Fresh Buckwheat Cakes and Century-Old Craft on the Ridge Today
United, PA · September 20, 2026
Steady morning rain will not dampen the final day of the 119th Flax Scutching Festival up on the ridge. Plenty of warm cider and living history await once you grab a coat.
The Lead
Since 1907, when local Justice of the Peace Elmer N. Miller organized the first gathering, the annual Stahlstown Flax Scutching Festival has preserved one of early America’s most demanding domestic crafts. Today marks the final afternoon of the 119th festival at Monticue’s Grove, situated just up Route 711.
Generations of local families demonstrate the painstaking progression required to transform raw flax into supple linen: drying the stalks, breaking the woody stems, scutching the fibers with wooden blades, and hackling them smooth for spinning wheels. Visitors can watch pioneer encampments, hear the Folk ’Em All Trio take the outdoor stage at noon, and line up for signature buckwheat cakes drizzled with pure maple syrup.
Gates remain open until 5:00 PM, when volunteers will wrap up the presses and pack down the historic grounds until next September.
Local Pulse
Township Supervisors Convene Regular Monday Afternoon Meeting City Hall Supervisors gather at the Mammoth municipal building Monday at 3:00 PM to address ongoing township business and community maintenance.
Township Schedules Fall Clean-Up Dumpster Drop-Offs Community Residents can discard bulky household items at Mammoth and Middle Churches collection stations starting next Saturday morning.
Today's Outlook
- High 74°F · Low 67°F — Rain (71% chance of precipitation)
- Keep a sturdy umbrella close at hand for steady rain showers throughout the day.
What's On Around Town
Today
119th Annual Flax Scutching Festival Monticue's Grove (1703 Route 711), Stahlstown, 10:00 AM–5:00 PM · $5 Pioneer linen-making demos, live mountain music, and homemade buckwheat cakes.
Sunday Fun Day: Native American Heritage Celebration The Westmoreland Museum of American Art (221 N Main St), Greensburg, 10:00 AM–3:00 PM · Free Traditional dancing, interactive storytelling with Perry Ground, and family art projects.
LeAnn Rimes in Concert The Palace Theatre (21 W Otterman St), Greensburg, 7:00 PM · $73–138 Grammy-winning vocalist performing three decades of hits on the historic stage.
Tomorrow
- Library Book Club Mount Pleasant Public Library (120 S Church St), Mount Pleasant, 6:00–7:00 PM · Free
- Stories and Songs of Pennsylvania Greensburg Hempfield Area Library (237 S Pennsylvania Ave), Greensburg, 6:00–7:00 PM · Free
- Tai Chi Class YWCA Westmoreland County (424 N Main St), Greensburg, 6:00–7:00 PM · $13
Tuesday
- Wee Read Storytime Adams Memorial Library (1112 Ligonier St), Latrobe, 10:30–11:00 AM · Free
- Simply Mahjong Adams Memorial Library (1112 Ligonier St), Latrobe, 1:00–4:00 PM · Free
Spotlight & Story
- Hecla Sportsmen's Club
- Tucked down the road in historic Hecla, this century-old gathering spot quietly runs hunter safety courses, clay shoots, and an annual free youth pheasant hunt. Volunteer mentors outfit young hunters with loaner gear, guide bird dogs, and teach field etiquette.
United Daily Digest — compiled from local sources as of 6 AM. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.
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