No one melting at rainy Witch Festival in Monongahela

The Wicked Witch of the West would've been smart to bring her poncho to the second annual Witch Festival at the Monongahela Aquatorium on Saturday, but the only thing that melted away in the rain were a few vendors.

More than the skeletons or green faces, persistent showers and low temperatures scared away a handful of sellers who didn't think people would come. But the ones who stayed saw a steady stream of costumed customers browsing the mix of witchy crafts, jewelry, teas, incense and a wide range of “metaphysical” wares including crystals, totems and dowsing rods. Umbrellas and broad-brimmed, peaked hats kept attendees dry until the music and dancing were to begin later in the evening.

“It's probably going to cut the crowds in half, but we were anticipating 10,000,” festival organizer Claudia Williams said. “Some vendors left because they thought people wouldn't come, but that just means the ones who stayed are going to do even better. ... There are a lot of people walking around town in costume.”

Rose Robinson came from Bloomingdale, Ohio, and wore green makeup while carrying a broom to honor the Wicked Witch from “The Wizard of Oz.”

“We do Halloween parties every year, and this is the first year since my mom passed away that we didn't do a Halloween party,” she said. “She was afraid of witches, and I loved them.”

“We're embracing our true character,” said a costumed woman who identified herself only as Freya, 60, of Butler. “It's the mystery (of witches) that I love. When I first heard about this, I wasn't sure if it was going to be a ‘real' witch festival.”

Williams emphasized that it was purely a costume party — for adults only, because there was a booth serving alcohol.

“There's definitely no paganism or devil-worship or anything like that,” said Williams, one of the volunteers for the foundation booking events for the riverfront venue.

Returning vendors and visitors cited the packed riverwalk last year as their reason for braving the rain, hoping that die-hard Halloween and witch enthusiasts and a dearth of similar events would keep people coming.

“I would be here even if I weren't a vendor,” said Jade Herzog of Beaver Falls, who was selling etched wood and jewelry while wearing an elaborate red costume and headdress. “The festival last year was just incredible; it had the most amazing costumes of any event we went to.”

Valiha Jones, 23, of Penn Hills came last year as an attendee and returned this year to sell her crafts, including taxidermied butterflies and moths she gets from a biologist and uses in her art.

“I came and saw all the pointed hats, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I'm digging this,' ” she said. “You have some pagan-type stuff, but there's a lot of Halloween stuff, too.”

Matthew Santoni is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6660, msantoni@tribweb.com or via Twitter @msantoni.