Duncannon is an official Appalachian Trail Community and we hope to reach out to residents and the surrounding community in an effort to share the experience and pride of being part of a national treasure, the Appalachian Trail.
The 2013 Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community Festival will be held on Saturday, June 1st with a forecast of bright and sunny weather. During the morning there will be a wide variety of nature hikes and river adventures highlighting Duncannon’s beautiful outdoor resources and from 12 noon to 4PM there will be live entertainment, information vendors and merchants at the town square along Cumberland Street.
The hikes, sponsored by local hiking clubs, will explore many of the local trails surrounding the Duncannon area. There will be short hikes for beginners and longer hikes for more experienced hikers. There will almost certainly be a hike that meets your skill level so be sure to check out our list of 2013 DATC Festival scheduled events.
The river outings, sponsored by Blue Mountain Outfitters, will depend on river conditions during that particular day. Possible river activities could include tubing, kayaking or canoeing adventures. Be sure to check our 2013 DATC Festival schedule for more information.
From noon to 4PM Cumberland Street will be closed to traffic and lined with vendors selling wares, providing free information, promoting outdoor activities and advertising Duncannon area businesses. Local musicians will be performing live entertainment suitable for the whole family near the Quick Mart convenience store and raffles will be held to give away prizes that were donated by the vendors. Smokey the bear will be in the area all afternoon and the Duncannon Fire Company will be selling their delicious barbecued chicken.
is for Parking: During the day of the festival parking can be hard to come by due to the influx of visitors and town-wide yard sales being held on the same day. If you can’t find on-street parking near the intersection of Cumberland and Market streets you can go to one of the following off-site parking areas:
- Water Street (near the baseball field)
- Cooper Field (northwest end of Chestnut Street)
- Clarks Ferry Park and Ride This is about 2 miles away from the festival but allows you to hike into town along the Appalachian Trail as countless thru-hikers have done in the past.
- If you will be carpooling to your hike, the Abundant Harvest Church, 510 New Bloomfield Rd (Rt 274) is allowing parking/carpooling from their gravel lot; please stay on gravel and don’t park on the pavement.
Overall, it will be a great day to get outside, meet your neighbors and spend some quality time with family. Stop by Saturday June 1st to see how the Appalachian Trail is helping to make Duncannon a better place to play and live.
If you would like to register as a vendor, please go to the Duncannon AT Community Festival Vendor Registration page and signup for your spot today. You can contact the DATC for more information.
If you would like to help staff the event between 11AM and 5PM, please signup to join our generous group of DATC Festival Volunteers. You can contact the DATC for more information.
DATC FESTIVAL EVENT SCHEDULE
Morning Outdoor Activities
Hike – 8:00 to 11:30 – Haldeman Island: In cooperation with the PA Game Commision, this is a leisurely 2.5 mile hike touring the abundant wildlife of Haldeman Island. Located near the confluence of the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers, access to Haldeman Island is usually restricted to provide sanctuary for a wide variety of native Pennsylvania birds, including the iconic Bald Eagle. Sign up early for this rare chance to enjoy an excellent hike lead by the extremely knowledgeable and informative PA Game Commision Land Management Group Supervisor, Scott Bills. This hike is limited to 25 people. All available openings on this hike have been filled! Where to park.-
Hike – 8:00 to 12:00 – Hawk Rock the Hard Way: Sponsored by the Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club, this hike is for advanced hikers; due to the strenuous nature and brisk pace of this hike, no one under the age of 16 will be permitted. We’ll take the steep way up to Hawk Rock, continue on the AT for a few miles passing the Cove Mountain Shelter, and then turn down a very steep side trail to a forest road that takes us back to Duncannon. You must contact the hike leader (tsanders@duncannonatc.org) to register and be eligible for this hike. Where to park. 
Hike – 9:45 to 2:45 – Hawk Rock to Cove Mountain Shelter: Sponsored by the Mountain Club of Maryland, this is a moderately strenuous out-and-back 8 mile hike along Cove Mountain that gains 900 feet in elevation. We’ll meet at the parking lot across from Tubby’s nightclub, head up the Appalachian Trail to Hawk Rock, continue east-southeast along the ridge to the Cove Mountain Shelter, stop for a short break and then return along the same route. You must contact the hike leader (moconnor@duncannonatc.org) to register for this hike. Where to park.
Hike – 9:00 to 11:30 – Peters Mountain to Clarks Ferry Shelter: Sponsored by the York Hiking Club, this is a moderately paced 4 mile hike with a semi-strenuous 900 foot climb up the end of Peters Mountain. We’ll meet at the Park-n-Ride lot near the Clarks Ferry Bridge on Rt. 147, head up the Appalachian Trail to the Clarks Ferry Shelter for a nice break, go back down the mountain on the blue-blazed Susquehanna Trail and then head back to our cars. As we hike this trail we’ll stop to take in picturesque views of Duncannon, the valley surrounding Dauphin, and the Juniata and Susquehanna river junction. You must contact the hike leader (kdunleavy@duncannonatc.org) to register for this hike. Where to park.
