EMMAUS, Pa. — Peach, strawberry and harvest festivals — oh my!
Emmaus' Knauss Homestead Preservation Society is bringing back two new festivals from last year while introducing one more, giving the historical location a full slate for the upcoming summer months.
- Three summer festivals have been announced for the Knauss Homestead in Emmaus
- The brand-new Strawberry Festival joins The Peach Festival and Harvest Festival that began last year, and includes a ribbon cutting for the historical barn as an events center
- The events support restoration work at the homestead, which was built for one of the founders of the Borough and his immediate descendants.
The new strawberry festival arrives first to kick off the slate of events, with the annual Peach Festival set to follow and the Harvest Festival closing out the summer.
The schedule of these events is:
- Strawberry Festival | Noon-5 p.m. June 3
- Peach Festival | Noon-5 p.m. Aug. 5
- Harvest Festival | Noon- 5 p.m. Sept. 16
The full slate of events was approved Monday at the Emmaus Borough Council meeting.
“Our first hope is to just create more awareness of the homestead and the history and the history in Emmaus and, of course, to provide services for our vendors,” Knauss Homestead Preservation Society President Gene Clock said last year when announcing the Peach Festival.
Art food and brewery vendors
All events are free, with the homestead encouraging attendees to get e-tickets in advance so vendors can have a better estimate of attendee numbers in advance.
Well-behaved pets are welcome.
Last year, the homestead experimented with the first annual iterations of the Peach Festival and Harvest Festival in August and October, respectively.
All events are set to feature more than 30 art, food and brewery vendors from around the community and region, with each event having its own spin and focus.
The Strawberry festival will feature a ribbon cutting to the new barn restoration, which was given approval by the township in December to be used for weddings and events.
An architect for the project said at the meeting that the use of the venue now is planned for warmer months, and would be limited to 100 people for an event.
According to the project's website, the preservation society's goal is for the Pennsylvania Bank Barn to serve as "a community gathering place, perfect for family events, corporate functions, or anything you can think of that will contribute to the future of Emmaus."
Restoration of the barn includes a stone terrace, an accessible bathroom and a small commercial kitchen.
Vendors sought
During the Harvest Festival, there will be pumpkin painting contests, with additional special events for the three festivals to be announced.
Vendor applications are ongoing and cost $50 for a stand on the site. A $100 vendor pass gets vendors exhibit space at all three events.
Following each, the homestead has also scheduled a "post-event ghost tour" at the homestead at 5:30 p.m.
All events are set to support the ongoing efforts of the Knauss Homestead restoration and preservation by the preservation society.
According to the Knauss Homestead Preservation Society’s website, the Knauss homestead was occupied by the Knauss family from its construction in 1777 until 1935.
Then it was continually occupied until 1970 when it was left vacant for 37 years. It was constructed for one of the founders of Emmaus, Sebastian Knauss.
