Mister Rogers Family Days event in Latrobe to bring back some pre-pandemic activities

The 2022 Mister Rogers Family Days will aim to mesh pre-pandemic activities with last year’s week-long event structure, according to Latrobe Art Center Executive Director Michael Tusay.

Tusay anticipates a week of fun during the sixth-annual event, which will be held from June 6-11 in Fred Rogers’ hometown of Latrobe.

“I’m really excited to bring back the elements from previous years while merging it with the format we had last year,” Tusay said. “This is an effort to make this year bigger and better than it ever has been before.”

The week’s activities will kick off Monday, when the Daniel Tiger Storybook Walk and Mister Rogers Quotation Quest – both week-long activities — will begin.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the art center has planned various activities for children and adults alike, including story-time hours, live entertainment, a farmer’s market, craft, shop hop night and book giveaway.

Locals can donate books for the giveaway at the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Chamber of Commerce Visitors and Information Center until June 3.

On Friday, family friendly activities will continue. That morning, the Latrobe Area Historical Society will host a “Latrobe: Mr. Rogers’ First Neighborhood” presentation.

Later that evening, event organizers plan to show a screening of “Saving Amelia,” a fictional film about Amelia Earhart made by Latrobe resident Matthew Fridg.

Finally, Saturday will be chock-full of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”-related festivities.

After a three-year hiatus, Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittycat will attend this year’s event. Additionally, children and their families can enjoy a car show, magic show, obstacle course, pony rides, hay rides, scavenger hunt and more. Food vendors and live entertainment will be present.

Tusay said all events are free, but he asks that people pre-register for the Tuesday story-time, Friday film screening and Saturday magic show.

Those interested can pre-register up until the day of the event, but Tusay encouraged participants to register by Monday, June 6.

A full schedule of events can be found on Mister Rogers Family Days’ website.