Leechburg’s biggest event of the year did not disappoint.

The 13th annual Leechburg Pink Day festival brought thousands to this small Alle-Kiski Valley town on a warm and sunny Saturday.

The festival — held on the third Saturday in September each year — is a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness and has become the biggest event on Leechburg’s calendar.

It’s a celebration and fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation that was established in 2011 by Gary and Vicki Peterman of Gilpin.

Four blocks on Market Street were closed off from late morning through evening on Saturday, and about 110 vendors filled the streets providing delicious eats, cool snow cones, local crafts, face painting, live music, a petting zoo, balloon animals, mascots, and more.

Joelene Hess of Freeport is a breast cancer survivor who beat the disease 19 years ago.

“This means a lot to me,” Hess said Saturday afternoon. “It is great to see this positive energy and how big this event has become.”

Sherry Price, 61 of Leechburg is the head organizer of the Pink Day festival. She was excited about this year’s large attendance. She said last year the celebration attracted about 10,000 people to Leechburg and Saturday’s event looked to be on pace with that.

The event raised about $41,000 for breast cancer research in 2023, and a total of more than 270,000 over the last 13 years.

“It makes me feel like a blessed person to see this level of support,” said Price, a breast cancer survivor.

Local businesses participated. Coco Coffeehouse had a booth outside its storefront, and National Public House sold cocktails for adults and snow cones for kids. The local State Farm Insurance affiliate on Market Street was handing out pink tote bags.

The Pink Day festival has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings in the early 2010s. The first festival back then only attracted about 100 people, according to Price.

Heather Zack and her wife brought their kids down to the event. She said it was amazing to see how “booming” the Pink Day festival has become over the years.

Two stages entertained visitors. One staged a puppet show for kids, and another hosted a plethora of bands playing live music.

Larisson Suveges, 35, of Leechburg brought her 4-year-old daughter on Saturday. Her daughter smiled in delight after receiving a pink balloon animal during the warm afternoon.

Suveges has been pleased to see the festival grow over the years and praised the event for offering a lot of activities for kids, including a popular foam party in the afternoon.

“This is for a great cause, there is great food, and it brings everyone together,” she said.

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