The Tribune-Review’s “Best of the Best” awards listed Fort Ligonier Days as Westmoreland County’s best “Festival/Fair” category winner, followed by the Delmont Apple ’n Arts Festival and the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival as finalists. None of these events, however, took place in 2020.

The Export Ethnic Food & Music Festival did take place, and it was a resounding success. At our Aug. 15 event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, we put on a patriotic program, a full day of fun, food, drink, music, arts, crafts and children’s activities. We saluted surviving local WWII veterans during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new memorial park and with an exciting air show featuring vintage WWII planes. The festival raised the spirits of pandemic- weary Western Pennsylvanians and was a boon to beleaguered local businesses, vendors and artists.

It was made possible by a small volunteer group, the Export Historical Society, and a full year of advance planning. Unlike countless other festival committees in Western Pennsylvania, this group demonstrated the unique courage to proceed with plans to honor the “Greatest Generation,” and invested a significant amount of financial resources, time and energy to ensure that this historic day was celebrated safely by our community.

Our festival may not have received the votes needed to give credit where it was due, but it is unfortunate that you chose to give credit where it is most certainly not due.

John Lukacs

Export

Editor’s note: Best of the Best awards were based solely on reader voting.

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