National Pike Festival PA
The Uniontown Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center proudly serves up delicious American cuisine at Harrigan's Restaurant & Lounge. Room service from the Restaurant is available during normal restaurant hours. While in town checking out the excitement at the National Pike Festival, be sure to stop by Harrigan's for the most important meal of the day before heading out. Harrigan's menu features an array of breakfast delights including fresh pastries, eggs, juices and coffee.
Held every 3rd weekend each May, the National Pike Festival is known as the "world's longest festival." Also known as the National Road Festival, this annual event celebrates the rich cultural history of the National Road and spans over 300 miles along US Route 40, where the original National Road Corridor existed.
In the early 1800's, pioneers traversed the National Road from the Eastern seaboard into the frontier of the Great American West. Looking for new and bright futures, these colonial voyagers made this trek by stagecoach, Conestoga wagon, horseback or foot. The Historic National Road was America's first federally funded highway. Traces of the original Road still exist although the majority has been overlaid by Route 40.
Celebrations of the National Road Festival take place at the original encampments along the 300-mile long trail. Encampment sites and festivities are held in many Pennsylvania towns, including Addison, Hopwood, Uniontown, Brier Hill, Brownsville, West Brownsville, Centerville, Beallsville, Scenery Hill, Washington, Claysville and West Alexander.
National Pike Festival celebrations feature many different activities, such as period fashion shows, music, arts and crafts, ethnic food, watermelon seed-spitting contests, Native American Festivals and old-fashioned games. The highlight and centerpiece of the Festival is the reenactment of the Historic National Road's transportation system, featuring the authentic Wagon Train. The Train makes its way from town to town along the National Road, followed by a procession of wagons, horsemen, walkers, mules, horses and pioneers in costume. The common cheer during this procession is "Wagons Ho!"
During the National Road Festival, be sure to stop by the Searight Toll House on US Route 40 in between Uniontown and Brownsville. This National Historic Landmark now exists as a museum dedicated to telling the story of the National Road.
After a long day out enjoying the celebrations of the National Pike Festival, come back and relax in your spacious guestroom at the Uniontown Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center. Featuring in-room movies, cozy beds, room service and complimentary high speed Internet access, our rooms have everything you need for ultimate comfort and relaxation.
For more information on the National Pike Festival, visit the official website by clicking here.