Event organizers believe alternate parking plans have benefited traffic flow around the Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival, which enters its final two days this Saturday and Sunday.

As it does every year, the three-week festival has drawn steady crowds, but there hasn't been the usual congestion downtown."I think you have to credit the Jim Thorpe Chamber of Commerce," said Jim Thorpe Mayor Michael Sofranko. "They did a great job coming up with signs and diverting traffic to Mauch Chunk Lake. There was also additional parking throughout town. You can actually get back and forth downtown this year."A decrease in available space at the Carbon County lot due to the JimThorpe Memorial Bridge construction led county commissioners to offer the Mauch Chunk Lake lot at no cost to festival organizers.Visitors pay a $10 parking fee at the lot and shuttles will again run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.The shuttle drop-off and pickup is at the Mauch Chunk Opera House.On the festival's Facebook page, organizers called the plan a "success.""People got to begin their Fall Foliage Festival without a massive traffic jam and instead took a lovely 3-mile ride to town," the page states.Georgeann Pachulski, of Jim Thorpe, also noticed a difference."We were very surprised at the traffic situation," she said. "Very little to no traffic and we loved seeing the trolley carrying people to and from town."After the first weekend of the festival, Jim Thorpe Borough police said it had no incidents to report."It's probably the first time that I've spent only four hours down there as opposed to nine or 10," said Police Chief Joseph Schatz.Organizers are expecting good weather for the festival's final weekend. Forecasters predict a partly sunny day Saturday with a high of 64 degrees and a cooler day Sunday with a high of 53 degrees.The festival features around 30 vendors in addition to music, food and kids events.The music schedule for the final weekend includes:• Glue Factory from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Bees Knees from 2 to 5 p.m. at the downtown gazebo on Saturday.• Stevenson and Kelly from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Dimmick Library on Saturday.• Amrev from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Brosky and Meyer from 2 to 5 p.m. at Quarry Street on Saturday.• Coal Country Express from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Opera House steps.• Mike Pilgermayer from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and YMI from 2 to 5 p.m. at the downtown gazebo on Sunday.• Shane and Livi from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Billy Bauer from 2 to 5 p.m. at Dimmick Library on Sunday.• Matt Miskie from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Brosky and Meyer from 2 to 5 p.m. at Quarry Street on Sunday.• Shellshocked Churchills from noon to 2 p.m. and Becky and the Beasts from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Opera House steps on Sunday.