It’s a day of fun, food, crafts and music and entertainment, when the annual South Williamsport Spring Fling is held at the South Williamsport Community Recreation Complex on East Central Avenue.
“The Spring Fling is a great opportunity for the people of South Williamsport and surrounding areas to gather as a community and have a lot of food, fun and entertainment and to raise funds that help benefit the South Williamsport Community Recreation Complex,” Pam Lehman, secretary and member of the Spring Fling planning committee, said. “Each year this event seems to get bigger and bigger with more and more vendors and activities that we can offer as part of it.”
Lehman said the Spring Fling began in 2003 when the Borough of South Williamsport and the National Honor Society Chapter at South Williamsport Area High School joined together to establish a community event that local food, arts and crafts and merchandise vendors. She said the event has taken on “a life of its own” and has grown from about 40 vendors the first year to more than 90 vendors this year.
The variety of these vendors is always changing which she believes attracts more participants to the event. She said one of the most popular features of the Spring Fling are its silent auctions or “Chinese auctions.” According to her the interest in these seems to be increasing each year, as well as the quality of prizes and merchandise available at the auctions, many of which are “generously donated” by area businesses and vendors. Many of the prizes are gift certificates from these businesses and vendors.
She said one of the major changes in this year’s entertainment will be a clown who will help to coordinate children’s game and provide a happy and jovial atmosphere. The South Williamsport High School Jazz Band and the Songwriting and Music Club of the high school will provide musical entertainment. “Super Jump” a 17-foot inflatable Superman for kids enjoy will also be part of the entertainment.
She said that “Paws for a Cause” would also be involved and “Acts of Random Kindness” will also be helping out with the event as well.
“This has become a terrific fundraiser for our effort to make various improvements at the South Williamsport Recreation Complex, so the money we make actually benefits everyone,” Lehman said. “Our ultimate goal is to build a fund so that we can make an endowment to make various permanent improvements to the park.”
The Spring Fling Planning Committee is co-chaired by Lorrie Amrom and Meg Harbaugh and the committee meets monthly, on the second Wednesday of the month at the South Williamsport Borough Building.
“We have a very dedicated committee that plans and puts the Spring Fling together and Lorrie and Meg do a good job of chairing the committee and making sure everything goes just right,” Lehman said.
She said one of the great thing she likes to see at the event is all of the people milling around and visiting with one another like it is “old home week,” which in a sense it is according Lehman.
The Spring Fling is a “rain or shine” event, so come out and have a great time and enjoyment.
South Williamsport Area Historical Collection 