Visit our Artisan Marketplace, a showcase of talent! 2-11pm
WaterFire Sharon prides itself on striving to bring professional art market vendors and high-quality works of art to our marketplace. Our talented artisans are natural creatives who make amazing handmade fine art. Whether it’s a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry, pottery, woodworking, glass or fiber art, painting, photography, or mixed media piece – we have it all, in all price ranges – we know you will find the perfect item while walking the streets of beautiful downtown Sharon during WaterFire.
During our event, you’ll find artisan tents full of beautiful and unique items. Talk to the artists to learn more about their processes, watch their live demonstrations and support our artists by selecting a handmade original piece to add to your home or give as a gift. You will love the spray paint art of Charli Cupan! Stop by her booth on the corner of Chestnut and State St. for demonstrations of her talent all day.
Want to sell your handmade art items at WF in 2024? Applications are open through Zapponline: https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=11156 . Contact Jenn at jenncrisan@gmail.com or artistinfo@waterfiresharonpa.org with any feedback or questions. We are looking forward to a great selling event in the artisan marketplace!
Food Court – 2-11pm
Stop by the food court to enjoy a variety of delicious treats. You will know you are headed in the right direction as you pick up the aromas of ribs on the BBQ! There will surely be a sweet smell of cinnamon rolls and funnel cakes. You can cool off with a milkshake! So much savory, so much sweet – you can’t go wrong with a visit to the food court. Just a few of the delicious food options: pulled pork, mac & cheese, hot sausage, philly cheese steak, fries, gyros, nachos, corn dogs and so much more!! Have lunch, dinner or take a snack to take home from the WaterFire food court.
Children’s Fun Zone – 3-7pm
Be sure to bring the kids to the Children’s Fun Zone, located at the corner of Shenango Ave. and State St., directly under the American Flag. There will be lots of interactive projects, crafts, games, giant legos, music wall, robotics and so much more. Parents need to stay with their children. This is a non-smoking zone.
River Festivities
Our evening will begin with the Native American Blessing of the Shenango River by Leon Briggs followed by the lighting of the WaterFire Sharon PA orb along with 55 floating bonfires filled with pine on the river between Connelly Blvd. and E. Silver St. Enjoy the aroma, live entertainment and music on the river until 11pm. Be sure to bring a chair and stay awhile!
Leon Briggs:
Leon Sam Briggs, is an enrolled Tonawanda Seneca whose native name is H oya’degay hus, “he helps always” hawk clan. In 2004, he was ordained as a spiritual leader of the American Metis Aboriginal Association. He works in traditional Arts of beading, quill and leather work. He speaks on his traditional teachings in herbology, (focused native uses of plants), and works as a cultural consulting. He has made annual trips to Little Eagle, South Dakota to meet with the community and government leaders as a cultural lea son, participate in events and ceremonies, such as Peace Place powwow to support local efforts to start building the Little Eagle Community Center. He has participated as guest speaker on Native American culture, storyteller, environmental impact on indigenous plants at various events including Native American Awareness Week at the University of Dayton, and Sunwatch Village, since 2007.
Making Relations another gathering of communities for the exchange of cultures (Little Eagle and Eagle Butte, South Dakota, since 2009) and Native Peoples Celebrate the Peacemakers, University of Dayton. Leon is a consultant/ speaker with the Red Bird Center whose mission is to support the Healing and Unity of Native Families in Ohio. The Center specializes in assisting families in recovery from trauma and loss. Leon is a presenter at the Red Bird Center’s Annual Native Unity Gathering which focuses on the “Indigenous Healing Model” that restores the spirit and brings unity and connection within Native Communities. The Red Bird Center has been in operation since 1997 and is a Native non-profit organization. Making Relations another gathering of communities for the exchange of cultures (Little Eagle and Eagle Butte, South Dakota, since 2009) and Native Peoples Celebrate the Peacemakers, University of Dayton. He is a consultant/ speaker with the Red Bird Center whose mission is to support the Healing and Unity of Native Families in Ohio. The Center specializes in assisting families in recovery from trauma and loss. Leon is a presenter at the Red Bird Center’s Annual Native Unity Gathering which focuses on the “Indigenous Healing Model” that restores the spirit and brings unity and connection within Native Communities. The Red Bird Center has been in operation since 1997 and is a Native non-profit organization.
Jimmy Pyro:
Jimmy Pyro has always been drawn to the power and sound of fire, which he uses to captivate his audience with explosive and dramatic performances. Jimmy is a born thrill seeker and a natural entertainer. He is completely self-taught and enjoys learning new skills and adding new and exciting stunts to his repertoire. Jimmy Pyro has been professionally performing for 10 years and has entertained over 270,000 people. He will leave you talking for years to come and a memory you will never forget. Jimmy Pyro will perform several times throughout the evening. Watch for Jimmy on a boat on the river, the bridge abutment and on the State St. bridge.
Downtown Art Installations:
Take time to visit all the inspiring art installations throughout downtown Sharon. You can walk your way from the Literary Garden at the Shenango Valley Library, to Random InterFace Alley, to Floral Garden Gallery located on Connelly Blvd. to Riverview Gardens Park to enjoy Willow Way and five wood cravings from ash trees. A must see is the HopeCAT Mural located along State St. World renowned mural artist, Joel Bergner, HopeCAT students, local artists and Park Inn by Radisson employees came together to create this one-of-a-kind work of art!
Tagup!
Take selfies and be sure to check in on social media while you enjoy your day and evening at WaterFire Sharon. A check-in on social helps our downtown merchants with visibility and draws more attention to their key presence in the growing vibrancy along the river! Share what you see and enjoy your day in beautiful downtown Sharon. Use our hashtags when you share your fun photos and selfies on social! Hashtag so we can see all the memories you make at! And we might collect a few of our favorites to share on our social profiles.
Ready to Volunteer a few hours?
Have you seen enough to make you want to join in? We welcome new volunteers! Come alone, in a group, whatever works for you! Whether you want to help in the preparation and planning, help set up vendors, work at the information center, tend to the braziers during the evening, or a variety of other areas to lend a hand, WaterFire Sharon would be happy to have you join in. Our volunteers are known to say things like “I met so many new people and made so many new friends” and “It’s fun to be a part of something so big!” and of course “I’m always proud to see so many people come to our area and witness what we have going on here.” Maybe you’ll feel just that same way after experiencing WaterFire as a volunteer. Sign up for the next WaterFire event at the Souvenir and Information center located at the corner of West State Street and S. Water Avenue – in front of the food court. Ask questions and see what you may enjoy the most! If you can’t visit the booth, call our volunteer coordinators Adrianna at (440) 812-7339 or Karen at (724) 301-1868 and they will be happy to fill you in on all the opportunities available to be a part of WaterFire.
Downtown Sharon History Walk
Join the Sharon Historical Society for our Downtown Sharon History Walks during WaterFire Sharon.
Rare photographs and interesting stories will be printed in our collectible booklet! These are FREE and OPEN TO ALL!! Donations are appreciated! The meeting location will be announced closer to the date.
