The Horse Parade comes down Main Street in Zelienople during the first day of Horse Trading Days on Thursday, July 18, 2024. (Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle)

By Annabelle Chipps, Butler Eagle

Zelienople’s annual Horse Trading Days is back for three days of family-friendly fun.

Visitors can also expect wagon rides, a petting zoo, bounce houses, a corn hole tournament, a hot dog eating contest and more, spanning from Thursday to Saturday, July 17 to 19.

Over 100 vendors, both local and global, will be featured in Four Corners Park this year. The children’s activities usually occurring there have been moved to the Zelienople Area Public Library.

“It’s a place that will create a more comfortable and safe environment for families,” organizer Matthew Edwards said.

A major part of the festival is its musical acts. The Swearing Hats; The Low Kings; Jeff Jimerson and Airborne; Aaron Haben; This-That and The Other Thing; No Bad JuJu; and Blessid Union of Souls will all be performing this year.

The concerts are free to attend, but reserved seating can be purchased online for $75.

“We try to work with people who are local or have local ties,” Edwards said.

They also look for bands with a following of their own to draw in more visitors, he said.

“For our closers, we’re just looking for someone to put on a good show,” he said.

Edwards is the Zelienople Area Business Association’s executive director. This is his 10th year helping plan the festival.

According to him, there are tens of thousands of attendees each year over the three-day period, though it is reportedly difficult to count.

In the 1960s, an equestrian show nearby brought visitors to Zelienople each year. The borough saw the event could be an opportunity to educate the public on the music and businesses the area had to offer.

The festival is now in its 61st year and will feature a Horse Parade on Friday to honor its history.

“It’s really a craft and music festival,” Edwards said. “Its purpose is to showcase Zelienople businesses … We want to expose (the borough) to consumers.”

He claimed there will be few additions this year because, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

More details about vendors, performers and sponsors can be found at HorsetradingDays.com.

Annabelle Chipps is a recent graduate of Slippery Rock University and one of 10 Pittsburgh Media Partnership summer interns.