Afternoon Town Square Events
All “On Stage” times are subject to change.
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On Stage – 12:00 – Autumn and Canyon Moore: Two pre-teen fiddlers that will make your jaw drop in amazement. Autumn (10 years old) and Canyon (9 years old) have been playing fiddle for over 10 years combined. -
On Stage – 12:35 – David Morningstar: PA native living in Perry County who is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist performing country, rock and blues music as a solo performer. He has been playing since early childhood and he loves family, friends and animals as well as music and the great outdoors. 
On Stage – 1:10 – Antonio Andrade: Returns from last year…original songs that are marked by the rock/folk/pop influences that removed him from the sandlot and stood him on a stage.- On Stage – 1:45 – Tim Young: Solo, singer guitarist who plays some excellent country music.
- On Stage – 2:20 – CrossCountry (Rebecca Lewis, Carl Weidenhof, Dave Snyder, Jeff Shoop): Any and all genres, country flavored with the emphasis on harmony. Songs by Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, Cranberries, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson and even some of our own original stuff.
- On Stage – 2:55 – Sing Along Jam Session: Artists from earlier in the day get together for improvisational collaboration.
- On Stage – 3:40 – Raffle prizes and closing ceremony.
- Noyes Park – 1:00 to 1:30 – Games Galore: Cooperative games for young people aged 5 to adult. Come join us for a fun time in Noyes Park as we engage kids in physically and mentally challenging ways.
- Noyes Park – 2:00 to 2:30 – Parachute Playtime: Climb a mountain or hide inside one. Better yet get eaten by a shark. What do these have in common? They are games you play with a BIG parachute. Bring the family to the park and join the fun!
- Noyes Park – 3:00 to 3:30 – Super Storytime: Gather round and listen to intriguing tales and fabulous fables as told by professional storyteller Deb Takach.
- Firehouse – 10:00 to 4:00 – Barbecue Chicken: The Duncannon Fire Company’s delicious and affordable chicken barbecue is always popular.
- Cumberland St. – 12:00 to 4:00 – Smokey the Bear: The world famous fire prevention mascot will appear throughout the day touring Cumberland Street to greet kids and raise fire safety awareness.
Every man, woman and child (child’s parent must be present) will be given a free ticket just for showing up at the DATC booth on Cumberland Street and getting their hand stamped. The DATC will also be selling raffle tickets to help support the Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community so be sure to increase your odds of winning by purchasing extra tickets for $1.00 each.
DATC FESTIVAL RAFFLE PRIZES
- Appalachian Trail Conservancy donated an A.T. Hat and T-Shirt.
- Bald Eagle Gold Prospecting Association donated a Gold Pan and a Classifier.
- Crafty Nana donated a Large Gourd Birdhouse.
- Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community donated a DATC T-Shirt.
- Keystone Trails Association donated a “Fifty Hikes in Eastern PA” Guidebook and free KTA Membership
- Leaping Lizards donated a Free Caricature.
- Lester Brubaker donated a Handcrafted Walking Stick.
- Lorraine Finicle donated a Picture.
- Marysville Bank donated $20.
- Mary K donated a Skin Care Product
- Mountain Bloom Honey donated Jars of Honey and Some Crafted Bracelets.
- Nikki’s Knits donated a Crocheted Hat.
- My Wife’s Barn donated a Sassafras Paper Towel Holder.
- PA Chapter of American Chestnut Foundation has donated an ACF Ball Cap.
- Paparazzi Jewelry donated 2 FREE pieces of Paparazzi Jewelry – of winner’s choice.
- Paul Smith (A.T. Ambassador) donated a Blue Bird House.
- Put People First donated a $10 Gift Certificate for the Doyle Hotel
- Ranch House Restaurant donated a $10 Gift Card.
- Ray Sterner donated His Map Poster which was printed by National Geographic.
- Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club donated a T-Shirt with SATC Logo.
- THG Studio donated Note Cards with Artist’s Prints.
- Tastefully Simple donated a Tastefully Simple cake mix, a dip mix and flavored coffee.
- ZD Photography donated an 8×10 Framed Print of the Appalachian Trail.
The following Duncannon area businesses and organizations have helped promote and support the Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community Festival:
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The Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community (DATC) is dedicated to promoting, protecting and preserving our outdoor recreational resources for future generations. We implement projects and programs to enhance tourism opportunities for Duncannon as an outdoor recreation destination and we encourage everyone to get outside, enjoy nature and recognize the connection between the health and abundance of the region’s natural assets and the vitality of its communities.
Come out and enjoy a fun day in Duncannon; we hope to see you there.
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