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Green & Innovation Festival Offers More Vendors and Presentations This Year

A long-standing fall tradition at Hartwood Acres is back for another year, and organizers say it will be bigger than ever. 

The Allegheny County Green & Innovation Festival and Hay Day will have more vendors, presentations and crafts than previous years when it opens for business Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

County Special Events Coordinator Katie Harbison said last year’s high attendance was unexpected.

“There were a lot longer lines and a lot more waiting around," she said. "So this year we have three face painters, we have two different balloon artists, we have two inflatables. So, more than what we had last year. It’s going to be a lot easier to come and hit everything this year, instead of only being able to maybe do half of the things because the lines were a little bit longer.”

This year there will be more than 100 exhibitors and vendors, compared with about 70 last year.

Harbison said new to the fair is the Presentations Tent where 15 exhibitors will hold 20-minute sessions on sustainable living.

She said the event is also working for zero-waste ZIP certification from the Pennsylvania Resources Council.

“They see ‘How did you do all of your promotions? Did you use as little paper as possible and did you buy everything you could that can be recyclable?'” said Harbison. “They look to see really every little detail of what we do from the very beginning of the planning throughout the entire event.”

Last year the fair won GOLD ZIP certification, the second highest rung of the program.

A complete list of vendors and presentations are available at the County’s website. And, if you can’t make it to this Saturday’s events, South Park Hay Day will be on Oct. 19 at the South Park Amphitheater.