ERIE, Pennsylvania — This weekend, this northwestern city of Pennsylvania will be filled with families from all over the western part of the state, from as far south as Fayette County to adjacent Mercer County, all here to descend on the beautiful beaches of Presque Isle State Park.

Unless you are not from this part of the region, including West Virginia and eastern Ohio, you probably think of Erie only as a post-industrial city that still clings to its manufacturing base to stay afloat.