really beautiful,” Thornton said. “That shows a lot of people that we’re open and we have a lot of menu items. It’s really nice to see everyone in the community.”
Pittsburgh musical duo Jane West and Katie Simone entertained the crowd with a variety of tunes including “Stay” by Lisa Loeb and “You’re the One that I Want” from the musical Grease.
Chamber director Karen DeTurck said last night’s market was a successful learning experience despite some vendor cancellations and competition from Little Italy Days in Bloomfield.
“It went really well,” she said. “We look forward to next year, next summer, possibly in May instead of starting in June. All three were quite successful and we got a lot of new members from them. That’s always a good thing.
“July was fantastic. I got many compliments from the sellers. Little did we know that Little Italy Days would be held the same weekend (in August). We can recheck (the data) to avoid conflicts.”
Little Italy Days attracts hundreds of stalls.
It took place from August 18th to 21st this year.
The next chamber event in Oakmont is a fall festival on October 29th.
For more information on Chamber activities, visit oakmont-pa.com.
Michael DiVittorio is a contributor to the Tribune-Review. You can contact Michael at 412-871-2367, mdivittorio@triblive.com or via Twitter.
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