The Summit Summer Festival returns for its 43rd year on Saturday, Aug. 20, to the small community northwest of Blodgett after a two-year absence, organizers announced.
Barbara Sobo Gast, Summit community publicity coordinator, announced that the celebration will run from noon to 7 p.m. at the Summit Community Center. She describes the event as a festive, colorful, outdoor festival for all ages that features “a full day of old-time country fun, crafts, arts, friendship and music.”
The festival will feature plenty of unique handcrafts, music and more — from recycled yard art, toys and plants to hand-turned wood platters. Local musicians and performers will be on stage with genres from blues to bluegrass. There will even be a watermelon-eating contest for kids and adults along with Summit’s “homegrown” silent auction, a marching band and parade that makes its way through the event and a cake and pie auction.
Food will be available for purchase, along with this year’s festival T-shirt that’s traditionally designed by local artist Earl Newman.
Gast, who has been involved with the celebration for years, invites all to come out to help support the heart and soul of Summit.
“Sit on a bale of hay, eat fresh corn, buy a pie, listen to ‘round the world’ music, see a world of creative magic around you, sing along, join the parade, chat it up with neighbors and friends, take a musical adventure, bring home handmade treasures, have fun under summer skies,” she said.
As part of the festival each year, the Summit Star Quilters create a raffle quilt to support youth scholarships. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the group quilting together — an effort that dates back to 1972.
Gast said the 2022 “Broken Braid” quilt pays tribute to the many quilters over the decades who have pieced together and hand-quilted hundreds of quilts, now a longtime treasured community tradition.
The quilts will be on view and for sale in the community center, where raffle tickets can also be purchased.
The Summit Summer Festival represents the major fundraiser for the Summit Community Center, which supports annual scholarships, ongoing community projects and local volunteer groups.
Organizers advise folks to bring drinking water, especially if temperatures get hot. No dogs or alcohol are permitted and face masks are encouraged for safety.
To find the Summit Summer Festival, take Highway 20 west out of Philomath and after about 10 miles, take a right onto Summit Highway (U.S. Highway 180). Follow the road about five miles to Summit.
